Sir George Sowley Holroyd (31 October 1758 – 21 November 1831) was an English lawyer and

justice of the King's Bench Justice of the King's Bench, or Justice of the Queen's Bench during the reign of a female monarch, was a puisne judicial position within the Court of King's Bench, under the Chief Justice. The King's Bench was a court of common law which modern ...

Life

He was eldest son of George Holroyd, by Eleanor, daughter of Henry Sowley of Appleby,

Westmorland Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland'';R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref> is a historic county in North West England spanning the southern Lake District and the northern Dales. It had an ...

, was born at

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

on 31 October 1758. He was placed at Harrow School in 1770, but his father lost money and he was unable to go to university. In April 1774 Holroyd was articled to a London attorney named Borthwick, and then entered

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and W ...

in 1777. He read in the chambers of Sir Alan Chambre, and in April 1779 began practice as a

special pleader A special pleader was a historical legal occupation. The practitioner, or "special pleader" in English law specialised in drafting "pleadings", in modern terminology statements of case. History Up to the 19th century, there were many rules, tech ...

. He at this time associated with Samuel Romilly, Edward Christian, and

John Baynes John Baynes (1758–1787) was an English lawyer and miscellaneous writer. Life Baynes was born at Middleham, Yorkshire, and educated at Richmond Grammar School in the same county, under Anthony Temple. Proceeding to Trinity College, Cambridg ...

, and with them founded a legal debating society. He was called to the bar 26 June 1787, and joining the northern circuit, obtained a practice both at assizes and at Westminster. Declining to take silk, Holroyd continued to practise as a junior. In 1811 he distinguished himself in the case of Burdett v. Abbott, in which he appeared for the plaintiff

Sir Francis Burdett Sir Francis Burdett, 5th Baronet (25 January 1770 – 23 January 1844) was a British politician and Member of Parliament who gained notoriety as a proponent (in advance of the Chartists) of universal male suffrage, equal electoral districts, vo ...

, against Charles Abbott, Speaker of the House of Commons. In 1815 he was sent as commissioner to Guernsey to inquire into grievances. On 14 February 1816 Holroyd succeeded Sir Henry Dampier as a judge of the king's bench. On 17 November 1828 poor health compelled him to retire, and he died at his house at Hare Hatch, Berkshire, 21 November 1831. There was a monument to him in

Wargrave Wargrave () is a historic village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. The village is primarily on the River Thames but also along the confluence of the River Loddon and lies on the border with southern Oxfordshire. The village has many old ...

Church, with an inscription by Lord Brougham.

Family

In 1787 Holroyd married Sarah, daughter of Amos Chaplin of Brydges Street, Covent Garden, London. Of his fourteen children by her, six survived him. British author Sir Michael Holroyd is Sir George's direct descendant, through his son, George Chaplin Holroyd (1790-1871).Venn, J. A., comp., ''Alumni Cantabrigienses''. London, England: Cambridge University Press, 1922-1954. For more information about this family, see Holroyd M., ''Basil Street Blues: A Family Story''. Little, Brown, 1999.

References

''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''

Notes

;Attribution 1758 births 1831 deaths English barristers 19th-century English judges People educated at Harrow School Members of Gray's Inn {{UK-law-bio-stub