Thomas Wyndham, 1st Baron Wyndham PC (27 December 1681 – 24 November 1745), was an Irish lawyer and politician. He served as

Lord Chancellor of Ireland The Lord High Chancellor of Ireland, commonly known as the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, was the highest ranking judicial office in Ireland until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. From 1721 until the end of 1800, it was also the hi ...

from 1726 to 1739.

Background

Wyndham was born in Wiltshire, the son of Colonel John Wyndham and his wife Alice Fownes. His grandfather was the distinguished Restoration judge Sir Wadham Wyndham.thepeerage.com Thomas Wyndham, Baron Wyndham of Finglass
/ref> He was educated at

Salisbury Cathedral School Salisbury Cathedral School is a co-educational Private schools in the United Kingdom, private school in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, which was founded in 1091 by Saint Osmund. The Salisbury Cathedral Choir, choristers of Salisbury Cathedral are ...

and

Wadham College, Oxford Wadham College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street, Oxford, Broad Street and Parks Road ...

, 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 ...

from

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

.''Wyndham, Thomas, Baron Wyndham (1681–1745), lord chancellor of Ireland''
by Andrew Lyall,

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...

Career

Wyndham served as

Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas The chief justice of the Common Pleas for Ireland was the presiding judge of the Court of Common Pleas in Ireland, which was known in its early years as the Court of Common Bench, or simply as "the Bench", or "the Dublin bench". It was one of the ...

from 1724 to 1726 and was sworn of the

Irish Privy Council 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 execut ...

in 1724. In 1726 he was appointed

, a post he held until 1739. In 1731 he was raised to the

Peerage of Ireland The peerage of Ireland consists of those Peerage, titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lordship of Ireland, Lord or Monarchy of Ireland, King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great B ...

as Baron Wyndham, of Finglass in the County of Dublin. He presided as

Lord High Steward of Ireland The office of Lord High Steward of Ireland is a hereditary position of Great Officer of State in the United Kingdom. Currently held by the Earl of Shrewsbury, it is sometimes referred to as the Hereditary Great Seneschal. While most of Ireland a ...

at the trial of Lord Santry for the murder of Laughlin Murphy in 1739; the verdict was guilty and Wyndham had the distinction of being the only Irish judge to sentence an Irish peer to death for

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...

(although Santry was ultimately

pardoned A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...

). His conduct of the trial, as was to be expected of a judge with his reputation for integrity, was exemplary, although the prosecution case was so strong that the outcome cannot have been seriously in doubt. Shortly afterwards he was allowed to retire on account of ill health; by his own account, the strain of the Santry trial had taken a great toll on him. He was only 58, and despite his failing health his retirement seems to have come as a surprise to his colleagues.Ball p.127

Personal life

Wyndham never married. He died in

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

on 24 November 1745, aged 63, and was buried in

Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Salisbury, England. The cathedral is regarded as one of the leading examples of Early English architecture, ...

. The barony died with him. He was awarded the

Freedom of the City of Dublin The Freedom of the City of Dublin is awarded by Dublin City Council after approving a person nominated by the Lord Mayor. Eighty-two people have been honoured under the current process introduced in 1876. Most honourees have made a contribution ...

, and received an honorary degree from

Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...

. In 1729 he laid the foundation stone for the new

Irish Houses of Parliament Parliament House () in Dublin, Ireland, was home to the Parliament of Ireland, and since 1803 has housed the Bank of Ireland. It was the world's first purpose-built bicameral parliament house. It is located at College Green, Dublin, College G ...

Character

Elrington Ball praises him warmly as "a great gentleman", and one of the most distinguished members of an eminent family.Ball p.101 As a statesman he was prudent and conciliating; as a judge, he was noted for efficiency, integrity and impartiality. His devotion to duty, which may have contributed to the collapse of his health, is shown by his willingness to hear urgent cases at home, even during the legal vacation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wyndham, Thomas Wyndham, 1st Baron 1681 births 1745 deaths Barons in the Peerage of Ireland Peers of Ireland created by George II Lord chancellors of Ireland Members of the Privy Council of Ireland Alumni of Wadham College, Oxford Members of Lincoln's Inn

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 ...

People educated at Salisbury Cathedral School Nobility from Wiltshire Chief justices of the Irish Common Pleas