Sir William Ryves

Sir William Ryves (c.1570–1648) was a member of a distinguished Dorsetshire family who enjoyed a successful legal career in Ireland. He held office as Attorney General for Ireland and justice of the Court of King's Bench (Ireland), and for a time acted as Deputy to the Lord Chancellor of Ireland.

He was born around 1570, sixth son of John Ryves of Damory Court, near Blandford, Dorset, and Elizabeth Mervyn. He belonged to a gifted family : one of his brothers, Sir Thomas Ryves, was considered to be the leading expert on ecclesiastical and Admiralty law of his time, and another brother George was Master of New College, Oxford. Dr. Bruno Ryves, royal chaplain and later Dean of Windsor, was his first cousin, and Sir John Davies, whom he replaced as Irish Attorney General, was his uncle by marriage.

William entered Middle Temple in 1593 and was called to the Bar in 1600. He was made a bencher of Middle Temple in 1619. He lived for some years at Oxford and owned property at St. Giles in the city. His first judicial appointment was as a justice on the Carmarthen circuit.

William and his brother Thomas both made full use of their family connection with Sir John Davies, and on Davies' recommendation William succeeded him as Attorney-General for Ireland in 1619, and was given a knighthood. As Attorney General he acted regularly as an extra judge of assize, and sat in the Irish House of Commons as member for Belturbet in the Parliament of 1634-5. He was granted the right to hold a fair and weekly market at Rathsallagh, County Wicklow in 1632, and became Treasurer of the King's Inns in 1639.

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