Charles Swinfen Eady, 1st Baron Swinfen, (31 July 1851 – 15 November 1919) was a British lawyer and judge.

Biography

Eady was the son of George John Eady of Chertsey,

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, and his wife Laura Maria Smith, daughter of Richard Smith. He was educated privately and at the University of London, and was admitted a solicitor in 1874. In 1879 Eady was called to the Bar, Inner Temple. He built a successful legal practice and became a Queen's Counsel in 1893. He was appointed a Judge of the High Court of Justice (Chancery Division) in November 1901, and

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

the following month. He held this office until 1913, when he was appointed a

Lord Justice of Appeal A Lord Justice of Appeal or Lady Justice of Appeal is a judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, the court that hears appeals from the High Court of Justice, the Crown Court and other courts and tribunals. A Lord (or Lady) Justice ...

, serving until 1918. The latter year he succeeded Lord Cozens-Hardy as Master of the Rolls. However, Eady's health soon began to decline and he resigned in the autumn of 1919. He had been admitted to the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

in 1913 and on 1 November 1919 was raised to the peerage as Baron Swinfen, of Chertsey in the

County of Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant ur ...

. Mr Justice Swinfen Eady gave a key judgment in 1903 which protected Kodak's trademarks from infringement from competitors,''Kodak v London Stereoscopic'' (1903) 20 RPC 337 which the ''British Journal of Photography'' described as the most important for photography to have been heard since ''Talbot v. Laroche'' in 1854. He also gave the judgment in ''

Percival v Wright ''Percival v Wright'' 9022 Ch 401 is a UK company law case concerning directors' duties, holding that directors only owe duties of loyalty to the company, and not to individual shareholders. This is now codified in the United Kingdom's Companies ...

902 __NOTOC__ Year 902 (Roman numerals, CMII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Spring – Adalbert II, Margrave of Tuscany, Adalbert II, margr ...

2 Ch 401, a key decision on directors' duties. Lord Swinfen married, in 1894, Blanche Maude Lee, daughter of Sydney Williams Lee. They had one son and two daughters. He died, aged sixty-eight, at 33 Hyde Park Gardens, London, on 15 November 1919, only two weeks after his elevation to the peerage. He was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium. He was succeeded in the barony by his only son Charles, 2nd Baron Swinfen.

Arms

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swinfen, Charles Swinfen Eady, 1st Baron 1851 births 1919 deaths 1 Alumni of the University of London Masters of the Rolls Members of the Inner Temple English King's Counsel Chancery Division judges Knights Bachelor Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom British solicitors 19th-century English lawyers Barons created by George V