George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys
George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys, also known as "the Hanging Judge", was a Welsh judge. He became notable during the reign of King James II, rising to the position of Lord Chancellor. His conduct as a judge was to enforce royal policy, resulting in a historical reputation for severity and bias.
George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys
Portrait of Judge George Jeffreys, First Baron of Wem
George Jeffreys was named Lord Chancellor and created Baron Jeffreys of Wem in 1685.
St Mary Aldermanbury in 1904
James VII and II was King of England and Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. He was the last Catholic monarch of England, Scotland, and Ireland. His reign is now remembered primarily for conflicts over religious tolerance, but it also involved struggles over the principles of absolutism and the divine right of kings. His deposition ended a century of political and civil strife in England by confirming the primacy of the English Parliament over the Crown.
Portrait by Peter Lely
Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, Viscount of Turenne, James's commander in France
James and Anne Hyde in the 1660s, by Sir Peter Lely
Wedding suit of James II, 1673, in the Victoria and Albert Museum