Sir Edward Smirke (1795–1875) was an English

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

and

antiquary An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...

Life

The third son of Robert Smirke, and brother of Sir Robert Smirke, and of

Sydney Smirke Sydney Smirke (20 December 1797 – 8 December 1877) was a British architect. Smirke who was born in London, England as the fifth son of painter Robert Smirke and his wife, Elizabeth Russell. He was the younger brother of Sir Robert Smirke ...

, he was born at

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An Civil parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish and latterly a ...

. He was educated privately and at

St. John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corporation established by a charter dated 9 April 1511. The ...

, where he graduated B.A. (being twelfth wrangler) in 1816, and M.A. in 1820. In July 1815 he obtained the

Chancellor's gold medal The Chancellor's Gold Medal is a prestigious annual award at Cambridge University for poetry, paralleling Oxford University's Newdigate Prize. It was first presented by Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh during his time as ...

for an English poem on ''Wallace'', which was printed in that year, and in ''Cambridge Prize Poems'' (1820, 1828, and 1859). Smirke was called to the bar at the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn an ...

on 12 November 1824, went on the western circuit, and attended the

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

sessions. In December 1844 he was appointed solicitor-general to the

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, and on the following 5 February solicitor-general to him as Prince of Wales and

Duke of Cornwall Duke of Cornwall is a title in the Peerage of England, traditionally held by the eldest son of the reigning British monarch, previously the English monarch. The duchy of Cornwall was the first duchy created in England and was established by a ro ...

. He succeeded to the post of attorney-general to the prince on 25 June 1852, and was ex officio member of his council. By letters patent under the great seal of England he was constituted on 2 July 1853 vice-warden of the

stannaries A stannary was an administrative division established under stannary law in the English counties of Cornwall and Devon to manage the collection of tin coinage, which was the duty payable on the metal tin smelted from the ore cassiterite Mining i ...

of Cornwall and Devon, which post he held until 29 September 1870. From 1846 to 1855 he was

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Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

. On his retirement in 1870 from active life he was knighted at Windsor. As a student, Smirke had a predilection for the investigation and elucidation of charters, and for the history of mining in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

. He was a member of the

Royal Archæological Institute The Royal Archaeological Institute (RAI) is a learned society, established in 1844, with interests in all aspects of the archaeological, architectural and landscape history of the British Isles. Membership is open to all with an interest in these ...

from its foundation, and took an active part at its annual meetings. From November 1861 to November 1863, and from that date in 1865 to November 1867, he presided over the

Royal Institution of Cornwall The Royal Institution of Cornwall (RIC) is a Learned society in Truro, Cornwall, United Kingdom. It was founded in Truro on 5 February 1818 as the Cornwall Literary and Philosophical Institution. The Institution was one of the earliest of seven ...

. During the first of these periods, when the Cambrian Archæological Society paid a visit to

Truro Truro (; kw, Truru) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cornwall, England. It is Cornwall's county town, sole city and centre for administration, leisure and retail trading. Its ...

in 1862 he presided over the congress. He died at 18 Thurloe Square, South Kensington, on 4 March 1875, and is buried at

Kensal Green Cemetery Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of Queens Park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, it was founded by the barrister George Frederic ...

, London. He married at Kensington, on 11 September 1838, Harriet Amelia, youngest daughter of Thomas Neill of Turnham Green. She died at Truro on 23 February 1863.

Works

Apart from many papers read before the Society of Antiquaries and the Royal Institution of Cornwall, Smirke was author of: *''Wallace'', a poem, 1815. *''Report of Cases, 1670–1704, by R. Freeman'', 2nd ed. 1826. *''Digest of the Law of Evidence on the Trial of Actions at Nisi Prius'', by Henry Roscoe. 5th ed., with considerable additions by C. Crompton and E. Smirke, 1839; subsequent editions down to the tenth in 1861 were ‘revised and enlarged’ by him. *''Case of Vice against Thomas, with an Appendix of Records and Documents on the early History of the Tin Mines in Cornwall'', 1843. *''A Letter to Lord Campbell on the Rating of Railways'', 1851. *''Procedure in the Court of the Vice-warden of the Stannaries'', 1856; other volumes of rules and orders were published by him in 1862, 1863, and 1870.

Sources

;Attribution

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smirke, Edward 1795 births 1875 deaths People from Marylebone Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Members of the Middle Temple English antiquarians Historians of Cornwall Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery