John Comyns

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Sir John Comyns (c. 1667-1 November 1740), of Writtle in Essex, was an English judge and Member of Parliament.

Comyns was a member of Lincoln's Inn, and was called to the bar in 1690. He entered Parliament in 1701 as member for Maldon, and represented that borough for 17 of the next 26 years. On three separate occasions on which he was returned for Maldon his opponents petitioned against his election, alleging bribery or improper conduct by the bailiff (who was the returning officer for the borough); but their only success was in 1715 when they also accused him of having refused to take the Qualification Oath, and his election in that case was declared void on those grounds.

He was made serjeant-at-law in 1705, and was appointed a Baron of the Exchequer in 1726, a Justice of Common Pleas in 1736 and Chief Baron of the Exchequer in 1738.

His writings included a Digest of English Law, written in law-French but afterwards translated.

[edit] References

• Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page
• Concise Dictionary of National Biography (1930)
• Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807) [1]
• T H B Oldfield, The Representative History of Great Britain and Ireland (London: Baldwin, Cradock & Joy, 1816)

Parliament of England
Preceded by William Fytche Irby Montagu	Member of Parliament for Maldon with William Fytche 1701–1707	Succeeded by Parliament of Great Britain
Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Sir Richard Child Thomas Richmond	Member of Parliament for Maldon with Thomas Richmond 1710-1711 William Fytche 1711-1712 Thomas Bramston 1712-1715 1710–1715	Succeeded by Thomas Bramston Samuel Tufnell
Preceded by Thomas Bramston Samuel Tufnell	Member of Parliament for Maldon with Thomas Bramston 1722–1727	Succeeded by Thomas Bramston, junior Henry Parsons