Sir Anthony Keck (1630 – December 1695) was an English lawyer and politician. He was a member of Parliament between 1691 and 1695, and served as Commissioner of the Great Seal from 1689 to 1690.

Early life

Keck was born at

Mickleton, Gloucestershire Mickleton is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold District of Gloucestershire, England. It is the northernmost settlement in Gloucestershire, lying close to the borders with Worcestershire and Warwickshire, north of Chipping Campden, east ...

and was baptised on 28 March 1630. He was the fifth son of Nicholas Keck, originally of Marston Sicca, (Long Marston) Gloucestershire, and also of Swalcliffe in Oxfordshire. His mother was Margaret Morris, daughter of John Morris of

Bretforton Bretforton is a rural village in Worcestershire, England, east of Evesham, in the Vale of Evesham. It is the largest farming village near Evesham. At the 2001 census, Bretforton had a population of 1,023 in 428 households. The area of the pari ...

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...

. The Kecks were one of the significant families in Marston Sicca in the 1500s and 1600s. In 1577 Anthony's grandfather, John Keck, with John Tomes, both yeomen, purchased the land and Manor of Long Marston, (but not the title) from the Earl of Leicester for £1180,58s 4d.

Career

Keck was admitted 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 association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

in 1653,

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 ...

in 1659, and was elected a bencher (a member of the governing body) in 1677. He developed a flourishing

chancery Chancery may refer to: Offices and administration * Court of Chancery, the chief court of equity in England and Wales until 1873 ** Equity (law), also called chancery, the body of jurisprudence originating in the Court of Chancery ** Courts of e ...

practice. During the

Popish Plot The Popish Plot was a fictitious conspiracy invented by Titus Oates that between 1678 and 1681 gripped the kingdoms of England and Scotland in anti-Catholic hysteria. Oates alleged that there was an extensive Catholic conspiracy to assassinat ...

, he acted as

counsel A counsel or a counsellor at law is a person who gives advice and deals with various issues, particularly in legal matters. It is a title often used interchangeably with the title of ''lawyer''. The word ''counsel'' can also mean advice given ...

for

William Howard, 1st Viscount Stafford William Howard, 1st Viscount Stafford, FRS (30 November 1614 – 29 December 1680) was the youngest son of Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel, and his wife, the former Alethea Talbot. A Fellow of the Royal Society from 1665, he was a Royali ...

, who was executed for

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

in 1680, and made something of a name for himself in cases before the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

. He published, anonymously, a series of

law reports A or is a compilation of judicial opinions from a selection of case law decided by courts. These reports serve as published records of judicial decisions that are cited by lawyers and judges for their use as precedent in subsequent cases. Hi ...

in 1697. On 4 March 1689, he was named Commissioner of the Great Seal with Sir John Maynard and Serjeant Rawlinson by the new

King William III William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 1650 – 8 March 1702), also known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from 167 ...

– these commissioners replaced the notorious

Judge Jeffreys George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys (15 May 1645 – 18 April 1689), also known as "the Hanging Judge", was a Welsh judge. He became notable during the reign of King James II, rising to the position of Lord Chancellor (and serving as L ...

Lord Chancellor The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The lord chancellor is the minister of justice for England and Wales and the highest-ra ...

, who fled as James II left the country. Knighted the next day, Keck held office till 14 May 1690: his decision to step down was described as a ''great act of self-denial''. He also served as MP for Tiverton from 1691. Despite being almost crippled by

gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of pain in a red, tender, hot, and Joint effusion, swollen joint, caused by the deposition of needle-like crystals of uric acid known as monosodium urate crysta ...

, he played a keen part in debates, but he developed a very poor opinion of the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

, calling it "a bear garden", poorly attended, and with most of the MPs who did attend being drunk or asleep. He did not stand for election in 1695, probably due to his failing health. Roger North wrote that Keck had "raised himself by his wits" and described him as a republican by inclination who would settle in default for a monarchy held in check. In character he was "a polite, merry genius", apart from a certain "hardness" caused by his chronic

Personal life

On 11 June 1660, Keck married Mary Thorne, daughter of Francis Thorne. He died a very rich man, although he had to provide for one son and no less than nine daughters, including: * Francis Keck (d. 1728), who married Jane Dunch. * Catherine Keck, who married the Hon. Ferdinando Tracy (d. 1682) in 1680. Tracy, a younger son of

John Tracy, 3rd Viscount Tracy John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...

. After his death in 1682, she married Edward Chute, who inherited the famous country house

The Vyne The Vyne is a Grade I listed 16th-century country house in the parish of Sherborne St John, near Basingstoke, in Hampshire, England. The house was first built ''circa'' 1500–10 in the Tudor style by William Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys, Lord Chamb ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

. * Mary Keck, who married Thomas Vernon of

Hanbury Hall Hanbury Hall is a large 18th-century stately home standing in parkland at Hanbury, Worcestershire. The main range has two storeys and is built of red brick in the Queen Anne style architecture, Queen Anne style. It is a Grade I listed building, ...

, MP for

, in 1680. * Elizabeth Keck (d. 1699), who married Richard Freeman, a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

who ended his career 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 ...

. * Ann Keck, who married Richard Whitehead. * Margaret Keck, who married Thomas Barber. * Macrina Keck, who married Edward Cressenor. * Martha Keck, who married Edward Cressenor after the death of Macrina in 1697 * Winifred Keck (d. 1740), who married John Nicholl of

Colney Hatch Colney Hatch () is the historical name for a small district within the London Borough of Barnet in London, England. Colney Hatch refers to a loosely defined area centred on the northern end of Colney Hatch Lane (B550), which connects Friern ...

. * Anthonina Keck (unmarried) Keck died in his house in Bell Yard,

Chancery Lane Chancery Lane is a one-way street that forms part of the City of London#Boundary, western boundary of the City of London. The east side of the street is entirely within the City,the Strand in December 1695. and was buried at Blunsdon in Wiltshire. He left property in Drury Lane, Fulham, Hampstead, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire to his only son Francis, with provision to lay out £29,000 on further purchases of lands for him.

Descendants

Anthony's son, Francis, died in 1728, and his son, John, and daughter, Mary Dutton, died without issue in 1729. Through his daughter Catherine, he was a grandfather of John Tracy of

Stanway House Stanway House is a Jacobean architecture, Jacobean manor house near the village of Stanway, Gloucestershire, Stanway in Gloucestershire, England. The manor of Stanway was owned by Tewkesbury Abbey for 800 years, then for 500 years by the Tracy ...

, who married Anne Atkins (the only daughter of

Sir Robert Atkins Sir Robert Atkyns (1620–1710) was an English Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer, Member of parliament, and Speaker of the House of Lords. Early life He was the eldest son of Sir Edward Atkyns, one of the Barons of the Exchequer during the Common ...

of Saperton,

Chief Baron of the Exchequer The Chief Baron of the Exchequer was the first "baron" (meaning judge) of the English Exchequer of Pleas. "In the absence of both the Treasurer of the Exchequer or First Lord of the Treasury, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, it was he who pres ...

). They were parents of

Anthony Keck Anthony Keck (1726–1797) was an 18th-century English architect with an extensive practice in Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire and South Wales. Life Keck was born at Randwick, Gloucestershire in 1726. He designed in the "austere ...

who married Lady Susan Hamilton (a daughter of

James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton Lieutenant-General James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton and 1st Duke of Brandon (11 April 1658 – 15 November 1712), was a Scottish nobleman, soldier and politician. Hamilton was a major investor in the failed Darien scheme, which cost many of ...

) in 1736. Anthony, a protégé of the

Duke of Marlborough General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, 1st Prince of Mindelheim, 1st Count of Nellenburg, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722 O.S.) was a British army officer and statesman. From a gentry family, he ...

and an MP for

Woodstock The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...

, succeeded to his great-uncle Francis Keck's estates at

Great Tew Great Tew is an English village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about north-east of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, Chipping Norton and south-west of Banbury, close to the Cotswold Hills. The 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census gave a paris ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

in 1729, adopting the name of Keck according to a condition of the bequest. Through his daughter Elizabeth, he was a grandfather of Mary Freeman, who married Walter Edwards and had issue. Through his daughter Winifred, he was a grandfather of John Nicholl, whose daughter was the great heiress Margaret Nicholl (1736–1768) who married

James Brydges, 3rd Duke of Chandos James Brydges, 3rd Duke of Chandos, PC (27 December 1731 – 29 September 1789), styled Viscount Wilton from 1731 to 1744 and Marquess of Carnarvon from 1744 to 1771, was an English politician. Background Chandos was the only son of H ...

but had no issue. Margaret inherited from her cousin Robert Keck the famous portrait, allegedly of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, which is now called the

Chandos portrait The Chandos portrait is an oil painted portrait thought to depict William Shakespeare (1564–1616). Painted between 1600 and 1610, it may have served as the basis for the engraved portrait of Shakespeare used in the ''First Folio'' in 1623. It ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keck, Anthony 1630 births 1695 deaths English lawyers English MPs 1690–1695 Members of the Inner Temple 17th-century English lawyers People from Mickleton, Gloucestershire