John Herne facts for kids

John Herne (born around 1593, died 1649) was an English lawyer. He was known for working on many important court cases during the 1630s and 1640s. These were times of big changes in England.

Life as a Lawyer

Early Days and Training

John Herne likely started studying at Clare College, Cambridge in 1608. Later, in 1611, he began training to be a lawyer at Lincoln's Inn in London. He worked hard and became a barrister, which is a type of lawyer who argues cases in court.

In 1628, he was chosen to be a member of parliament for a short time.

Famous Court Cases

John Herne became well-known for defending people in important trials.

• In 1632, he defended Henry Sherfield. Sherfield was accused of damaging a stained-glass window in a church.
• He also defended William Prynne in 1634. Prynne was on trial for publishing a book called Histrio-Mastix.
• In 1635, Herne helped the head of the Fleet Prison. There were questions about how the prison was managed.

Later, in 1641, he defended two judges, Sir John Bramston and Sir Robert Berkeley. They were accused of problems related to a tax called "ship money." This was a tax the king tried to collect from people.

Defending Archbishop Laud

One of Herne's most famous cases was defending William Laud, who was the Archbishop of Canterbury. Laud was on trial for serious accusations.

On October 11, 1644, John Herne gave a very smart speech to defend Laud. He argued that none of the accusations against Laud were serious enough on their own to prove a major crime. He said that even if you put all the small accusations together, they still wouldn't add up to a big crime. He used a clever example, saying it was like trying to make a black horse out of "two hundred couple of black rabbits."

After the trial, Herne visited Archbishop Laud in the Tower of London. He even brought Laud his prayer book and talked with him about a speech Laud was preparing. This shows how dedicated Herne was to his clients.

Works

After John Herne passed away, a book he wrote was published in 1659. It was called The Learned Reading of John Herne, Esq., late of the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inne, upon the Statute of 23 H. 8, cap. 3, concerning Commissions of Sewers. This book was about a law concerning drainage and water management.

Family

In 1618, John Herne married Susanna Woodward. Her father was a merchant from London.

John Herne also had a son, also named John Herne (born around 1660). This son followed in his father's footsteps and also became a lawyer. He wrote several law books, including:

• The Pleader (1657)
• The Law of Conveyances (1658)
• The Modern Assurancer (1658)
• The Law of Charitable Uses (1660)