Of Brynkinalt. Speaker of the House of Commons. Master of the Rolls.

Sir John Trevor was a Welsh judge and lawyer, who was found guilty of "a high crime and misdemeanour" for accepting a bribe in 1695. Known as a staunch Protestant, Sir John was one of the Trevor family, and represented his ancestral seat in Denbighshire in Parliament. He became Speaker in 1685, briefly losing it before being reappointed in 1690. He was also Master of the Rolls. Sir John was severely cross eyed and it was said to affect his ability at times to identify people on the floor of the House. It has led to the modern tradition of the Speaker naming the MP before he speaks.

In the 17th Century, the Speaker had control over the House of Commons agenda and could authorise private member's bills. But his downfall came when the City of London asked Sir John if he could put through a bill on their behalf (”an Act for he relief of the orphans and for creditors of the City of London”) and he agreed to do it for 1,000 guineas.

But he was found out and efforts were launched to remove him from the post for bribery. Sir John initially resisted the moves to throw him out but he finally had to go in March 1695. Despite this damage to his reputation in Commons, he remained a well respected judge and benefactor to good causes in north Wales until he died aged 69 in 1717.


See Crap MP’s by Dr Bendor Grosvenor and Dr Geoffrey Hicks (2012)

Of Brynkinalt