William Noy

William Noy (1577 - August 9, 1634), English jurist, was born on the family estate of Pendrea in Buryan, Cornwall, his father belonging to a family whose pedigree is included in the visitation of Cornwall in 1620.

He went to Exeter College, Oxford, but left without taking a degree. He entered Lincoln's Inn in 1594. From 1603 until his death he was elected, with one exception, to each parliament, sitting invariably for a constituency of his native county. For several years his sympathies were in antagonism to the court party. Every commission that was appointed numbered Noy among its members, and even those who were opposed to him in politics acknowledged his learning.

A few years before his death he was drawn over to the side of the court, and in October 1631 he was created attorney-general, but was never knighted. It was through his advice that the impost of ship money was levied. Noy had long suffered from stone, and died in great agony on August 9, 1634; two days later he was buried at New Brentford church.

His principal works are On the Grounds and Maxims of the Laws of this Kingdom (1641) and The Compleat Lawyer (1661).

This entry was originally from the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.