John Glyn
1602–1666
Recorder of London; prosecutor at Laud’s trial; later King’s Serjeant.
Biography
Of Hart Hall Oxford and Lincoln's Inn, Glyn was Recorder of London from 1643 — the chief legal officer of the City — and MP for Westminster. He prosecuted Archbishop Laud's trial in 1644 and managed several Assembly-period impeachments. A moderate Presbyterian, he was briefly impeached by the army in 1647 alongside the 'Eleven Members.' He served Cromwell as a judge of the Upper Bench (1655), conformed at the Restoration, was knighted by Charles II, and made King's Serjeant. Died in 1666.
Lay Assessor — House of Commons
Parliament seated lay assessors alongside the divines to represent its interest and keep it informed of the Assembly's progress. The ordinance of 1643 named thirty members of the House of Commons as assessors; they could take part in debate but were not among the voting divines, and their attendance was often occasional as the war and parliamentary business pressed on them.