Transcript

of

Sir John Glanvil, Justice of the Common Pleas.

In: Devonshire gleanings from Manningham’s Diary.
Transactions of the Devonshire Association, 1875, Vol VII, p. 382.

by

W. Pengelly

Prepared by Michael Steer

The author has provided a biographical excerpt, that he calls a ‘Gleaning’ from the "Diary of John Manningham, of the Middle Temple, and of Bradbourne, Kent, Barrister-at-Law, 1602-1603, His paper was presented at the Association’s 1875 Torrington meeting. Sir John Glanville (1542 - 27 July 1600), the elder, of Kilworthy, Tavistock, was a Member of Parliament and judge and was the first judge recorded as having reached the bench after beginning his career as an attorney. He began as an attorney but joined Lincoln's Inn in 1567 and was called to the bar in 1574: his libraries. These books, on which copyright has expired, are available for free educational and research use, both as individual books and as full collections to aid researchers. practice proved lucrative and he amassed a considerable fortune, building a mansion at Kilworthy near Tavistock. He became a serjeant-at-law in 1589, and was both Lent and Autumn Reader of his Inn in that same year. He sat as MP for Launceston in the Parliament of 1584–5, for Tavistock in 1586–7 and St Germans in 1593. He was appointed Judge of Common Pleas in 1598. The article, from a copy of a rare and much sought-after journal can be downloaded from the Internet Archive. Google has sponsored the digitisation of books from several sources. [Everything within brackets is editorial, All else is from the Diary]

[Sir John Glanvil, Justice of the Common Pleas. Born at Tavistock, but in what year appears to be unknown, and died at Tavistock, 27th July, 1600. The following is the only entry respecting this Devonian]: -

Justice Glandville upon a tyme, when fidlers pressed to play before him, made them sing alsoe, and then askt them yf they could not cry too; they said his worship was a merry man; but he made them sad fellowes, for he caused them to be vsed like rogues as they were." (p. 117.)

[Mr. Bruce makes the following note on Justice Glanvil]: - " Justice of the Common Pleas, 1598-1600. (Foss's Judges, V. 494.)"