Sir Richard Reynell, 1st Baronet
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Sir Richard Reynell, 1st Baronet (1626 – 18 October 1699), was an English-born judge who had a distinguished career in Ireland and held office as Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench in Ireland. He was the first of the
Reynell baronets The Reynell Baronetcy, of Laleham in the County of Middlesex, was a title in the Baronetage of Ireland. It was created on 27 July 1678 for Richard Reynell, subsequently Member of Parliament for Ashburton in Devon, and Lord Chief Justice of t ...
of Laleham.


Background and early career

He was born in
Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
shire, second son of Sir Richard Reynell (1583-1648) of East Ogwell and his wife (and cousin) Mary Reynell, daughter of Richard Reynell of Creedy Widger, near
Crediton Crediton is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Mid Devon district of Devon, England. It stands on the A377 road, A377 Exeter to Barnstaple road at the junction with the A3072 road to Tiverton, Devon, Tiverton, north w ...
, and Mary Peryam.Hayton, D.; Cruickshanks, E.; Handley, S; editors ''The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1690-1715'' Boydell and Brewer 1982 The Reynells were an ancient West Country family, who were descended from Sir Richard Reynell, a prominent Crown servant who lived in
Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
in the time of
Richard I Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199), known as Richard the Lionheart or Richard Cœur de Lion () because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior, was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ru ...
. The judge was the great-grandson of Richard Reynell,
High Sheriff of Devon The High Sheriff of Devon is the Kings's representative for the County of Devon, a territory known as his/her bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, they hold the office for one year. They have judicial, ceremonial and administrative f ...
1584-5, and the younger brother of the politician Sir Thomas Reynell (1625-1698). Reynell entered
Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...
in 1642 and was
called to the Bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...
in 1653. He decided to pursue a legal career in Ireland and was admitted to the King's Inn in 1658. He built up a large practice and was noted for his willingness to take
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
clients, which was to cause him some trouble later. He married into a Dublin family and bought property in the city. He was elected to the
Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until the end of 1800. The upper house was the Irish House of Lords, House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, ...
in the sole Irish Parliament of the reign of Charles II as member for
Athboy Athboy () is a small agricultural town located in County Meath. The town is located on the ''Yellow Ford River'', in wooded country near the County Westmeath border. It is around 15 km west of Navan and 50 km north-west of Dublin. T ...
in 1661. He acted as a judge of
assize The assizes (), or courts of assize, were periodic courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the quarter sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. The assizes ex ...
in 1670, and was made
Second Sergeant Second sergeant is typically a non-commissioned officer rank, used in many countries. Singapore Second Sergeant is a Specialist (Singapore), specialist rank in the Singapore Armed Forces. Second sergeants are rank above Third sergeant, third ser ...
and
knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...
in 1673. He enjoyed the friendship of Arthur Capel, 1st Earl of Essex, the
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (), or more formally Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland, was the title of the chief governor of Ireland from the Williamite Wars of 1690 until the Partition of Ireland in 1922. This spanned the K ...
.


Judge

On Essex's recommendation, Reynell was made a judge of the
Court of King's Bench (Ireland) The Court of King's Bench (of Queen's Bench when the sovereign was female, and formerly of Chief Place or Chief Pleas) was one of the senior courts of common law in Ireland. It was a mirror of the Court of King's Bench in England. The King's Ben ...
in 1674. Essex praised him as one of the two best judges in Ireland.Ball, F. Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221–1921'' John Murray London 1926 On the return of
James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde Lieutenant general, Lieutenant-General James FitzThomas Butler, 1st Duke of Ormond, Knight of the Garter, KG, Privy Council of England, PC (19 October 1610 – 21 July 1688), was an Anglo-Irish statesman and soldier, known as Earl of Ormond fr ...
to the Lord Lieutenancy in 1677, Essex before departing for England recommended Reynell to him as one of the few Irish judges who was a man of learning and was neither too old nor too frail to perform his duties effectively. Ormonde agreed: and as John Bysse, the
Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer The Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer was the Baron (judge) who presided over the Irish Court of Exchequer. This was a mirror of the equivalent court in England, and was one of the four courts which sat in the building in Dublin which is still ...
was old and in failing health, the Duke proposed that he should be persuaded to retire and that Reynell should replace him. However, the anti-Catholic hysteria engendered by the
Popish Plot The Popish Plot was a fictitious conspiracy invented by Titus Oates that between 1678 and 1681 gripped the kingdoms of England and Scotland in anti-Catholic hysteria. Oates alleged that there was an extensive Catholic conspiracy to assassinat ...
was then at its height and Reynell's tolerant attitude to Catholics told against him; nor, despite his aristocratic background, did he have much influence at
Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London, England. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It ...
. When Bysse died in 1680 Charles II chose Henry Hene to replace him. Reynell was however made a
baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
(which was not a common honour for an Irish judge at the time) in 1678, and a member of the
Privy Council of Ireland His or Her Majesty's Privy Council in Ireland, commonly called the Privy Council of Ireland, Irish Privy Council, or in earlier centuries the Irish Council, was the institution within the Dublin Castle administration which exercised formal executi ...
in 1682. Despite his alleged Catholic sympathies, he was unacceptable as a judge to King James II, who succeeded his brother in 1685. He was dismissed from the Bench in 1686; some said that the true reason for this was that his wealth and independence of mind had earned him the enmity of the new
Lord Deputy The Lord Deputy was the representative of the monarch and head of the Irish executive (government), executive under English rule, during the Lordship of Ireland and then the Kingdom of Ireland. He deputised prior to 1523 for the Viceroy of Ireland ...
,
Tyrconnell Tyrconnell (), also spelled Tirconnell and Tirconaill, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland. It is associated geographically with present-day County Donegal, which was officially named ''County Tirconaill'' between 1922 and 1927. At times it also i ...
. With little to keep him in Ireland (his wife had died some years earlier), he returned to England and remained there until after the
Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...
of 1688. He was elected to the post-Revolution Parliament as member for the family borough of Ashburton in 1690, his elder brother Sir Thomas Reynell having stood down as MP to accommodate him. He was active on several committees, especially those which dealt with Irish affairs.
Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds, (20 February 1632 – 26 July 1712) was an English Tories (British political party), Tory statesman. During the reign of Charles II of England, he was the leading figure in the English government for ro ...
, the effective leader of the new administration, regarded him as a reliable Government supporter.


Lord Chief Justice

In 1691,though Haydn's ''Book of Dignities'' gives the date as 1690 having demonstrated his loyalty to the new administration, he received his overdue promotion as
Lord Chief Justice of Ireland The Court of King's Bench (or Court of Queen's Bench during the reign of a Queen) was one of the senior courts of common law in Ireland. It was a mirror of the Court of King's Bench in England. The Lord Chief Justice was the most senior judge ...
, but he had a somewhat troubled tenure in that office. While his legal ability was not in dispute, he had made numerous enemies. In politics, he was generally seen as a
Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...
at a time when the Whigs were the dominant party, and in 1693 he was openly accused of being a Jacobite. In 1692 an anonymous memorandum addressed to the King dealing with the alleged misgovernment of Ireland named Reynell as one of four senior judges who were guilty of numerous acts of injustice, and in particular, were guilty of favouring Irish interests over English. The King did not take this accusation seriously, but Reynell's enemies in England blamed him for the Irish Parliament's failure to ratify the
Treaty of Limerick The Treaty of Limerick (), signed on 3 October 1691, ended the Williamite War in Ireland, a conflict related to the Nine Years' War (1688–1697). It consisted of two separate agreements, one with military terms of surrender, signed by commander ...
, and more generally for his failure to take any steps towards the peaceful settlement of Ireland. The Dublin government, far better informed on Irish affairs, put most of the blame for the failure to achieve a settlement, and particularly the failure to ratify the Treaty, on
John Osborne John James Osborne (12 December 1929 – 24 December 1994) was an English playwright, screenwriter, actor, and entrepreneur, who is regarded as one of the most influential figures in post-war theatre. Born in London, he briefly worked as a jo ...
, the Prime Serjeant, who was dismissed from office in 1692 for gross insubordination.Hart, A.R. ''A History of the King's Serjeants-at-law in Ireland'' Dublin Four Courts Press 2000 There was also the old charge that Reynell was excessively tolerant of Catholics, and on this flimsy basis, hysterical accusations were made by a Colonel FitzGerald that he was involved in a
conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, ploy, or scheme, is a secret plan or agreement between people (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder, treason, or corruption, especially with a political motivat ...
to kill William III. In December 1693 Reynell spoke in the English House of Commons in his own defence with great eloquence. Influential friends of his like Sir Edward Seymour, one of the leaders of the Tory Party, defended his integrity with vigour, pointing to the absurdity of the idea that Reynell would plot to kill the King to whom he owed everything ("a man would have to be an idiot" to act so, Seymour remarked), and praising him as "an honest and prudent man". Reynell was completely vindicated. It is said that he found the attacks on him so painful that he never attended the House of Commons again. However, he continued to attend meetings of the
Privy Council of England The Privy Council of England, also known as His (or Her) Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council (), was a body of advisers to the List of English monarchs, sovereign of the Kingdom of England. Its members were often senior members of the House ...
. Reynell was also subject to complaints that he drew an allowance for going on
assize The assizes (), or courts of assize, were periodic courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the quarter sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. The assizes ex ...
, as was customary, but that he did not actually hold sessions in any of the assize towns. Reynell, in his own defence, referred to the double burden of being Lord Chief Justice of Ireland while also having duties to attend to in England.


Old age and death

More substantial than accusations of treason was the claim that he was in failing physical and mental health. As noted, he clearly found the burden of assize work too great to bear. In 1695
Henry Capell, 1st Baron Capell of Tewkesbury Henry Capell, Baron Capell of Tewkesbury KB, PC (1638 – 30 May 1696) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1660 and 1692. He was then created Baron Capell. Early life Henry Capell was born in Hadham Parva, ...
, the
Lord Justice of Ireland The Lords Justices (more formally the Lords Justices General and General Governors of Ireland) were deputies who acted collectively in the absence of the chief governor of Ireland (latterly the Lord Lieutenant) as head of the executive branch o ...
, said that Reynell was on the point of death and "not likely to live a month longer" (in fact he had four more years to live, and was still well enough to occasionally attend Council meetings) and ''past any sense or minding any business''. He was dismissed from the Bench the same year, on the ground of his mental incapacity, although he successfully petitioned for a half years salary of £300. He died in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
in 1699. He was given something close to a State funeral: an impressive procession passed through London, and brought his body back to Devonshire for burial at East Ogwell.


Family

Reynell married Hester Beckett, daughter of Randall Beckett of Dublin, in a ceremony at the King's Inn, of which her father was the
lessee A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the user (referred to as the ''lessee'') to pay the owner (referred to as the ''lessor'') for the use of an asset. Property, buildings and vehicles are common assets that are leased. Industrial ...
,Kenny, Colum ''King's Inns and the Kingdom of Ireland'' Irish Academic Press Dublin 1992 in 1660. They had two sons, Richard and Henry, and four daughters, including Elizabeth and Hester. The elder son
Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...
, succeeded as second baronet. His younger brother Henry (died 1721) practised at the Bar in Dublin. His sister Elizabeth married the politician William Richardson of Legacorry,
County Armagh County Armagh ( ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It is located in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and adjoins the southern shore of Lough Neagh. It borders t ...
in 1695, but had no issue. While Sir Richard and Lady (Hester) Reynell were travelling in
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
in 1682 Hester died at
Abbeville Abbeville (; ; ) is a commune in the Somme department and in Hauts-de-France region in northern France. It is the of one of the arrondissements of Somme. Located on the river Somme, it was the capital of Ponthieu. Geography Location A ...
; Reynell brought her body home to Devonshire for burial. His Dublin residence was on Church Street, adjacent to the present
Four Courts The Four Courts () is Ireland's most prominent courts building, located on Inns Quay in Dublin. The Four Courts is the principal seat of the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, the High Court and the Dublin Circuit Court. Until 2010 the build ...
. He also acquired a house adjacent to the King's Inns, which had been built in the 1630s by Sir Richard Osbaldeston, the
Attorney General for Ireland The Attorney-General for Ireland was an Kingdom of Ireland, Irish and then, from 1801 under the Acts of Union 1800, United Kingdom government office-holder. He was senior in rank to the Solicitor-General for Ireland: both advised the Crown on ...
, and later belonged to his son William Osbaldeston, a barrister.


Reputation

Reynell's professional success owed something to his upper-class background: unlike most Irish judges at that time, he could deal with men like Essex and Ormonde as social equals. At the same time, his legal ability was acknowledged even by his critics, though there was probably a falling off of his mental powers in his later years. Ball calls him one of the most remarkable Irish judges of the era.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reynell, Richard Members of the Parliament of England for Ashburton Members of the Middle Temple English MPs 1690–1695 Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Meath constituencies 1626 births 1699 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of Ireland Members of the Privy Council of Ireland Lords chief justice of Ireland Irish MPs 1661–1666
Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...
Serjeants-at-law (Ireland) 17th-century Irish judges