Sir Thomas Trevor (6 July 1586 – 21 December 1656) was an English lawyer, judge and Member of Parliament, most notable for having delivered the judgment against

John Hampden John Hampden (24 June 1643) was an English politician from Oxfordshire, who was killed fighting for Roundhead, Parliament in the First English Civil War. An ally of Parliamentarian leader John Pym, and a cousin of Oliver Cromwell, he was one of ...

in the

Ship Money Ship money was a tax of medieval origin levied intermittently in the Kingdom of England until the middle of the 17th century. Assessed typically on the inhabitants of coastal areas of England, it was one of several taxes that English monarchs cou ...

case.

Biography

He was the fifth and youngest son of John Trevor of Trevalyn, Denbighshire, and the younger brother of Richard Trevor, John Trevor and Sackville Trevor. He was admitted to membership of

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 association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

at an unusually early age and was called to the bar in 1603. He was elected MP for Tregony, Cornwall in 1601,

Harwich Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton-o ...

in 1604 (part year only) and

Newport, Cornwall Newport () is a suburb of the town of Launceston in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Originally a separate settlement, Newport is immediately north of the town from which it is separated by the River Kensey. Until the early nineteenth centu ...

in 1614. In 1619 he was knighted and appointed solicitor to

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

; the following year, he was a reader of his inn, and he sat as MP for

Saltash Saltash () is a town and civil parish in south Cornwall, England. It had a population of 16,184 in 2011 census. Saltash faces the city of Plymouth over the River Tamar and is popularly known as "the Gateway to Cornwall". Saltash’s landmarks ...

in the Parliaments of 1621 and 1624–5, and for East Looe in that of 1625. On the accession of the Prince to throne as Charles I in 1625, Trevor was advanced to the degree of serjeant-at-law, and shortly afterwards was appointed a judge of the Court of Exchequer. In that capacity he became a member of the Commission to exercise ecclesiastical jurisdiction in 1633. In 1637, Trevor was one of the twelve judges who collectively gave an opinion that the Crown could legitimately collect

, and the following year gave judgment in court to the same effect in Hampden's case. As a consequence, in 1641 Parliament began proceedings to

impeach Impeachment is a process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In Euro ...

him, together with other judges who had supported ship money. Nevertheless, on the outbreak of the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

he was one of the few judges who remained 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 ...

and recognised the authority of Parliament. At the conclusion of the impeachment in 1643, he was found guilty, fined and sentenced to be imprisoned at the pleasure of the House of Lords, but he was released immediately and resumed his seat on the bench. At Michaelmas 1643, when the

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

sent a writ demanding the attendance of him and another judge ( Edmund Reeve) on the court at

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, they refused and had the messengers arrested: one was later executed as a spy. Despite this, Trevor was opposed to the King's execution, and refused the commission that was offered to him by the new government. He then retired completely from public life until his death.

Family

Trevor was twice married: first, to Prudence, daughter of Henry Boteler; and, secondly, to Frances, daughter and heiress of Daniel Blennerhasset of Norfolk. By the former he had an only son

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

, who was created a baronet in 1641, and died without issue on 26 February 1676, when his estate descended to Sir Charles Wheler, grandson of Trevor's sister Mary.

Notes

References

* ;Attribution * Endnotes: **

Biography

Family

Notes

References

Further reading