Edward Smith

Who was Edward Smith?

Sir Edward Smith or Smythe was an English-born politician and judge who held the office of Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas.

He was the second son of Edward Smythe, a barrister at Middle Temple. The family's earlier history is uncertain, although it has been suggested that they were related to the Smythe Baronets of Eshe Hall, Durham, and also to Sir Thomas Smith, Secretary of State to Elizabeth I. Edward entered the Middle Temple in 1627, was called to the bar in 1635 and became a Bencher of his Temple in 1655.

The inscription on his tomb suggests that he was a member of the House of Commons at the outbreak of the English Civil War and that he took Parliament's side in the conflict, though with some reservations. It states that he supported Parliament so long as it held out against the King and the Church of England : "that is, as long as there was room for wise politics": This suggests that Smythe opposed the execution of Charles I, which is borne out by the fact that after the Restoration his past was not held against him. He received a knighthood from Charles II in 1662, and was sent to Ireland as a judge.