Sir Richard Pepys (2 July 1589 – 2 January 1659) was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1640 and was Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. He was a cousin of the father of Samuel Pepys the diarist.
Pepys was born at Bunstead, Essex the son of John Pepys of Cottenham, Cambridgeshire and his wife Elizabeth Bendish, daughter of John Bendish of Bowes Hall, Essex. He entered Middle Temple in 1609 and was called to the bar in 1617. He was a bencher of his inn in 1636 and acted as reader in 1640.[1]
In April 1640, Pepys was elected Member of Parliament for Sudbury in the Short Parliament .[2] He was active in local government, attending meetings of the County Committee for Suffolk between 1642 and 1648.[3] He acted as treasurer of the Middle Temple in 1648.[1] He was appointed Baron of the Exchequer on 30 May 1654 and became Serjeant-at-Law at the same time. He was appointed Chief Justice of Ireland on 25 September 1655.[4] He sat in court with Miles Corbet on occasion and was also appointed chief justice of the Upper Bench and commissioner of the great seal in 1655. He was on the circuit in Ulster in early 1657. In 1658, he presented books to the Inner Temple. He died suddenly in 1659 and was buried in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.[1]
Pepys married firstly Judith Cutte, daughter of Sir William Cutte of Arkesden, in 1620. He married secondly, Mary Gosnold daughter of Bartholomew Gosnold, who played a major part in the establishment of Virginia, and his wife Mary Goldinge.[5] He had three sons and three daughters and was an ancestor of the Earl of Cottenham.[1]
| Parliament of England | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Parliament suspended since 1629 |
Member of Parliament for Sudbury 1640 With: Sir Robert Crane, 1st Baronet |
Succeeded by Simonds d'Ewes Sir Robert Crane, 1st Baronet |