Richard Raynsford

Sir Richard Rainsford
Sir Richard Rainsford
	Chief Justice of the King's Bench, Treasurer of Lincoln's Inn London Member of the projected order of Knights of the Royal Oak MP for Northampton in 1661 for the Cavalier Parliament Judge on Fire of London Disputes Act 1666 at Clifford's Inn in 1667 and 1672 President and Supervisor in Ireland in 1661-62 for the Act of Settlement 1662 in Ireland.

Sir Richard Rainsford SL (1605–1680) was an English judge and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1660 and 1663. He became Chief Justice of the King's Bench.

Career

Rainsford was the second son of Robert Raynsford of

called to the bar on 16 October 1632. In 1653 he was chosen recorder of Northampton.^[1]

Rainsford was elected

Member of Parliament for Northampton in April 1660 for the Convention Parliament. In 1660 he became treasurer of Lincoln's Inn and on 26 October 1660 he was sworn serjeant-at-law. He was one of those designated a member of the projected order of Knights of the Royal Oak. He was re-elected MP for Northampton in 1661 for the Cavalier Parliament, and sat until 16 November 1663 when he was raised to the bench as Baron of the Exchequer. He presided over the commission which sat at Dublin during the earlier months of 1663 to supervise the execution of the Act of Settlement 1662

, and on his return to England was raised to the exchequer bench, 16 November the same year.

Rainsford was one of Sir

Lord Shaftesbury's writ of habeas corpus he decided, 29 June 1677, an important point of constitutional law, viz. that the courts of law have no jurisdiction, during the parliamentary session, to discharge a peer committed by order of the House of Lords, even though the warrant of commitment be such as would be void if issued by an ordinary tribunal. Raynsford was removed to make room for Sir William Scroggs

in June 1678.

Rainsford died on 17 February 1680 at Dallington, Northamptonshire, where he had his seat and founded an almshouse. His remains were interred in Dallington church.

Family

Raynsford married at

Queen's College, Oxford, on 15 June 1657, represented Northampton in the first parliament of James II, 1685–7, and died on 17 March 1702/3. His grand daughter Rebecca Brompton married John Garth MP who represented Devizes

.

His brother, Edward Rainsford, was one of the first European settlers on Rainsford Island in Boston Harbor, Massachusetts.

Raynsford's portrait, by Gerard Soest, is at Lincoln's Inn; another, by Michael Wright, is at the Guildhall; a third, by Claret, was engraved by Tompson.

References

^ History of Parliament Online - Rainsford, Richard

Attribution

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Rainsford, Richard". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.

Bibliography

http://www.lisburn.com/books/historical_society/volume9/volume9-5.html

Parliament of England
Constituency unrepresented	Member of Parliament for Northampton 1660–1661 With: Francis Harvey 1660 Sir John Norwich, Bt 1660–1661	Succeeded by Francis Harvey James Langham
Preceded by Francis Harvey James Langham	Member of Parliament for Northampton 1661–1664 With: Sir Charles Compton 1661–1662 Sir James Langham, Bt 1662–1663 Sir William Dudley, Bt 1663 Christopher Hatton 1663–1664	Succeeded by Sir John Bernard
Legal offices
Preceded by Sir Matthew Hale	Lord Chief Justice 1676–1678	Succeeded by Sir William Scroggs

[HOP-1] History of Parliament Online - Rainsford, Richard

[1]

v t e Judges appointed under the Fire of London Disputes Act 1666
Judges	Sir John Archer Sir Robert Atkyns Sir Orlando Bridgman Sir William Ellys Sir Heneage Finch Sir Matthew Hale Sir Timothy Littleton Sir William Morton Sir Francis North Sir Richard Rainsford Sir Christopher Turnor Sir Edward Turnour Sir Thomas Twisden Sir Thomas Tyrrell Sir John Vaughan Sir William Wilde Sir Hugh Wyndham
Other	John Michael Wright (Artist)

Authority control databases
International	FAST VIAF
National	United States