John Cowell (jurist)
English jurist and author of The Interpreter.
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John Cowell (1554 – 11 October 1611) was an English jurist. He is known for his law dictionary, The Interpreter, which led to a prosecution before the House of Commons.
Quick Facts
- Born
- 1554
- Died
- 11 October 1611
- Birthplace
- Ernesborough (now Irishborough), parish of Swimbridge, North Devon
- Occupation
- Jurist
- Education
- Eton College; King's College, Cambridge (scholar, fellow)
- Notable positions
- Regius Professor of Civil Law at Cambridge (1594); Master of Trinity Hall, Cambridge (1598)
- Notable work
- The Interpreter (1607)
Facts from the source article.
Life
John Cowell, a jurist, was born in Ernesborough (later called Irishborough) within Swimbridge parish in North Devon. He first sang as a chorister at King's College, Cambridge, then studied at Eton College.
Returning to King's College as a scholar, he was made a fellow. In 1594 he was appointed Regius Professor of Civil Law at Cambridge, and four years later became master of Trinity Hall. He died in Oxford on 11 October 1611, shortly after his release from prison, and was interred in Trinity Hall Chapel.
Works
In 1607 Cowell compiled a law dictionary, The Interpreter, in which he exalted the king's prerogative. He was prosecuted before the House of Commons by Sir Edward Coke, who had a hostile history with Cowell. Cowell was saved from imprisonment only by the interposition of James I. His book was burnt by order of the House of Commons; the suppression order stated that by meddling in matters above his reach he had fallen into many mistakes and errors, some derogatory to the supreme power of the Crown and others mistaking the true state of the Parliament.
Many copies survived the burning and have been reprinted; a copy of the 1607 printing is at the Lilly Library in Bloomington, Indiana. The Interpreter was one of the first law dictionaries. Cowell also wrote Institutiones Juris Anglicani, described as an English version in the Justinian style that hints at a correlation of Scottish and English law.
More in Choristers of the Choir of King's College, Cambridge
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: John Cowell (jurist) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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