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.
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.