Thomas Reeve

He was the son of Richard Reeve, and was matriculated to Trinity College, Oxford in 1688 at the age of 15, joining Inner Temple in 1690.

[2] On 17 April 1733,[3] he became a Puisne justice of the Court of Common Pleas, and was created a Serjeant-at-law at the same time to satisfy the minimum requirements for the office.

After the death of Sir Robert Eyre in office in 1735 Reeve was rumoured to be succeeding him, but had competition in the form of Alexander Denton, who he had previously succeeded as attorney-general of the Duchy of Lancaster; Denton was rejected on grounds of ill-health, however, and Reeve was promoted on 26 January 1736, and knighted at the same time.

He was at the time of his death very wealthy, including over £22,000 in personal property, as well as land in Berkshire and London; he was apparently courted by Lord Sidney Beauclerk, an infamous fortune-seeker, who hoped to be given a legacy, although without success.

The memorial to Sir Thomas and his wife (with busts) stands in John the Baptist Church in Windsor and is by Peter Scheemakers.

Sir Thomas Reeve, in a portrait by Jacopo Amigoni .