Sir Anthony Cleasby Vanity Fair 5 February 1876

Sir Anthony Cleasby (27 August 1804 – 6 October 1879) was a British judge.

Life

Cleasby was the third son of Stephen Cleasby, a Russia broker, who carried on a prosperous business at 11 Union Court, Broad Street, in the city of London, and died at Craig House, Westmoreland, 31 August 1844; having married, 4 February 1797, at

Stoke Newington Stoke Newington is an area occupying the north-west part of the London Borough of Hackney in north-east London, England. It is northeast of Charing Cross. The Manor of Stoke Newington gave its name to Stoke Newington the ancient parish. The ...

, Mary, second daughter of George John of

Penzance Penzance ( ; kw, Pennsans) is a town, civil parish and port in the Penwith district of Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is about west-southwest of Plymouth and west-southwest of London. Situated ...

. His brother was the philologist

Richard Cleasby Richard Cleasby (1797–1847) was an English philologist, author with Guðbrandur Vigfússon of the first Icelandic-English dictionary. Life He was eldest son of Stephen Cleasby, and brother of Anthony Cleasby, born on 30 November 1797. He was ed ...

. Anthony was educated at Brook Green, Hammersmith, and then at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

, 1820–3; he abandoned an intention of entering the army, because of an illness in 1819 which rendered him lame for life. He matriculated from

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

in October 1823, was third wrangler and B.A. in 1827, fellow of his college 1828, and M.A. 1830. He was admitted a student of the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

30 January 1827, and called to the bar there 10 June 1831, and then went the

Northern Circuit {{Use dmy dates, date=November 2019 The Northern Circuit is a court circuit in England. It dates from 1176 when Henry II sent his judges on circuit to do justice in his name. The Circuit encompassed the whole of the North of England but in 1876 i ...

. He soon became known as a most accurate and careful junior; he was a master of the science of

special pleading Special pleading is an informal fallacy wherein one cites something as an exception to a general or universal principle, without justifying the special exception. It is the application of a double standard. In the classic distinction among mate ...

and learned in all branches of the law. He was not, however, a successful ''

nisi prius ''Nisi prius'' () (Latin: "unless before") is a historical term in English law. In the 19th century, it came to be used to denote generally all legal actions tried before judges of the King's Bench Division and in the early twentieth century for ac ...

'' advocate, but obtained a large practice as a junior. His opinion was sought by commercial clients in patent cases, mercantile disputes, and real property cases. In 1852 and again in 1859 he was an unsuccessful

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 ...

candidate for

East Surrey East Surrey is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Claire Coutinho, a Conservative. The seat covers an affluent area in the English county of Surrey. Since its creation in 1918, East Surrey has e ...

. He had previously purchased an estate called Ledgers, six miles east of

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

. He was appointed a

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 ...

on 22 February 1861, and in the same year became a

bencher A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales or the Inns of Court in Northern Ireland, or the Honorable Society of King's Inns in Ireland. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher can ...

of his inn. In February 1868 he contested

the university of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

without success against

Alexander Beresford Hope Sir Alexander James Beresford Beresford Hope PC (25 January 1820 – 20 October 1887), known as Alexander Hope until 1854 (and also known as A. J. B. Hope until 1854 and as A. J. B. Beresford Hope from 1854 onwards), was a British author and Co ...

. Cleasby became a

Baron of the Exchequer The Barons of the Exchequer, or ''barones scaccarii'', were the judges of the English court known as the Exchequer of Pleas. The Barons consisted of a Chief Baron of the Exchequer and several puisne (''inferior'') barons. When Robert Shute was a ...

on 25 August 1868, was nominated a serjeant on the same day, admitted on 2 November, and on 9 December was knighted. As a judge he was so cautious and diffident that he won little popular applause. In the criminal courts he was never quite at home. The juries were puzzled by his extremely conscientious efforts to explain the whole law. In his written judgements, however, he spared no pains, and they were always thorough and exhaustive. He retired on a pension in October 1878; went to his country house, Penoyre, near

Brecon Brecon (; cy, Aberhonddu; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the coun ...

, which he had purchased after his elevation to the bench; and died on 6 October 1879. He married, on 26 March 1836, Lucy Susan, youngest daughter of

Walter Fawkes Walter Ramsden Hawkesworth Fawkes (2 March 1769 – 24 October 1825) was a Yorkshire landowner, writer and Member of Parliament (MP) for Yorkshire from 1806 to 1807. Biography Walter Fawkes was born at Hawkesworth Hall, near Guiseley, into a ...

Farnley Hall, North Yorkshire Farnley Hall is a stately home in Farnley, North Yorkshire, England. It is located near Otley. The original early seventeenth-century house was added to in the 1780s by John Carr, who also designed Harewood House. The hall is now a Grade I list ...

Arms

References

;Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cleasby, Anthony People educated at Eton College Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge 1804 births 1879 deaths Barons of the Exchequer Knights Bachelor 19th-century English judges Serjeants-at-law (England) Exchequer Division judges