Nicholas Trott facts for kids

Sir Nicholas Trott (born January 19, 1663 – died January 21, 1740) was an important British judge, legal expert, and writer in the 1700s. He had a long career in law and politics in Charleston, South Carolina. He served as the main judge, called the colonial chief justice, from 1703 to 1719.

Nicholas Trott came from a wealthy English family. His grandfather, Perient Trott, was a leader in the Somers Isles Company. This company was involved in settling Bermuda. His uncle, also named Sir Nicholas Trott, was the governor of the Bahamas. To avoid confusion, his uncle is often called Nicholas the Elder.

Trott is most famous for being the judge who tried the well-known pirate Stede Bonnet in 1718. This event was even written about in Daniel Defoe's book, A General History of the Pyrates. Nicholas Trott also wrote several books himself. These included a dictionary of psalms called Clavis Linguae Sanctae (1719) and The Tryals of Major Stede Bonnet and Other Pirates (1719). He also wrote The Laws of the British Plantations (1721). For his writings, he earned special law degrees from Oxford University and the University of Aberdeen. His last book, The Laws of the Province of South Carolina (1736), tells the story of Charleston's early legal history.

Biography

Nicholas Trott's Early Life and Career

Nicholas Trott was born in Lewisham, London, England. His father, Samuel Trott, was a successful merchant in London. His grandfather, Perient Trott, was a "husband" (a type of director) for the Somers Isles Company. This company played a role in the early settlement of Bermuda. His uncle, Sir Nicholas Trott (Nicholas the Elder), was the governor of the Bahamas.

Trott went to Merchant Taylor's School in London. Thanks to his family's connections, he became secretary for the Somers Isles Company. He also became the top lawyer, or attorney general, of Bermuda in 1693. A year later, he married his first wife, Jane Willis, in Bermuda.

In 1695, Trott joined the Inner Temple. This was one of London's four Inns of Court, which were places where lawyers were trained. He returned to Bermuda the next year and continued as attorney general. People said he did a very good job in this role.

Becoming a Judge in South Carolina

In 1699, Trott moved from Bermuda to Charleston, South Carolina. He became the attorney general and naval officer for the colony. Edward Randolph, a surveyor general for the colonies, offered him this job.

Trott's career was successful, but it also had many disagreements. This was because of his strong political and religious beliefs. He criticized the governor, Joseph Blake. This led to Trott's arrest and removal from his job. However, the colonial assembly brought him back in 1702. The next year, he was appointed chief justice, the colony's main judge.

Trott was a strong supporter of the Church of England. He was an early member of a group called the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. He also worked with other Anglicans to make the Church of England the main church in the colony. They also tried to limit other religious groups. These religious conflicts ended when Charles Craven became governor in 1712.

Trott and his brother-in-law, William Rhett, had a lot of support in the colonial assembly. They did not agree with Governor Craven's policy of religious tolerance. It is thought that Richard Shelton, another powerful person in the colony, may have protected Trott and Rhett.

Between 1711 and 1715, Trott and Rhett worked to increase their power. They gained influence through the Charleston voters. In 1714, Trott visited England. There, he was given "extraordinary legal powers" by the colony's owners. This included the right to appoint a provost marshal (a type of law enforcement officer). He also had to be present for the colonial council to make decisions. No new laws could be passed without his approval.

These special powers were taken away two years later. But this did not stop him from trying to gain more power. By 1716, when he became a vice admiralty judge, he and Rhett controlled almost all the important government jobs in South Carolina.

The Trial of Pirate Stede Bonnet

In 1718, Nicholas Trott became very well-known. He served as the Vice Admiralty Judge during the trial of Captain Stede Bonnet and his pirate crew. Trott later published a detailed record of the trial. It was called The Tryals of Major Stede Bonnet and Other Pirates. This book gave many details about the trial. It was used as an important document in later collections of state trials.

Trott's "comprehensive and detailed definition of piracy" was very important. Other judges used it, and it helped shape the legal meaning of piracy. His work was often mentioned in international law for many years.

Retirement and Later Years

By 1719, many people did not like Trott. A formal complaint was made against him that year. People claimed he charged too much money in his courts. They also said he caused delays to get more fees. Some accused him of giving legal advice to people whose cases were before him. They also said he controlled too many political and legal jobs in the colony.

This happened at the same time the colony's original government, the proprietary government, fell. However, Trott and Rhett's actions were not the main reason for this change. The main reason was that the proprietary government was seen as failing to protect the colony from Native American raids. The English government then decided to protect the colony. They sent Francis Nicholson to be the new royal governor.

When Governor Nicholson arrived, he gave all the old officials their jobs back. Nicholas Trott was the only exception. Trott tried to get his job back, but he eventually gave up.

After this, Trott retired from public service. He spent the rest of his life as a legal expert and writer. Besides his own writings about the Bonnet trial, his works included a dictionary of psalms called Clavis Linguae Sanctae (1719). He also wrote The Laws of the British Plantations (1721). For these books, he received special law degrees from Oxford University in 1720 and the University of Aberdeen in 1726. His last published work, The Laws of the Province of South Carolina (1736), collected the laws of the colony during his time as a judge. This book is seen as one of the earliest and most important documents about South Carolina's legal history.

After his first wife, Jane Willis, died, Trott married Sarah Rhett in 1727. She was the widow of William Rhett. In his last years, Trott worked on explaining the Hebrew text of the Bible. This work has unfortunately been lost. He died in London on January 21, 1740, at 77 years old. He left small gifts to his two grandchildren, Sarah and Mary Jane Rhett. They were his second wife's children from her first marriage. It seems he did not have any children of his own.

Legacy

Nicholas Trott is considered a very important person in the early history of South Carolina. Historian M. Eugene Sirmans called him "the most learned man in the colony." Besides his work in the colonial assembly with William Rhett, Trott made key contributions to the legal growth of South Carolina. His work as a chief justice and later as a scholar showed how American colonial law developed.

One example of his work was a legal essay he wrote called "Eight Charges." This was a collection of instructions for grand juries. It taught jurors about the law and how to use it in criminal cases. One of the charges mentioned a Charleston defense case about witchcraft. In this case, people tried to get charges for witchcraft, but they were rejected. Trott warned that "proof of witchcraft based on corroboration by evil spirits was by no means is to be relied on."