Background
Rainsford was the second son of Robert Raynsford of Staverton, Northamptonshire and his first wife Mary Kirton, daughter of Thomas Kirton of Thorpe Mandeville Northamptonshire.
Rainsford was the second son of Robert Raynsford of Staverton, Northamptonshire and his first wife Mary Kirton, daughter of Thomas Kirton of Thorpe Mandeville Northamptonshire.
He became Chief Justice of the King"s Bench. He matriculated at Exeter College, Oxford on 13 December 1622, but left the university without a degree. He was knighted by 1622.
In 1630 he was elected recorder of Daventry, being then a student of Lincoln"s Inn, where he was called to the bar on 16 October 1632.
In 1653 he was chosen recorder of Northampton. In 1660 he became treasurer of Lincoln"s Inn and on 26 October 1660 he was sworn serjeant-at-law.
He was re-elected Member of Parliament for Northampton in 1661 for the Cavalier Parliament, and sat until 16 November 1663 when he was raised to the bench as Baron of the Exchequer. He presided over the commission which sat at Dublin during the earlier months of 1663 to supervise the execution of the Acting of Settlement 1662, and on his return to England was raised to the exchequer bench, 16 November the same year.
In the meantime he was transferred to the king"s bench, 6 February 1669, and on 12 April 1676 he succeeded Hale as Chief Justice of the King"s Bench.
On the return to Lord Shaftesbury"s writ of habeas corpus he decided, 29 June 1677, an important point of constitutional law, viz. that the courts of law have no jurisdiction, during the parliamentary session, to discharge a peer committed by order of the House of Lords, even though the warrant of commitment be such as would be void if issued by an ordinary tribunal. Raynsford was removed to make room for Sir William Scroggs in June 1678. Rainsford died at Dallington, Northamptonshire, where he had his seat and founded an almshouse.
His remains were interred in Dallington church.
Raynsford married at Kingsthorpe, on 30 May 1637, Catherine, daughter of Review Samuel Clerke, Doctor of Divinity, rector of Saint Peter"s, Northampton, who survived him, and died on 1 June 1698.
By her he had, with five daughters, six sons. Raynsford"s portrait, by Gerard Soest, is at Lincoln"s Inn.
Another, by Michael Wright, is at the Guildhall.
A third, by Claret, was engraved by Tompson.
Cavalier Parliament]
Rainsford was elected Member of Parliament for Northampton in April 1660 for the Convention Parliament. He was one of those designated a member of the projected order of Knights of the Royal Oak.