William Scroggs

son of Will. Scroggs, was born in a Market Town in Oxfordshire called Dedington, became a Communer of Oriel Coll. in the beginning of the year 1639 aged 16 years, but soon after was translated to that called Pembroke, where being put under the tuition of a noted Tutor, became Master of a good Latine stile and a considerable Disputant. Soon after, tho the Civil War broke forth, and the University emptied thereupon of the greatest part of its Scholars, yet he continued there, bore arms for his Majesty, and had so much time allowed him, that he proceed Master of Arts in 1643. About that time he being designed for a Divine, his Father procured for him the reversion of a good Parsonage; but so it was that he being engaged in that honorable, tho unfortunate, expedition of Kent, Essex and Colchester, an. 1648, wherein, as I have been credibly informed, he was a Captain of a Foot Company, he was thereby disingaged from enjoying it. So that entring himself into Greys inn, studied the municipal Law, went through the usual Degrees belonging to it, was made Serjeant at Law 25. June 1669 and Knighted; and the same year, on the 2 of Nov. he was sworn his Majesties Serjeant. In 1678 May 31. he was made L. Chief Justice of the Kings Bench, upon the resignation of Sir Richard Rainsford; but not long after his advancement, the Popish conspiracy was discovered: So that his place obliging him to have the chiefest hand in bringing some of the principal conspirators concern’d therein to publick justice, he, in several trials of them, behaved himself with so undaunted a courage and greatness of spirit, giving such ample testimony of his true zeal for the Protestant cause, that he gained thereby for a while an universal applause throughout the whole Nation, being generally esteemed as a main Patriot and support of his Country, whose all, seem’d then (especially to the fanatical party) to lay at stake, and to be threatned with apparently impendent ruin. But at length the implacable and giddy headed rabble being possess’d with an opinion, that he had not dealt uprightly in the trials of some of the conspirators, (he mitigating his zeal when he saw the Popish Plot to be made a shooing-horn to draw on others) which caused articles of impeachment to be drawn up against him, (read in the H. of Commons and ingrossed, and on the 17 of Jan. 1680 sent up to the H. of Lords) he was removed from his high office about the eleventh of April 1681 meerly to stop their mouthes and so obtain quietness. Whereupon Sir Francis Pemberton Kt. was sworn to the said office on the next day, as it seems, and the day following that he paid his duty to his Majesty. Soon after Sir William retired to his Estate at Weald hall near Burntwood in Essex, where he enjoyed himself for a time in a sedate repose. He was a person of very excellent and nimble parts, a good Orator and a fluent Speaker, but his utterance being accompanied with some stops and hesitancy, his Speeches effected more in the reading, than they did when heard with the disadvantage of his delivery. Under his name were printed,

Several Speeches, as (1) Speech before the L. Chancellor, when he was made L. Ch. Justice of the Kings Bench—Printed in half a sh. in fol. (2) Sp. in the Kings Bench in Westm. hall on the first day of Mich. term, 1679. Lond. 1679 in 3 sheets in fol. Answer’d by an idle fellow, and remarks made on it, in one sh. in fol. entit. A New years gift for Justice Scroggs, &c. He hath other Speeches extant, as I shall tell you by and by.

Notes on the writing found in the pocket of Laur. Hill, when he and R. Green were executed, 21. Feb. 1678.—Pr. in one sh. in fol.

Answer to the Articles against him, given in by Titus Oates and Will. Bedlow, in Jan. 1679. Lond. 1680 in two sh. and an half in fol. He hath also several discourses, arguings, and speeches printed in divers Tryals and Condemnations while he was Lord Chief Justice as in (1) The Tryal of William Staley Goldsmith for speaking treasonable words against his Majesty, &c. 21. Novemb. 1678. Lond. 1678. fol. (2) Tryal of Edw. Coleman Gent. for conspiring the death of the King, subversion of the government, &c. 28. Nov. 1678. Lond. 1678. fol. This Coleman was, as I have heard, a Ministers Son, had been bred in Cambridge and was some years before reconcil’d to the Ch. of Rome by a R. Priest. (3) Tr. of Will. Ireland, Thomas Pickering and Jo. Grove for conspiring to murder the King, &c. 17. Dec. 1678. Lond. 1678. fol. (4) Tr. of Rob. Green, Hen. Berry and Laur. Hill for the murder of Sir Edmond-bury Godfrey Kt. &c. 10. Feb. 1678. Lond. 1679. fol. (5) Try. and condemnation of Tho. White alias Whitebread, Provincial of the Jesuits in England, Will. Harcourt, pretended Rector of London, John Fenwick, Procurator of the Jesuits in Engl. John Gavan alias Gawen, and Ant. Turner, all Jesuits; for High Treason in conspiring the death of the K. the subversion of government, &c. 13. and 14. of June 1679. Lond. 1679. fol. (6) Try. of Rich. Langhorne Esq. Counsellor at Law, for conspiring the death of the King, &c. 14. June 1679. Lond. 1679. fol. (7) Tr. of Sir George Wakeman Bt. Will. Marshall, Will. Rumley and Jam. Corker, Benedictine Monks, for High Treason, in conspiring the death of the King, &c. 18. Jul. 1679. Lond. 1679. fol. But the generality of people supposing that Scroggs had dealt very unjustly with Wakeman, in letting him go free, and not condemning him to be hang’d, came out Observations on the tryals of the said persons, by one that called himself Tom Tickle foot the Tabourer, late Clerk to Justice Clodpate—Lond. in 3 sh. in fol. In which pamphlet the author intimates as if Scroggs was a Butchers Son. Soon after this, came out two other Pamphlets to the same purpose, one entit. The Tickler tickled, in 2. sh. and an half in fol. and the other A dialogue between Clodpate and Ticklefoot, in 3 sh. in fol. both reflecting on Scroggs, as also a piece of poetry that was published at that time called Scroggs upon Scroggs, in tw. sh. and an half in fol. (8) Tr. conviction and condemnation of Ad. Brommich and Will. Atkins for being Romish Priests, at Stafford Assize, 13. Aug. 1679 and Of Charles Kerne another R. Priest, at Hereford Assize 4. of Aug. the same year. Lond. 1679. in 5. sh. in fol. (9) Tr. and condemnation of Lionel Anderson alias Munson, Will. Russel alias Napier, Charles Parris alias Parry, Hen. Starkey, Jam. Corker and Will. Marshall for High Treason as Romish Priests, &c. together with the trial of Alex. Lumsden a Scotch man and the arraignment of David Joseph Kemish for the same offence, &c. 17 Jan. 1679. Lond. 1680. fol. (10) Tr. of Sir Tho. Gascoigne Bt. for High Treason in conspiring, &c. 11. Feb. 1679. Lond. 1680. fol. Which Sir Thomas being found guiltless and set at liberty, he left the Nation and feeling for a time among the Engl. Benedictine Monks at Lambspring in Germany, was there seen and visited by Will. Carr an English Gent. sometimes Consul for the English Nation in Amsterdam, in his rambles in those parts; of whom he makes ((†))((†)) In his Remarks of the government of several parts of Germany, Denmark, Sweedland, &c. Printed at Amsterd. 1688. in tw. p. 143. this mention—From the Princes Court (meaning of Hessen) I directed my journey to Hanover, taking Lambspring in my way, a place where there is a Convent of English Monks; and there I met with a very aged worthy and harmless Gent. Sir Tho. Gascoigne, a person of more integrity and piety than to be guilty, so much as in thought, of what Miscreants falsly swore against him in the licentious time of plotting, &c. (11) Tr. of Roger Earl of Castlemaine for High Treason in conspiring the death of the King, &c. 23. Jun. 1680. Lond. 1681. fol. The reader is to note that this tryal was not published immediatly after it was done, as all others were, but in Janu. following, which was more than half an year after the said Trial had been passed: And ’tis thought that it would never have been printed, had it not been to bring an odium upon Scroggs (to the end that he might be turned out of his office, for his partiality, as ’twas by many thought, in the said Tryal) for his too much baiting of Titus Oates, endeavouring (as they farther added) to lessen his evidence. (12) Tr. of Hen. Care Gent. upon information brought against him, &c. charging him to be the author of a scandalous, false, and malicious book entit. The weekly pacquet of advice from Rome; or the History of Popery, particularly of that of the first of Aug. 1680, wherein Scroggs is scandalized as to the Tryal of Sir Geor. Wakeman, &c. 2. Jul. 1680. Lond. 1680. fol. (13) Tr. of Elizah. Cellier, &c. 11. Jun. 1680. Lond. 1680. fol. in 4 sh. In all which Tryals our author Scroggs being chief Judge and Speaker, they were by his authority printed. At length he giving up the ghost at Weald-hall before mention’d on Thursday the 25 of Octob. in sixteen hundred eighty and three,1683. was buried in the Parish Church belonging thereunto (Southweald): The late Industrious Garter Sir W. D. informed me by his Letters dat. 28. Jun. 1684 that the said Sir Will. Scroggs was the son of an one ey’d Butcher near Smithfield Bars, and his Mother was a big fat Woman with a red face, like an Alewife, that he was a very ill humour’d man, and as I have heard he would never pay his tithes—His boldness got him practice by the Law, and some wealth, wherewith he purchased a Lordship called Weald, &c. But the Reader must know that the said person (Sir W. D.) never speaking well of him after he had refused to pay the Fees of his Knighthood, to the Coll. of Armes of which he was to have had a considerable share, he is therefore desir’d to suspend his belief of the said character given of him the said Sir W. Scroggs till farther proof may be made to the contrary.