Sir Thomas Abney (1690 or 1691 – 1750) was an English

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

and later

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

. He was baptized at Willesley, Derbyshire (now in Leicestershire) on 30 April 1691 and was the younger son of Sir Edward Abney (who in turn was the elder brother of Sir

Thomas Abney Sir Thomas Abney (January 1640 – 6 February 1722) was a merchant and banker who served as Lord Mayor of London for the year 1700 to 1701. Abney was the son of James Abney and was born in Willesley, then in Derbyshire but now in Leicestershire. ...

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional powe ...

), by his second wife, Judith, daughter and co-heir of Peter Barr, of London. He matriculated at Wadham College, Oxford, on 2 December 1707, aged 16. He became a

King's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel ( post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...

in 1733, Attorney-General for the

Duchy of Lancaster The Duchy of Lancaster is the private estate of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British sovereign as Duke of Lancaster. The principal purpose of the estate is to provide a source of independent income to the sovereign. The estate consists of ...

in 1733, Judge of the

Marshalsea Court The Marshalsea Court (or Court of the Marshalsea, also known as the Court of the Verge or the Court of the Marshal and Steward) was a court associated with the Royal Household in England. Associated with, but distinct from, the Marshalsea Court ...

(at which time he was also knighted) in 1735, Steward and one of the Judges of the

in 1736, in November 1740 a

Baron of the Exchequer The Barons of the Exchequer, or ''barones scaccarii'', were the judges of the English court known as the Exchequer of Pleas. The Barons consisted of a Chief Baron of the Exchequer and several puisne (''inferior'') barons. When Robert Shute was a ...

, and in February 1743 a

Justice of the Common Pleas Justice of the Common Pleas was a puisne judicial position within the Court of Common Pleas of England and Wales, under the Chief Justice. The Common Pleas was the primary court of common law within England and Wales, dealing with "common" pleas ...

. Abney fell a victim to the gaol distemper at the 'Black Sessions' at the

Old Bailey The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands, is a criminal court building in central London, one of several that house the Crown Court of England and Wales. The s ...

in May 1750, when, "of the judges in the commission, only the chief justice, (Lee) and the recorder (Adams) escaped. Those who fell a sacrifice to the pestilence were Mr. Justice Abney, who died 19 May; Mr. Baron Clarke, who died on the 17th; Sir Samuel Pennant, lord mayor; and alderman Sir Daniel Lambert; besides several of the counsel and jurymen." He was buried in Derbyshire (now in Leicestershire) with his ancestors. His wife died at Ashby de la Zouch in 1761, and his son Thomas in 1791."Births, Deaths, Marriages and Obituaries." Northampton Mercury orthampton, England20 Aug. 1791: 3. British Library Newspapers. Web. 8 Nov. 2020: Monday last, at Willesley-Hall, in Leicestershire, Thomas Abney, Esq. son of Sir Thomas Abney, one of His Majesty's justices of the Court of Common Pleas.

References

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Abney, Thomas 1690s births 1750 deaths 18th-century English judges English barristers Barons of the Exchequer Justices of the Common Pleas 18th-century King's Counsel