William Sammes (died 1646) was an English lawyer and Judge of the High Court of Admiralty.
William Sammes Legum Doctor | |
|---|---|
| Judge of the Admiralty court of England and Wales | |
| In office 1644–1646 | |
| Monarchs | |
| Preceded by | Richard Zouch |
| Succeeded by | |
| Personal details | |
| Died | October 1646 |
| Resting place | St Benet's, Paul's Wharf |
| Nationality | English |
| Alma mater | Trinity Hall, Cambridge |
He was awarded the degree of Legum Doctor from Trinity Hall, Cambridge in 1595 and spent the next four decades in private legal practice, until the outbreak of the First English Civil War in the early 1640s. In 1643 the sole Admiralty Court judge, Richard Zouch, was dismissed from office by Oliver Cromwell on suspicion of being a Royalist sympathiser.[1] Cromwell's Lord High Admiral, Robert Rich, appointed Sammes as "acting Judge" in Zouch's place, and confirmed him as the permanent officeholder in 1644.[1][2]
Sammes held office until his death in October 1646. He was buried at St Benet's Church, Paul's Wharf.[1]
Notes
edit- ^ a b c Senior, William (1927). "The Judges of the High Court of Admiralty". The Mariner's Mirror. 13 (4). United Kingdom: Society for Nautical Research: 339–340. doi:10.1080/00253359.1927.10655437.
- ^ "Zouche, Richard (c.1589-1661), of Doctors' Commons, London and Oxford, Oxon". United Kingdom: The History of Parliament Trust. 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2016.