Wadham Wyndham
Encyclopedia
Sir Wadham Wyndham SL
(29 October 1609 – 24 December 1668), English
judge
, was born at Orchard Wyndham
, Somerset
, the ninth son of Sir John Wyndham (1558–1645) of Orchard Wyndham, and his wife, Joan, daughter of Sir Henry Portman. He was named after his grandmother, Florence Wadham
, sister of Nicholas Wadham
.
, he entered Lincoln's Inn
on 22 October 1628, being called to the bar on 17 May 1636. He was made a serjeant-at-law
by royal authority in October 1660, and took part in the prosecution of the regicides. On 24 November 1660 he was named a judge of the King’s Bench, being knighted by Charles II on 4 December 1660.
, was a judge at the Fire Court set up in 1667 to hear cases relating to property destroyed in the fire. The Court sat at Clifford's Inn and focused primarily on deciding who would pay for a property to be rebuilt, and cases were heard and a verdict usually given within a day. The judges worked for free, three to four days a week and without the Fire Court legal wrangles could have dragged on for months seriously delaying the rebuilding which was so necessary if London was to recover. As a reward for their efforts, the artist John Michael Wright (c. 1617-1694), was commissioned to paint portraits of all 22 judges that had sat in the Fire Court. While his brother's portrait remains part of the Guildhall Art Gallery
collection, Sir Wadham's portrait was ironically destroyed by fire in The Blitz
.
By the late 1650s his successful practice at the bar enabled him to purchase two sizable estates in Wiltshire
, Norrington and Dinton
, as well as St Edmund's College in Salisbury
. He left these properties to his three eldest sons, John Wyndham, William Wyndham and Wadham Wyndham respectively, and so founded the three Wiltshire
branches of the Wyndham family. The Wiltshire MP and topographer Henry Penruddocke Wyndham
, and his bon vivant brother Colonel Wadham Wyndham, were his great-grandsons.
Serjeant-at-law
The Serjeants-at-Law was an order of barristers at the English bar. The position of Serjeant-at-Law , or Sergeant-Counter, was centuries old; there are writs dating to 1300 which identify them as descended from figures in France prior to the Norman Conquest...
(29 October 1609 – 24 December 1668), English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
, was born at Orchard Wyndham
Orchard Wyndham
Orchard Wyndham is a historic house parts of which date from medieval times near Williton, Somerset, England.There is evidence of occupation of the site from Roman and Saxon times....
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, the ninth son of Sir John Wyndham (1558–1645) of Orchard Wyndham, and his wife, Joan, daughter of Sir Henry Portman. He was named after his grandmother, Florence Wadham
Florence Wadham
Florence Wyndham was the daughter of Sir John Wadham of Merifield and sister of Nicholas Wadham founder of Wadham College, Oxford.-Buried alive:...
, sister of Nicholas Wadham
Nicholas Wadham
Nicholas Wadham was the benefactor of Wadham College, Oxford.-Life:Wadham was probably born at Merrifield, near Ilton, Somerset. He was the only son of John Wadham and his wife, Joan, daughter of John Tregarthin and widow of John Kellaway. A biography written before 1637 notes Wadham as attending...
.
Legal career
Educated at Wadham College, OxfordWadham College, Oxford
Wadham College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, located at the southern end of Parks Road in central Oxford. It was founded by Nicholas and Dorothy Wadham, wealthy Somerset landowners, during the reign of King James I...
, he entered Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
on 22 October 1628, being called to the bar on 17 May 1636. He was made a serjeant-at-law
Serjeant-at-law
The Serjeants-at-Law was an order of barristers at the English bar. The position of Serjeant-at-Law , or Sergeant-Counter, was centuries old; there are writs dating to 1300 which identify them as descended from figures in France prior to the Norman Conquest...
by royal authority in October 1660, and took part in the prosecution of the regicides. On 24 November 1660 he was named a judge of the King’s Bench, being knighted by Charles II on 4 December 1660.
The Great Fire
After the Great Fire of London in 1666, Sir Wadham Wyndham, along with his brother Sir Hugh WyndhamSir Hugh Wyndham
Sir Hugh Wyndham SL , of Silton, English judge, was born at Orchard Wyndham, Somerset, the eighth son of Sir John Wyndham of Orchard Wyndham, and his wife, Joan, daughter of Sir Henry Portman...
, was a judge at the Fire Court set up in 1667 to hear cases relating to property destroyed in the fire. The Court sat at Clifford's Inn and focused primarily on deciding who would pay for a property to be rebuilt, and cases were heard and a verdict usually given within a day. The judges worked for free, three to four days a week and without the Fire Court legal wrangles could have dragged on for months seriously delaying the rebuilding which was so necessary if London was to recover. As a reward for their efforts, the artist John Michael Wright (c. 1617-1694), was commissioned to paint portraits of all 22 judges that had sat in the Fire Court. While his brother's portrait remains part of the Guildhall Art Gallery
Guildhall Art Gallery
The Guildhall Art Gallery houses the art collection of the City of London, England. It occupies a building that was completed in 1999 to replace an earlier building destroyed in The Blitz in 1941...
collection, Sir Wadham's portrait was ironically destroyed by fire in The Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
.
Family life
On 12 January 1647 he married Barbara (1627–1704), daughter of Sir George Clarke of Watford, Northamptonshire. They had eight sons (two of whom predeceased their father) and four daughters, born between 1648 and 1666.By the late 1650s his successful practice at the bar enabled him to purchase two sizable estates in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, Norrington and Dinton
Dinton
Dinton may refer to:*Dinton, Buckinghamshire*Dinton, Wiltshire...
, as well as St Edmund's College in Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
. He left these properties to his three eldest sons, John Wyndham, William Wyndham and Wadham Wyndham respectively, and so founded the three Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
branches of the Wyndham family. The Wiltshire MP and topographer Henry Penruddocke Wyndham
Henry Penruddocke Wyndham
Henry Penruddocke Wyndham MP JP FSA FRS, was a British Whig Member of Parliament, topographer and author.-Background:Wyndham was born on 4 June 1736, the eldest surviving son of Henry Wyndham of St Edmund's College, Salisbury, and his wife Arundel Penruddocke, daughter of Thomas Penruddocke of...
, and his bon vivant brother Colonel Wadham Wyndham, were his great-grandsons.