Background
Johnes was born on February 4, 1809, the only son of Edward Johnes of Garthmyl, near Montgomery, by Mary, daughter of Thomas Davies of Llifior.
Johnes was born on February 4, 1809, the only son of Edward Johnes of Garthmyl, near Montgomery, by Mary, daughter of Thomas Davies of Llifior.
He was educated at Oswestry grammar school, and at the university of London (now University College) when it was opened in 1828.
On the establishment of county courts in 1847 Johnes became judge of the district comprising all North-west Wales and a considerable part of South Wales. This office he held until December 1870. He died on July 23, 1871, and was buried in the parish of Berriew.
As a legal writer Johnes was much influenced by the writings of Bentham.
He advocated in various pamphlets, issued between 1834 and 1869, the fusion of law and equity, the establishment of local courts for the recovery of small debts, the extension of the jurisdiction and the improvement of the procedure of the county courts, the abolition of imprisonment for debt, reform of the bankruptcy laws, and even such a fusion of the two branches of the legal profeasion as would enable clients to retain barristers themselves. Some of these proposals he lived to see adopted.
Johnes was an ardent student of Welsh literature. A third edition was published in 1870 (Llanidloes, Octavo).
He published in 1841 ‘Statistical Illustrations of the Claims of the Welsh Dioceses to Augmentation out of the Funds at the disposal of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, in a Letter to Lord John Russell,’ London, Octavo.
And in 1843, ‘Philological Proofs of the original unity and recent origin of the Human Race,’ London, Octavo. A new edition of the latter appeared in 1846.
After attending the lectures of Austin and Andrew Amos, Johnes won at the end of the session 1828-1829 the first "highest prize" and certificate of honour granted by the university (London University Calendar for 1831, p 203). He was one of the promoters of the ‘Cambrian Quarterly Magazine’ (1830-1833) (Literary Remains of the Rev Thomas Price, ii 97), to which he contributed articles under the signature of ‘Maelog,’ and under the same name published in 1834 some admirable English translations of poems by Dafydd ap Gwilym In 1831 Johnes won the prize offered by the Cymmrodorion Society for an essay on the causes of dissent in Wales, under the title "An Essay on the Causes which have produced Dissent from the Established Church in the Principality of Wales." lieutenant was published by the society, and to a second edition, published in 1832, he added copious historical and statistical details.
This was the first successful attempt by a churchman to expose the abuses of the establishment in Wales–pluralism, nepotism, absenteeism, and the promotion of English-spesking clergy to Welsh-speaking parishes.
He was admitted member of Lincoln"s Inn on January 27, 1830, was called to the bar on January 30, 1835, and afterwards practised as an equity draughtsman and conveyancer.
