Sir Richard Perryn (1723–1803) was a Welsh judge who became

baron of the exchequer The Barons of the Exchequer, or ''barones scaccarii'', were the judges of the English court known as the Exchequer of Pleas. The Barons consisted of a Chief Baron of the Exchequer and several puisne (''inferior'') barons. When Robert Shute was ...

Life

The son of Benjamin Perryn of

Flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and sta ...

, merchant, by his wife, Jane, eldest daughter of Richard Adams, town clerk of

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

, he was baptised in the parish church of Flint on 16 August 1723. He was educated at Ruthin Grammar School and

The Queen's College, Oxford The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassical architecture, ...

, where he matriculated on 13 March 1741, but did not take any degree. He was admitted a student of Lincoln's Inn on 6 November 1740, and on 27 April 1746 migrated to the

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 associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and W ...

, where he was called to the bar on 3 July 1747. Perryn began practice in the

court of chancery The Court of Chancery was a court of equity in England and Wales that followed a set of loose rules to avoid a slow pace of change and possible harshness (or "inequity") of the Common law#History, common law. The Chancery had jurisdiction over ...

, and gradually acquired such a reputation there as to be employed during the latter years of his practice in almost every cause. On 20 July 1770 he became vice-chamberlain of Chester, and in the same year was made a

King's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...

and a bencher of the Inner Temple. On 6 April 1776 he kissed hands on his appointment as a

Baron of the Exchequer The Barons of the Exchequer, or ''barones scaccarii'', were the judges of the English court known as the Exchequer of Pleas. The Barons consisted of a Chief Baron of the Exchequer and several puisne (''inferior'') barons. When Robert Shute was ...

in the place of Sir John Burland, and was knighted on the same day. He was called to the degree of

serjeant-at-law A Serjeant-at-Law (SL), commonly known simply as a Serjeant, was a member of an order of barristers at the English and Irish Bar. The position of Serjeant-at-Law (''servientes ad legem''), or Sergeant-Counter, was centuries old; there are w ...

and sworn into office on the 26th of the same month. Perryn retired from the bench in the long vacation of 1799, and died at his house at

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the borou ...

on 2 January 1803, aged 79. He was buried on the 10th of the same month in ‘the new burial-ground’ at Twickenham, and a tablet was erected to his memory in the south chancel wall of the old parish church. Some remarks on Perryn's charge to the

grand jury A grand jury is a jury—a group of citizens—empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a ...

of Sussex at the Lent assizes in 1785 are appended to ''Thoughts on Executive Justice with respect to our Criminal Laws, particularly on the Circuits'', London, 1785. Perryn presided over the trial of the Birmingham Rioters at the Warwick Assizes on Tuesday the 23d of August, 1791, and the following day.

Family

Perryn married Mary, eldest daughter of Henry Browne of

Skelbrooke Skelbrooke is a small village in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It is in the civil parish of Hampole, which had a population of 187. The Grade II listed church of St Michael and All Angels is of medieval ...

in the

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

, by whom he had several children. His wife died on 19 April 1795, aged 73.

References

* ;Attribution

External links

The Birmingham Riots took place from 14 July to 17 July 1791

A Full and Accurate Report of the Trials of the Birmingham Rioters {{DEFAULTSORT:Perryn, Richard 1723 births 1803 deaths Welsh barristers 18th-century Welsh judges Barons of the Exchequer