Robert Pryor DL JP (21 April 1812 - 23 August 1889) was an English barrister.The Times, Wednesday, Aug 28, 1889; pg. 8; Issue 32789; col E Obituary. Obituaries

Biography

Pryor was the second son of Thomas Marlborough Pryor (1777-1821), a Quaker of Hampstead Heath,

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

and his wife Hannah, daughter of Samuel Hoare a banker.

Burke's Landed Gentry ''Burke's Landed Gentry'' (originally titled ''Burke's Commoners'') is a reference work listing families in Great Britain and Ireland who have owned rural estates of some size. The work has been in existence from the first half of the 19th cen ...

: Pryor of Weston Park. His elder brother Marlborough Pryor (1807-1869) was JP, but had left no children. Pryor was educated privately before being admitted to

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

in 1829 and graduating as fourth wrangler in 1834. This began somewhat of a tradition for Pryors of going to Trinity. He was admitted to Lincoln's Inn in 1834 and Called to the Bar in 1837. Professionally, he practised as an equity barrister and conveyencer. On 20 August 1844 he married Elizabeth Caroline Wyrley-Birch, daughter of Wyrley-Birch, of Wretham Hall, Norfolk. They had four sons, one of whom died as a baby, the other three being sent to Eton before attending Trinity. * Marlborough Robert Pryor (1848-1920) * Frederick Robert Pryor (born and died 1851) * Selwyn Robert Pryor (1855-1928) * Francis Robert Pryor (1862-1937) Pryor retired from the bar in 1863, and purchased for his residence High Elms Manor in Hertfordshire. There, he was a justice of the peace and succeeded

James Grimston, 2nd Earl of Verulam James Walter Grimston, 2nd Earl of Verulam (20 February 1809 – 27 July 1895), known as Viscount Grimston from 1815 to 1845, was a British peer and Conservative politician. He was the eldest son of James Walter Grimston, 1st Earl of Verulam, a ...

as chairman of the Hertfordshire

Quarter Sessions The courts of quarter sessions or quarter sessions were local courts traditionally held at four set times each year in the Kingdom of England from 1388 (extending also to Wales following the Laws in Wales Act 1535). They were also established in ...

in 1867. For many years he was Chairman of the

Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...

Board of Guardians Boards of guardians were ''ad hoc'' authorities that administered Poor Law in the United Kingdom from 1835 to 1930. England and Wales Boards of guardians were created by the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, replacing the parish overseers of the po ...

. He was

High Sheriff of Hertfordshire The High Sheriff of Hertfordshire was an ancient Sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the foundation of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years. On 1 April 1974, under the provisio ...

in 1868 and a Deputy Lieutenant of Hertfordshire from 1874. For many years he was chairman of the Hertfordshire Liberal Association (qv

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

). ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'' described his political beliefs as being "of the type of

John Bright John Bright (16 November 1811 – 27 March 1889) was a British Radical and Liberal statesman, one of the greatest orators of his generation and a promoter of free trade policies. A Quaker, Bright is most famous for battling the Corn La ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pryor, Robert 1812 births 1889 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge High Sheriffs of Hertfordshire Deputy Lieutenants of Hertfordshire