Sir Henry Pollexfen was a British judge and politician. He was the son of Andrew Pollexfen and his wife Joan, and the brother of John Pollexfen, the British political economist

Political economy

Political economy originally was the term for studying production, buying, and selling, and their relations with law, custom, and government, as well as with the distribution of national income and wealth, including through the budget process. Political economy originated in moral philosophy...

. He entered Inner Temple

Inner Temple

The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...

 in 1652, was called to the bar in 1658 and by 1662 he was pleading before the high courts at Westminster Hall. In 1674 he became a bencher at Inner Temple, and was the leading practitioner on the western circuit, frequently pleading at the King's Bench

King's Bench

The Queen's Bench is the superior court in a number of jurisdictions within some of the Commonwealth realms...

. In 1676 he defended Stockbridge, Hampshire

Stockbridge, Hampshire

Stockbridge is a small town and civil parish in Hampshire, England. It has an acreage of and a population of little under 600 people according to the 2001 census in Hampshire, England. It lies on the River Test, in the Test Valley district and renowned for trout fishing. The A30 road goes through...

 on a Quo warranto

Quo warranto

Quo warranto is a prerogative writ requiring the person to whom it is directed to show what authority they have for exercising some right or power they claim to hold.-History:...

charge, which he lost. He frequently acted as counsel in various politically charged cases, and regularly lost; clients included the lords involved in the Popish Plot

Popish Plot

The Popish Plot was a fictitious conspiracy concocted by Titus Oates that gripped England, Wales and Scotland in Anti-Catholic hysteria between 1678 and 1681. Oates alleged that there existed an extensive Catholic conspiracy to assassinate Charles II, accusations that led to the execution of at...

, the Earl of Danby

Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds

Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds, KG , English statesman , served in a variety of offices under Kings Charles II and William III of England.-Early life, 1632–1674:The son of Sir Edward Osborne, Bart., of Kiveton, Yorkshire, Thomas Osborne...

 and as one of many counsel for Edward Fitzharris

Edward Fitzharris

Edward Fitzharris was an Anglo-Irish conspirator. His prosecution at the time of the Popish Plot hoax became a struggle for jurisdiction involving the courts and the two Houses of Parliament.-Life:...

, Stephen College

Stephen College

Stephen College was an English joiner, activist Protestant, and supporter of the perjury underlying the fabricated Popish Plot. He was tried and executed for high treason.-Life:...

 and Algernon Sidney, all of whom were later executed. Along with Sir George Treby

George Treby (judge)

Sir George Treby JP was a British justice and politician.-Early life and education:He was the oldest son of Peter Treby, a barrister at the Court of Common Pleas and his wife Joan. He was educated at Plympton School, and was accepted into Exeter College, Oxford in June 1660...

 and Sir Francis Winnington

Francis Winnington (Solicitor-General)

Sir Francis Winnington was a successful lawyer in England, who became Solicitor-General to King Charles II.He entered the Middle Temple in 1656 and was called to the bar in 1660 and rose steadily, serving as counsel in various Parliamentary impeachments...

 he defended London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 on a second Quo warranto charge in 1683, arguing that Corporations could not be charged for the wrongdoing of individuals. He lost, and in 1684 was asked to take a similar case for Berwick-upon-Tweed

Berwick-upon-Tweed

Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....

, this time advising surrender.

In 1688 he was made a justice, and advised the House of Lords

House of Lords

The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....

 on the legality of Quo warranto seizures. After William III

William III of England

William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...

 arrived in 1688 he was a close advisor, and helped persuade him to declare himself King, arguing that the throne was vacant due to James

James II of England

James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...

 fleeing, saying James ‘went away because the terror of his own conscience frighted him and he durst stay no longer’. William did not make himself King according to Pollexfen's advice, but in reward for his services Pollexfen was knighted and made Attorney General for England and Wales

Attorney General for England and Wales

Her Majesty's Attorney General for England and Wales, usually known simply as the Attorney General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown. Along with the subordinate Solicitor General for England and Wales, the Attorney General serves as the chief legal adviser of the Crown and its government in...

 in March, and appointed Chief Justice of the Common Pleas

Chief Justice of the Common Pleas

The Court of Common Pleas, also known as the Common Bench or Common Place, was the second highest common law court in the English legal system until 1880, when it was dissolved. As such, the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas was one of the highest judicial officials in England, behind only the Lord...

 on May 6, 1689. In late 1689 he was elected Member of Parliament representing Exeter

Exeter (UK Parliament constituency)

Exeter is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....

 at the 1689 Convention Parliament

Convention Parliament (1689)

The English Convention was an irregular assembly of the Parliament of England which transferred the Crowns of England and Ireland from James II to William III...

, where William was officially offered the crown. After serving as Chief Justice for two years Pollexfen died of a burst blood vessel at his home in Lincoln's Inn Fields

Lincoln's Inn Fields

Lincoln's Inn Fields is the largest public square in London, UK. It was laid out in the 1630s under the initiative of the speculative builder and contractor William Newton, "the first in a long series of entrepreneurs who took a hand in developing London", as Sir Nikolaus Pevsner observes...

on June 15, 1691.