Richard Gurney (1790–1843) was an English judge in the Stannary Courts of

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

. His corrupt practices were exposed during the trial of Mary Ann Tocker in 1818. Following the trial, he wrote a pamphlet expounding the Law of Libel at the time and attempting to defend his actions.

Early life

Gurney grew up in

Tregony Tregony ( kw, Trerigoni), sometimes in the past Tregoney, is a village and former civil parishes in England, civil parish, now in the parish of Tregony with Cuby, in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It lies on the River Fal. In the village th ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

. He was the youngest of three children by Rev. Richard Gurney and Bridget Oban. He aspired to be a writer and a poet. After his father failed to obtain a naval commission for him, he went to London to study law. He was admitted to the Inner Temple on 14 January 1812.

Career

Vice-warden of the Stannaries of Devon 1812 – 1817

In December 1812, when Gurney was 22 years old, he was appointed Vice-Warden of the Stannaries of Devon. He tried cases concerning mining disputes under

Stannary Law Stannary law (derived from the la, stannum for tin) is the body of English law that governs tin mining in Devon and Cornwall; although no longer of much practical relevance, the stannary law remains part of the law of the United Kingdom and is ...

. This post was obtained for him by his father, Rev. Gurney, as a reward for helping to return Lord Yarmouth's candidates as representative for the Borough of Tregony in the 1812 elections. Rev. Gurney was also instrumental in obtaining bribes for the voters. When questioned by the

Select Committee Select committee may refer to: *Select committee (parliamentary system), a committee made up of a small number of parliamentary members appointed to deal with particular areas or issues *Select or special committee (United States Congress) *Select ...

of Parliament looking into corrupt electoral practices in the Borough, he denied all knowledge of the bribes and was tried for

perjury Perjury (also known as foreswearing) is the intentional act of swearing a false oath or falsifying an affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to an official proceeding."Perjury The act or an inst ...

. When Gurney heard Robert Gifford (later 1st Baron Gifford) question his father's honesty, he challenged him to a duel. Refused satisfaction, he struck Robert Gifford with his horse whip and was charged with assault. When the case came to trial in 1814, Gurney was sentenced to six months imprisonment in

Marshalsea The Marshalsea (1373–1842) was a notorious prison in Southwark, just south of the River Thames. Although it housed a variety of prisoners, including men accused of crimes at sea and political figures charged with sedition, it became known, in ...

prison. In 1816 and 1818, Gurney was outlawed in Plymouth and Dock for debt and fled the country. He spent months at the gaming tables of Paris in the company of Major John Richardson, a Canadian gambler and author. Richardson's biographer writes of Gurney as a "poet, solicitor, and former Vice-Warden of the Stannaries of Devon, who owing to a predilection for the gaming table, neglected to attend court, took higher fees than allowed and, obliged to leave England, took refuge in Paris in 1818." As Vice -Warden of the Stannaries, he received an income of £50 a year, yet heard only two cases. He lost his position after his corrupt behaviour was exposed by the publication of an anonymous letter in the West Briton newspaper in 1817. When Gurney discovered that the writer of the letter was Mary Ann Tocker, his former secretary's sister, he had her tried for libel.

Politics

Richard Gurney stood for parliament in the Borough of

three times and failed each time. In 1830, he claimed to be elected member of

parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

for

, but did not succeed in obtaining the seat. He petitioned Parliament, claiming to have been returned by the legal returning-officer and accusing his opponents of bribery. The petition was found frivolous and vexatious and Gurney was awarded costs.

Travels on the Continent

In 1834, Gurney again fled to the continent to escape debt. Gurney traveled on the Continent with his wife and children for ten years. Having attended a few court levées in England, Gurney had a court suit. Dressed as a courtier, he was able to pose as a member of the Royal Court. He thus gained entry to the minor courts of Europe. Gurney traveled through Germany, Austria, Italy and France meeting other English expatriates such

Sir Sidney Smith Admiral Sir William Sidney Smith (21 June 176426 May 1840) was a British naval and intelligence officer. Serving in the American and French revolutionary wars and Napoleonic Wars, he rose to the rank of Admiral. Smith was known for his of ...

. He and his sons became acquainted with the poets,

Karl Joseph Simrock Karl Joseph Simrock (28 August 1802 – 18 July 1876) was a German poet and writer. He is primarily known for his translation of ''Das Nibelungenlied'' into modern German. Life He was born in Bonn, where his father was a music publisher. He s ...

Franz Grillparzer Franz Seraphicus Grillparzer (15 January 1791 – 21 January 1872) was an Austrian writer who was considered to be the leading Austrian dramatist of the 19th century. His plays were and are frequently performed at the famous Burgtheater in Vien ...

, and

Betty Paoli Betty Paoli (born Barbara Elisabeth Glück 30 December 1814 – 5 July 1894) was an Austrian writer, a companion of Princess Maria Anna Schwarzenberg (1767–1848) and friend of Maria von Ebner-Eschenbach. Paoli was a poet, journalist, translat ...

. His son,

Archer Thompson Gurney Archer Thompson Gurney (1820–1887) was a Church of England clergyman and hymnodist. Life Archer Gurney was born at Tregony in Cornwall on 15 July 1820. His father, Richard Gurney, was vice-warden of the stannaries of Devon. Archer Thompson Gu ...

, translated works by German poets into English. Gurney died in

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, in 1843. His wife, Catherine Harriet, died in 1876.''Bibliotheca Cornubiensis'', pp. 200, 1213 He was the author of: * ''Fables on Men and Manners'', 1809. * ''Romeo and Juliet Travesty'', 1812. * ''Observations on a libel; for which an indictment was instituted by Richard Gurney, Jun. of the Inner Temple, Special Pleader, Vice-Warden of the Stannaries of Devon, against Mary Ann Tocker; of which the Defendant was found not guilty'', 1818. * ''The Battle of Salamanca, a Poem'', 1820. * ''The Maid of Prague'', 1841.

References

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Gurney, Archer Thompson 1790 births 1843 deaths People from Tregony Members of the Inner Temple