Anstis, John (1669-08-28 - 1744-03-04)

John Anstis was born at St Neot, Cornwall, on 28 or 29 August 1669. He matriculated at Exeter College, Oxford, on 27 March 1685 and entered the Middle Temple on 31 January 1690. Anstis was called to the bar on 19 May 1699. In 1701, he was appointed by the Commons to draw up the impeachments of the Whig lords. By this point, he was also developing an interest in heraldry and antiquarian studies; his publications include Curia militaris (London, 1702). He was active in Parliament as a staunch Tory. In 1718, he became Garter king of arms. He died on 4 March 1744 at Mortlake, Surrey, and was buried at Duloe, Cornwall, on 23 March. His unpublished papers and writings are, for the most part, held at the British Library, the Bodleian Library, and All Souls College, Oxford.