William Noy (1577 – 9 August 1634) was an English jurist.[1]

William Noy.

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

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  1. ^ a b Granger, James (1824). A Biographical History of England. Vol. 3 (5th ed.). London: William Baynes and Son. p. 22. OCLC 895919199.
  2. ^ Toy, Henry Spencer (1912). The Ancient Borough of Helston. Helston: John Lander & Son. Retrieved 19 August 2014.

Further reading

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Parliament of England
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Grampound
1604–1611
With: Sir Francis Barnham
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Helston
1621–1622
With: St Thomas Stafford
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Fowey
1624–1625
With: Sir Robert Coke
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for St Ives
1626
With: Edward Savage
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Helston
1628–1629
With: Sidney Godolphin
Parliament suspended until 1640
Legal offices
Preceded by Attorney General
1631–1634
Succeeded by