Swinburne, Henry 1560?-1623

Henry Swinburne (1560?-1623) was an English ecclesiastical lawyer and scholar. Initially working as a clerk at a Consistory Court he attended the University of Oxford from 1576 to 1580, graduating with a Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) degree, and was admitted to the bar at York to work as an ecclesiastical lawyer. As well as his work as a lawyer he held various administrative and judicial positions. He died in 1623.
Swinburne is best known for his two legal treatises, particularly A briefe treatise of Testaments and last Wills which remained a standard work on family law for 200 years after his death. Swinburne was the first ecclesiastical law writer to write in English.

An Account of Henry Swinburne (prefixed to his treatise of testaments and last wills)

Dictionary of National Biography, Volume 55 - 1898 (see page 228)

Best Known Works

"A Briefe Treatise of Testaments and Last Wills" (1590)
1677 Edition: Read Online PDF Download
1793 Edition: Read Online PDF Download
"A Treatise of Spousals, or Matrimonial Contracts" (1686)
Read an excerpt in another book (see page 16)