Edward Fenner (died 1612) was an English judge. Fenner was the son of John Fenner of

Crawley, Sussex Crawley () is a large town and borough in West Sussex, England. It is south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Crawley covers an area of and had a population of 106,597 at the time ...

, by Ellen, daughter of Sir William Goring of Burton, was called to the bar at the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn ...

, and was reader in the autumn of 1576. He was M.P. for

Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. It is the police and judicial centre for all of Sussex and is home to Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Lewes Crown Court and HMP Lewes. The civil parish is the centre ...

in 1571 and Shoreham in 1572. He became a serjeant in Michaelmas term 1577, and enjoyed a large practice. He was appointed a judge of the

King's Bench The King's Bench (), or, during the reign of a female monarch, the Queen's Bench ('), refers to several contemporary and historical courts in some Commonwealth jurisdictions. * Court of King's Bench (England), a historic court court of common ...

on 26 May 1590, and was Justice of the Peace for Surrey. Though not a prominent member of the court, he was in the commission upon several state trials, and, before becoming a judge, was present as a justice of the peace at the trial of John Udall, January 1590. In 1593 he tried three witches in

Huntingdonshire Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire and a historic county of England. The district council is based in Huntingdon. Other towns include St Ives, Godmanchester, St Neots and Ramsey. The p ...

, and a pamphlet account of this trial was published. In January 1608 he received a grant of an annuity of 50 pounds during the time his services on circuit were discontinued. He died 23 January 1612, and was buried at

St Mary the Virgin Church, Hayes St Mary the Virgin Church is a partly medieval Grade II* listed flint church on Church Road in Hayes, Hillingdon. The central portion of the church, the chancel and the nave, was built in the 13th century, the north aisle in the 15th century (a ...

in Middlesex. He had one son, Edward, who died without issue in 1615.

References

External links

Pamphlet: THE MOST STRANGE AND ADMIRABLE DISCOUERIE OF THE THREE WITCHES OF WARBOYS
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fenner, Edward Year of birth missing 16th-century births 1612 deaths People from Crawley 16th-century English judges 17th-century English judges Members of the Middle Temple People from Surrey (before 1889) English MPs 1571 English MPs 1572–1583 Serjeants-at-law (England)