SMYTHE, Sydney Stafford (1705-78), of Old Bounds, Bidborough and Sutton at Hone, Kent.

Published in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1715-1754, ed. R. Sedgwick, 1970
Available from Boydell and Brewer

Constituency

Dates

1747 - June 1750

Family and Education

b. 1705, 1st s. of Henry Smythe of Old Bounds by Elizabeth, da. of Dr. John Lloyd, canon of Windsor. educ. Kensington (Mr. Coxe); St. John’s, Camb. 1 July 1721, aged nearly 16; I. Temple 1724, called 1729, bencher 1747. m. May 1733, Sarah, da. of Sir Charles Farnaby, 1st Bt., of Kippington, Kent, 1s. suc. fa. 1706. Kntd. 7 Nov. 1750.

Offices Held

Steward and judge of court of palace of Westminster 1740-50; K.C. 1747; baron of the Exchequer June 1750; serjeant-at-law 1750; commr. of the great seal Nov. 1756-June 1757, Jan. 1770-Jan. 1771; chief baron of the Exchequer 1772-7; P.C. 3 Dec. 1777.

Biography

In 1733 Smythe, a practising lawyer, was recommended to Sir Philip Yorke by the Duke of Dorset as

a very sensible young fellow and I hope will deserve any favour you are pleased to show him; he is related to the Duke of Newcastle and my Lord Leicester; he is not easily distinguished by his surname which is a very common one, but his christian name is not so.1

He was brought in by the Duke as a Whig for East Grinstead in 1747, vacating his seat in 1750 on being made a baron of the Exchequer. In April 1754 he declined promotion in another court writing: ‘I am so well pleased with the court in which I am placed, that I have at present no desire of removing from it.’ He again declined promotion on the death of the lord chief baron in 1755.2

He died 2 Nov. 1778.

Ref Volumes: 1715-1754

Author: J. B. Lawson

Notes

  • 1. 22 Sept. 1733, Add. 35585, f. 193.
  • 2. To Hardwicke, 27 Apr. 1754, 20 Sept. 1755, Add. 35592, f. 331; 35593, f. 254.