John Chesshyre
Sir John Chesshyre | |
|---|---|
| Born | 11 November 1662 |
| Died | 15 May 1738 London |
| Nationality | English |
| Education | Gray's Inn |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Title | Knight |
| Parent(s) | Thomas and Catherine Chesshyre |
Sir John Chesshyre (11 November 1662 – 15 May 1738) was an English lawyer who rose to the position of king's first serjeant.
Family background
Sir John Chesshyre was born at
Parliamentarians
were ruling the country.
[1]
Legal career
John Chesshyre was admitted to
knighted in 1713. In 1727, he was declared the king's first serjeant. His profession made him a wealthy man; in the six years from 1719 he earned an average income of over £3,000 a year, making him one of the highest earning counsels practising in Westminster Hall. In 1725, he reduced his practice, confining it to the Court of Common Pleas, thus reducing his annual income to an average of £1,300.[2]
Personal life
For most of his professional life he lived in
Gentleman's Magazine stated that he "was worth £100,000 all acquired by the Law". He had expressed a wish to be buried in Runcorn parish church but he wanted "no lying in state nor pompous train of coaches into Cheshire nor any unnecessary attendance". Nevertheless, his funeral procession took five days to travel from Isleworth to Runcorn and his funeral expenses amounted to over £350. There is a monument to his memory in Runcorn parish church but this is now out of sight behind the organ.[1] His papers are deposited at Chetham's Library, Manchester.[3]
Sir John's first wife died in London in 1705 and was buried in Runcorn. In 1706 he married Ann Lawley who outlived him to die in 1756. His brother, Robert Chesshyre, was vicar of Runcorn and he died in 1739.[1]
Chesshyre Library
In 1733, Chesshyre built one of the earliest free libraries in England at Halton and left an
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Starkey, H. F (1990), Old Runcorn, Halton Borough Council, pp. 77–81
- doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/5235. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^ Gomme, A.H. (1985). "Four Eighteenth-Century Buildings at Halton" (PDF). The Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire. 135: 37–59. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
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