John Pratt (judge)

The Right Honourable
Sir John Pratt
The Right Honourable Sir John Pratt
	Sir John Pratt by Michael Dahl
Lord Chief Justice of England
	In office; 15 May 1718 – 2 March 1725
Chancellor of the Exchequer
	In office; 2 February 1721 – 3 April 1721
Personal details
Born	1657; England
Died	1725 (aged 67–68); England
Occupation	Judge, politician

Sir John Pratt

PC (1657–1725) was an English judge and politician. He was Lord Chief Justice of England from 15 May 1718 until 2 March 1725. He was appointed as an interim Chancellor of the Exchequer

on 2 February 1721 until 3 April 1721.

Life

He was the son of Richard Pratt of

Wadham College where he was elected scholar in 1674, and fellow in 1678. He graduated B.A. in 1676, and proceeded M.A. in 1679.^[1]

Pratt was admitted on 18 November 1675 a student at the Inner Temple, where he was called to the bar on 12 February 1682. He appeared for the Crown before the House of Lords in Sir John Fenwick's case, 16–17 December 1696, and before the House of Commons for the East India Company in support of the petition for a charter on 14 June and 1 July 1698. He was made serjeant-at-law on 6 November 1700, and was heard by a committee of the House of Commons as counsel for the court of exchequer against a bill for curtailing the fees of the officers of that court on 25 February 1706.^[1]

On 17 January 1710 Pratt was assigned, with

Lord Cowper's recommendation, he was raised to a puisne judgeship in the court of king's bench, and was sworn in accordingly on 22 November 1714 and knighted.^[1]

On the question of prerogative submitted to the judges in January 1718, whether the custody of the royal grandchildren was vested in the Prince of Wales or the king, Pratt concurred with the majority of his colleagues in favour of the Crown. He was one of the commissioners of the

Privy Council on 9 October.^[1]

In the case of Colbatch v. Bentley, in 1722 (see

Sir Robert Walpole and Lord Macclesfield, which Bentley had enlisted in his interest. Walpole could only explain it by supposing that Pratt was conscious of having "got to the top of his preferment". His treatment of the Jacobite Christopher Layer has damaged his reputation.^[1]

Pratt bought, about 1705, the manor of

Frant, Sussex, the ancient church of which he disroofed. He died at his house in Great Ormond Street, London, on 24 February 1725.^[1]

Family

Pratt married twice. By his first wife Elizabeth, daughter of Henry Gregory, rector of

Sir John Fortescue Aland; Jane, his second daughter by his second wife, married Nicholas Hardinge; Anna Maria, his third daughter by the same wife, married Thomas Barrett Lennard, 16th Baron Dacre.^[1]

Cases

Armory v Delamirie (1722) 1 Strange 505

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Pratt, John (1657-1725)" . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
^ https://www.wildernesse-estate.co.uk/history Wildernesse Residents Association

Attribution

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Pratt, John (1657-1725)". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.

External links

Assembly seats
Preceded by Robert Orme Lawrence Alcock	Member of Parliament for Midhurst 1711–1715 With: Lawrence Alcock 1711–1713 William Woodward Knight 1713–1715	Succeeded by William Woodward Knight John Fortescue Aland
Legal offices
Preceded by The Earl of Macclesfield	Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench 1718–1725	Succeeded by Robert Raymond
Political offices
Preceded by John Aislabie	Chancellor of the Exchequer 1721	Succeeded by Robert Walpole

[DNB-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Pratt, John (1657-1725)" . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.

[2] ttps://www.wildernesse-estate.co.uk/history Wildernesse Residents Association

[1]

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Italic: Interim Chancellor of the Exchequer, as Lord Chief Justice

Authority control databases
International	VIAF
National	United States
Other	SNAC

Life

Family

Cases

See also

References

External links