Robert Reynolds (Attorney General)
Encyclopedia
Sir Robert Reynolds was an English lawyer and Member of Parliament
(MP) who served as Solicitor General
and Attorney General
during the Commonwealth period.
Reynolds, who was the brother of Sir John Reynolds
, was MP for Hindon
in the Long Parliament
, taking the parliamentary side on the outbreak of the Civil War
.
Served with Robert Goodwin
as one of Parliament's commissioners to the Protestant administration of Dublin in September of 1642. Their mandate was to join the Irish Council of War, and advise the privy councillors in how to resist the ongoing Irish Rebellion
. They tended to promote more severe punishments for the rebels and a more aggressive prosecution of the war. This alienated the more moderate established administration, slowly coming to be dominated by the Marquess of Ormond
. They ended up returning to England in February 1643.
He refused to be a commissioner in the trial of King Charles I
. Nevertheless, in 1650 he was appointed Solicitor General
. After 1653 he retired from public life until the death of Oliver Cromwell
, but was elected MP for Whitchurch
in Richard Cromwell
's Parliament
before resuming his seat for Hindon in the restored Rump
, and in 1660 was appointed Attorney General
.
He supported the return of Charles II
, and though supplanted as Attorney-General at the Restoration
was knighted by the new king as a sign of favour.
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) who served as Solicitor General
Solicitor General for England and Wales
Her Majesty's Solicitor General for England and Wales, often known as the Solicitor General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, and the deputy of the Attorney General, whose duty is to advise the Crown and Cabinet on the law...
and Attorney General
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...
during the Commonwealth period.
Reynolds, who was the brother of Sir John Reynolds
John Reynolds (soldier)
Sir John Reynolds was a soldier in the English Civil War and during the Commonwealth. He was lost at sea returning from action in Flanders....
, was MP for Hindon
Hindon (UK Parliament constituency)
Hindon was a parliamentary borough consisting of the village of Hindon in Wiltshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1448 until 1832, when the borough was abolished by the Great Reform Act...
in the Long Parliament
Long Parliament
The Long Parliament was made on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its dissolution until after the English Civil War and...
, taking the parliamentary side on the outbreak of the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
.
Served with Robert Goodwin
Robert Goodwin (Parliamentarian)
Sir Robert Goodwin was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1626 and 1659. He supported the Parliamentary cause in the English Civil War....
as one of Parliament's commissioners to the Protestant administration of Dublin in September of 1642. Their mandate was to join the Irish Council of War, and advise the privy councillors in how to resist the ongoing Irish Rebellion
Irish Rebellion of 1641
The Irish Rebellion of 1641 began as an attempted coup d'état by Irish Catholic gentry, who tried to seize control of the English administration in Ireland to force concessions for the Catholics living under English rule...
. They tended to promote more severe punishments for the rebels and a more aggressive prosecution of the war. This alienated the more moderate established administration, slowly coming to be dominated by the Marquess of Ormond
James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde
James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde PC was an Irish statesman and soldier. He was the second of the Kilcash branch of the family to inherit the earldom. He was the friend of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, who appointeed him commander of the Cavalier forces in Ireland. From 1641 to 1647, he...
. They ended up returning to England in February 1643.
He refused to be a commissioner in the trial of King Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
. Nevertheless, in 1650 he was appointed Solicitor General
Solicitor General for England and Wales
Her Majesty's Solicitor General for England and Wales, often known as the Solicitor General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, and the deputy of the Attorney General, whose duty is to advise the Crown and Cabinet on the law...
. After 1653 he retired from public life until the death of Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
, but was elected MP for Whitchurch
Whitchurch (UK Parliament constituency)
Whitchurch was a parliamentary borough in the English County of Hampshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1586 until 1832, when the borough was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-History:...
in Richard Cromwell
Richard Cromwell
At the same time, the officers of the New Model Army became increasingly wary about the government's commitment to the military cause. The fact that Richard Cromwell lacked military credentials grated with men who had fought on the battlefields of the English Civil War to secure their nation's...
's Parliament
Third Protectorate Parliament
The Third Protectorate Parliament sat for one session, from 27 January 1659 until 22 April 1659, with Chaloner Chute and Thomas Bampfylde as the Speakers of the House of Commons...
before resuming his seat for Hindon in the restored Rump
Rump Parliament
The Rump Parliament is the name of the English Parliament after Colonel Pride purged the Long Parliament on 6 December 1648 of those members hostile to the Grandees' intention to try King Charles I for high treason....
, and in 1660 was appointed Attorney General
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...
.
He supported the return of Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
, and though supplanted as Attorney-General at the Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
was knighted by the new king as a sign of favour.