William West (c.1548–1598) was an English lawyer and legal writer, known as the author of ''Symbolæographia'', a standard legal text of its time.

Life

He was the son of Thomas West of Beeston in

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...

, by his wife Anne, daughter of William Bradbury of the Peak. He was admitted a student of the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

in November 1568, being then described as of Darley,

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

. He made a fortune by practice in law, and settled at

Rotherham Rotherham () is a large minster and market town in South Yorkshire, England. The town takes its name from the River Rother which then merges with the River Don. The River Don then flows through the town centre. It is the main settlement of ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

Works

In 1590 West published ''Symbolæographia, which may be termed the Art, Description, or Image of Instruments, Covenants, Contracts, &c., or the Notarie or Scriuener'' (London). This work, which was dedicated to Sir Edmund Anderson, was a general practical treatise on English law under its several divisions, and was held in great esteem at the time. The demand for it was so great that West immediately began to prepare a second edition, practically rewriting the whole book. He divided his treatise into two parts, and divested it of many superfluous classical quotations with which he had encumbered the first edition, thus rendering it more suitable for practical lawyers. The first part of the new edition (which dealt chiefly with covenants, contracts, and wills) appeared in 1592 (London). It was reissued in 1610, 1618, 1622, and 1632. The second part, with a new treatise on equity appended, appeared in 1594. It was dedicated to

Edward Coke Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...

. New editions were issued in 1611, 1618, and 1627. Some of the later editions may have been edited by West's sons. West also edited ''Les tenures du monsieur Littleton'' (London, 1581) in Norman French; and contributed to Richard Crompton's edition of ''L'Office et Auctoryté des justices de peas'' by

Anthony Fitzherbert Sir Anthony Fitzherbert (147027 May 1538) was an English judge, scholar and legal author, particularly known for his treatise on English law, ''New Natura Brevium'' (1534). Biography Fitzherbert was the sixth son of Ralph Fitzherbert of Norbur ...

Family

West was twice married: first, to Winifred, daughter of Adam Eyre of Offerton;There are three places in England called Offerton. Geography suggests

Offerton, Derbyshire Offerton is a hamlet and civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales district, in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the River Derwent. The village features Offerton House, a Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or lis ...

as the most likely; it is about 15 miles from Darley. whereas the other two are much further away. and, secondly, to Audrey Mann. By his first wife he had two daughters and five sons, of whom William, the eldest, was a student of the Inner Temple.

Notes

Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:West, William 1548 births 1598 deaths English lawyers English legal writers People from Beeston, Nottinghamshire