William Noy
William Noy (1577 – 9 August 1634) was a British jurist.[1]
He was born on the family estate of Pendrea in St Buryan, Cornwall.[2] He left Exeter College, Oxford, without taking a degree, and entered Lincoln's Inn in 1594. From 1603 until his death he was elected, with one exception, to each parliament, sitting invariably for a constituency of his native county. For several years his sympathies were in antagonism to the court party, yet every commission that was appointed numbered Noy among its members, and even those who were opposed to him in politics acknowledged his learning.
A few years before his death he changed political allegiance, went over to the side of the court, and in October 1631 he was created Attorney-general,[1] but was never knighted. It was through his advice that the impost of ship money was levied, resulting in a controversy that helped trigger the English Civil War. Noy suffered from stones, and died in great pain; he was buried at New Brentford church.
His principal works are On the Grounds and Maxims of the Laws of this Kingdom (1641) and The Compleat Lawyer (1661).
References
- Granger, James (1824). A Biographical History of England. 3 (5th ed.). London: William Baynes and Son. p. 22. OCLC 895919199.
- Toy, Henry Spencer (1912). The Ancient Borough of Helston. Helston: John Lander & Son. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Noy, William". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Further reading
- Hart, James S. (23 September 2004). "Noy [Noye], William (1577–1634), lawyer and politician". Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/20384. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
Authority control  |
|---|
| Parliament of England | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Gray John Astell |
Member of Parliament for Grampound 1604–1611 With: Sir Francis Barnham |
Succeeded by John Hampden Robert Carey |
| Preceded by Sir Robert Killigrew Henry Bulstrode |
Member of Parliament for Helston 1621–1622 With: St Thomas Stafford |
Succeeded by Thomas Carey Francis Carew |
| Preceded by Jonathan Rashleigh John Treffry |
Member of Parliament for Fowey 1624–1625 With: Sir Robert Coke |
Succeeded by John Payne Francis Godolphin |
| Preceded by William Parkhurst Francis Godolphin |
Member of Parliament for St Ives 1626 With: Edward Savage |
Succeeded by Jonathan Rashleigh Arthur Basset |
| Preceded by Francis Godolphin Francis Carew |
Member of Parliament for Helston 1628–1629 With: Sidney Godolphin |
Succeeded by Parliament suspended until 1640 |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by Sir Robert Heath |
Attorney General 1631–1634 |
Succeeded by Sir John Bankes |