Sir Andrew Richard Scoble, (1831–17 January 1916) was an English lawyer, politician and judge.

Family

Andrew Scoble was born in London in 1831. His father was John Scoble, an English Congregational minister and later Canadian politician who was active in the British abolitionism movement from the 1830s to the 1850s, including assisting the integration of escaped American slaves into Canada. His brother, Thomas Clarkson Scoble, was an early advocate of the Hudson Bay Railway in Manitoba. In 1863, Scoble married Augusta Hariette Nicholson. "Scoble, Right Hon’ble Sir Andrew Richard," ''The Indian Biographical Dictionary'' (1915) by C. Hayavadana Rao

Education and professional life

Scoble was educated at the

City of London School , established = , closed = , type = Public school Boys' independent day school , president = , head_label = Headmaster , head = Alan Bird , chair_label = Chair of Governors , chair = Ian Seaton , founder = John Carpenter , speciali ...

and was called to the Bar at

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...

in 1856. From 1870 to 1877, he served as the

Advocate-General of Bombay The Advocate-General of Bombay was charged with advising the Government of the British administered Bombay Presidency on legal matters. The Presidency existed from 1668 to 1947. Prior to 1858, when it was administered by the East India Company, th ...

, in which capacity he appeared regularly before the Bombay courts and served as an ''ex-officio'' member of the

Bombay Legislative Council Bombay Legislative Council was the legislature of the Bombay Province and later the upper house of the bicameral legislature of Bombay Province in British India and the Indian state of Bombay. History The Indian Councils Act 1861 set up the Bom ...

. He also served a one-year term as Dean of Law at the University of Bombay in 1871 and was appointed

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of ...

in 1876. In his capacity as Advocate General, he led the prosecution in a notable state trial of Malhar Rao, Gaekwar Bahadur of

Baroda Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district and is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River, from the state capital ...

, who was charged with attempting to poison the

British Resident A resident minister, or resident for short, is a government official required to take up permanent residence in another country. A representative of his government, he officially has diplomatic functions which are often seen as a form of indir ...

, Colonel

Robert Phayre Colonel Robert Phaire, (1619?–1682), was an officer in the Irish Protestant and then the New Model armies and a Regicide. He was one of the three officers to whom the warrant for the execution of Charles I was addressed, but he escaped severe ...

. The trial, before a special six-member Commission, lasted five weeks and ended in a split decision: the three British members were in favour of conviction, two of the Indian members held the prosecution was not proven, and the third Indian member voted for an acquittal. The Government resolved the issue by deposing the Gaekwar in favour of his twelve-year-old nephew, on the basis of alleged misgovernment. From 1886 to 1891, Scoble was law member of the Council of the Governor-General of India. He was made a Companion of the

Order of the Star of India The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes: # Knight Grand Commander (GCSI) # Knight Commander ( KCSI) # Companion ( CSI) No appointments ...

in 1889 and the next year elevated to a Knight Companion of the order.

Political activity

In 1886, Scoble stood unsuccessfully for the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

in a by-election in the constituency of Hackney South, coming in second, behind the Liberal candidate, Sir Charles Russell. On his return to Britain, he was

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

Hackney Central Hackney Central is a sub-district of Hackney in the London Borough of Hackney in London, England and is four miles (6.4 km) northeast of Charing Cross. The Hackney Central area is focused on Mare Street and the retail areas to the north o ...

from 1892 until 1900."Death of Sir A. Scoble"
''The Law Journal'', 21 January 1916. In Parliament, he supported the proposal for leasehold enfranchisement in London, which would broaden the franchise to include tenants in leaseholds, a proposal advocated by

Lord Randolph Churchill Lord Randolph Henry Spencer-Churchill (13 February 1849 – 24 January 1895) was a British statesman. Churchill was a Tory radical and coined the term 'Tory democracy'. He inspired a generation of party managers, created the National Union of ...

and other Conservatives. He was appointed a member of the Royal Commission on Indian civil and military expenditure. In 1899, he served as Treasurer of Lincoln's Inn.

Judicial career

After leaving Parliament, Scoble was appointed to the

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 Augus ...

in 1901.''

The London Gazette ''The London Gazette'' is one of the official journals of record or government gazettes of the Government of the United Kingdom, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are ...

''
no. 27385. p. 8714. 10 December 1901.
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Death

Scoble was pre-deceased by his wife, Lady Augusta, who died in 1904. Scoble himself died at his residence, Chivelston, Parkside, Wimbledon Common, on 17 January 1916.

Publications

'' Guizot’s History of English Revolution'' (translation). '' Mignet’s History of Mary Queen of Scots'' (translation).

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Scoble, Andrew 1831 births 1916 deaths People educated at the City of London School Members of Lincoln's Inn Companions of the Order of the Star of India Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India 19th-century King's Counsel Members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council Members of the Council of the Governor General of India Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1892–1895 UK MPs 1895–1900 Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Members of the Bombay Legislative Council