Creswell Levinz

Sir Creswell Levinz (1627–1701), judge, was the second son of William Levinz, the elder, of Evenley, Northamptonshire, by Mary, second daughter of Richard Creswell of Purston in the same county. He was the brother of Baptist Levinz and William Levinz, and nephew of the Royalist Robert Levinz.

Early career He took a sizarship in 1648 at Trinity College, Cambridge, but did not graduate, and in November 1655 entered Gray's Inn, where he was called to the bar in November 1661, was elected a bencher in 1678, and treasurer in 1679. He was knighted at Whitehall on 2 Oct. 1678, and made a King's Counsel about the same time. He represented the crown in the trials of Ireland, Pickering, Grove, Langhorn, Whitebread, and other supposed Popish Plotters in 1678–79. In October 1679 he was made Attorney-General. In December the celebrated proclamation against "tumultuous petitioning" was under discussion in the council, and Levinz was required to draft it. He refused at first, but eventually consented on condition that Chief-Justice North would dictate the substance of it. Levinz was thus able, when examined by the House of Commons of England as to his part in the affair (24 Nov. 1680), to shift the entire responsibility on to North's shoulders. He was succeeded by his son William who was a Nottinghamshire MP.

Writings From manuscripts left by Levinz was published in 1702 a folio volume of reports in French (with an English translation chiefly by Salkeld); it reappeared under the title, The Reports of Sir Creswell Levinz, Knight, London, 1722, 2 vols. fol. A third edition in English only, revised by Thomas Vickers, was published at Dublin in 1793–7, 3 vols. 8vo. Levinz also compiled A Collection of Select and Modern Entries of Declarations, Pleadings, Issues, Verdicts, Judgments, &c., referring to the Cases in Sir Creswell Levinz's Reports, the judgment of the Court being added to each President (sic), which was published in London in 1702, fol. There has been some division of opinion among English judges as to Levinz's merits as a reporter.