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Sir Thomas Trevor (6 July 1586 – 21 December 1656) was an English lawyer, judge and Member of Parliament, most notable for having delivered the judgment against John Hampden in the Ship Money case.

He was the fifth and youngest son of John Trevor of Trevalyn, Denbighshire, the younger brother of Richard Trevor, John Trevor and Sackville Trevor. He was admitted to membership of Inner Temple at an unusually early age and was called to the bar in 1603. He was elected MP for Tregony, Cornwall in 1601, Harwich in 1604 and Newport (Cornwall) (UK Parliament constituency) in 1614. In 1619 he was knighted and appointed solicitor to Prince Charles; the following year, he was a reader of his inn, and he sat as MP for Saltash in the Parliaments of 1621 and 1624-5, and for East Looe in that of 1625. On the accession of the Prince to throne as Charles I in 1625, Trevor was advanced to the degree of serjeant-at-law, and shortly afterwards was appointed a judge of the Court of Exchequer. In that capacity he became a member of the Commission to exercise ecclesiastical jurisdiction in 1633.

In 1637, Trevor was one of the twelve judges who collectively gave an opinion that the Crown could legitimately collect Ship Money, and the following year gave judgment in court to the same effect in Hampden's case. As a consequence, in 1641 Parliament began proceedings to impeach him, together with other judges who had supported ship money. Nevertheless, on the outbreak of the Civil War he was one of the few judges who remained in London and recognised the authority of Parliament. At the conclusion of the impeachment in 1643, he was found guilty, fined and sentenced to be imprisoned at the pleasure of the House of Lords, but he was released immediately and resumed his seat on the bench. At Michaelmas 1643, when the King sent a writ demanding the attendance of him and another judge (Edmund Reeve) on the court at Oxford, they refused and had the messengers arrested: one was later executed as a spy. Despite this, Trevor was opposed to the King's execution, and refused the commission that was offered to him by the new government. He then retired completely from public life until his death.

Sir Thomas was married twice, to Prudence Boteler and then to Frances Blennerhasset. His only son, by his first marriage, was Sir Thomas Trevor (c. 1612-1676), created a baronet in 1641.

References

Dictionary of National Biography
Edward Foss, The Judges of England, Volume 6 (London: Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans & Roberts, 1857) [1]
Chris R Kyle, 'Prince Charles in the Parliaments of 1621 and 1624', The Historical Journal, Vol 41, No 3 (1998), 603-624
Browne Willis, Notitia Parliamentaria (London, 1750) [2]

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 '''Sir Thomas Trevor''' (6 July 1586 &ndash; 21 December 1656) was an English lawyer, judge and [[Member of Parliament]], most notable for having delivered the judgment against [[John Hampden]] in the [[Ship Money]] case.
-Born at Trevalyn in [[Denbighshire]] and admitted to membership of [[Inner Temple]] at an unusually early age, he was called to the bar in 1603. In 1619 he was knighted and appointed solicitor to [[Charles I of England|Prince Charles]]; the following year, he was a reader of his inn, and he sat as MP for [[Saltash (UK Parliament constituency)|Saltash]] in the Parliaments of 1621 and 1624-5, and for [[East Looe (UK Parliament constituency)|East Looe]] in that of 1625. On the accession of the Prince to throne as Charles I in 1625, Trevor was advanced to the degree of [[serjeant-at-law]], and shortly afterwards was appointed a judge of the [[Exchequer of pleas|Court of Exchequer]]. In that capacity he became a member of the Commission to exercise ecclesiastical jurisdiction in 1633.
+He was the fifth and youngest son of John Trevor of Trevalyn, Denbighshire, the younger brother of [[Richard Trevor (politician)|Richard Trevor]], [[John Trevor (1563–1630)|John Trevor]] and [[Sackville Trevor]]. He was admitted to membership of [[Inner Temple]] at an unusually early age and was called to the bar in 1603. He was elected MP for [[Tregony (UK Parliament constituency)|Tregony, Cornwall]] in 1601, [[Harwich (UK Parliament constituency)|Harwich]] in 1604 and [[Newport (Cornwall) (UK Parliament constituency)]] in 1614. In 1619 he was knighted and appointed solicitor to [[Charles I of England|Prince Charles]]; the following year, he was a reader of his inn, and he sat as MP for [[Saltash (UK Parliament constituency)|Saltash]] in the Parliaments of 1621 and 1624-5, and for [[East Looe (UK Parliament constituency)|East Looe]] in that of 1625. On the accession of the Prince to throne as Charles I in 1625, Trevor was advanced to the degree of [[serjeant-at-law]], and shortly afterwards was appointed a judge of the [[Exchequer of pleas|Court of Exchequer]]. In that capacity he became a member of the Commission to exercise ecclesiastical jurisdiction in 1633.
 In 1637, Trevor was one of the twelve judges who collectively gave an opinion that the Crown could legitimately collect [[Ship Money]], and the following year gave judgment in court to the same effect in Hampden's case. As a consequence, in 1641 Parliament began proceedings to [[impeachment#United Kingdom|impeach]] him, together with other judges who had supported ship money. Nevertheless, on the outbreak of the [[English Civil War|Civil War]] he was one of the few judges who remained in [[London]] and recognised the authority of Parliament. At the conclusion of the impeachment in 1643, he was found guilty, fined and sentenced to be imprisoned at the pleasure of the House of Lords, but he was released immediately and resumed his seat on the bench. At Michaelmas 1643, when the [[Charles I of England|King]] sent a writ demanding the attendance of him and another judge ([[Edmund Reeve]]) on the court at [[Oxford]], they refused and had the messengers arrested: one was later executed as a spy. Despite this, Trevor was opposed to the King's execution, and refused the commission that was offered to him by the new government. He then retired completely from public life until his death.