| AdminHistory | Born in Staffordshire, c1666; educated at the free grammar school at Newport, Shropshire, and in Derby; admitted to the Inner Temple, 1684; Trinity College Cambridge, 1685; did not take a degree; called to the bar, 1691; attended the midland circuit; appeared for the defence in the Crown v Tutchin libel case, 1704; Whig MP for Derby, 1705; Recorder of Derby; bencher of the Inner Temple, 1705; raised to the order of the coif and appointed one of the queen's serjeants; knighted, 1705; on the committee to draw up articles of impeachment against Dr Sacheverell, 1709; made a vehement attack on Sacheverell and the high church clergy, 1710; Lord Chief Justice of England, 1710; Privy Councillor; declined the office of Lord Chancellor, 1711; Fellow of the Royal Society, 1713; following Queen Anne's death, acted as one of the Lords Justices until the arrival of George I in England; member of the new Privy Council, 1714; filled various public offices; a favourite of the King; created Baron Macclesfield, 1716; granted a life pension; Lord Chancellor, 1718; Viscount Parker of Ewelme and Earl of Macclesfield, 1721; implicated in financial irregularities, 1724; resigned as Lord Chancellor, 1725; continued in favour at Court; impeached; tried in the House of Lords, 1725; the articles of impeachment included allegations of corruption, which he denied; found guilty unanimously; fined £30,000, to be imprisoned in the Tower until payment; struck off the roll of the Privy Council; took no further part in public affairs, spending his time after his release chiefly at Shirburn Castle, Oxfordshire, visiting London occasionally; died at Soho Square, London, 1732; buried at Shirburn. |
| CustodialHistory | Part of the library of Charles Kay Ogden (1889-1957), linguistic psychologist, founder of the Orthological Institute and originator of the language system Basic English, whose interests in language systems are reflected in the subject matter of his collection, which comprised individual manuscripts and manuscript collections dating from the 14th to the 20th century. |