Sir Sidney Stafford Smythe, PC (1705 – 2 November 1778) was an English judge and politician.
His mother, Elizabeth, the daughter of Dr. John Lloyd, canon of Windsor, then became the wife of William Hunt, and died on 6 October 1754.
[1] Smythe was admitted to St John's College, Cambridge, as a fellow-commoner on 1 July 1721, and graduated B.A.
[2] At the 1747 British general election Smythe was returned to the House of Commons for the borough of East Grinstead.
He was abused in print and in parliament for his conduct of the trial of John Taylor, a sergeant of the Scots guards, for the murder of James Smith, at the Guildford summer assizes in 1770.
Smythe's conduct was vindicated by John Dunning in the House of Commons on 6 December 1770, and his decision was upheld by the judges of the King's Bench on 8 February 1771.
[1] Smythe married, in 1733, Sarah, daughter of Sir Charles Farnaby, bart., of Kippington in Kent, but left no issue.