Sir Gerald Dodson (28 August 1884 – 2 November 1966) was

Recorder of London The Recorder of London is an ancient legal office in the City of London. The Recorder of London is the senior circuit judge at the Central Criminal Court (the Old Bailey), hearing trials of criminal offences. The Recorder is appointed by the Cr ...

from 1937 to 1959, the longest holder of that office. He was also well-known to the public due to his authorship of the libretto of a popular operetta, ''The Rebel Maid'', composed by

Montague Phillips Montague Fawcett Phillips (13 November 1885 – 4 January 1969) was a British composer of light classical music and songs, including the popular operetta ''The Rebel Maid'' of 1921. Career Born in Tottenham, London, Phillips began his musical car ...

in 1921.Gerald Dodson obituary, ''The Times'', 3 November 1966, p.14 Dodson was the son of John Dodson,

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

, a former

Sheriff of Norwich This is a list of the present unpaid ceremonial offices of High Sheriffs in England and Wales and in Northern Ireland, along with the more localised but equivalent Sheriffdoms of 16 towns/cities. Historically a High Sheriff was appointed to each ...

. He was educated privately and at

Downing College Downing College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge and currently has around 650 students. Founded in 1800, it was the only college to be added to Cambridge University between 1596 and 1869, and is often described as the olde ...

, Cambridge. He was called to the bar by 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 ...

in 1907. During the First World War he served in the

Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

in Scotland, where he was stationed with the composer Montague Phillips. It was during this time that the first sketches for the operetta ''The Rebel Maid'' were created. This work included the lyrics to the song 'The Fishermen of England', sung and broadcast all around the world. From 1925 to 1934 he was Counsel to the Crown at the Central Criminal Court, and Recorder of

Tenterden Tenterden is a town in the borough of Ashford in Kent, England. It stands on the edge of the remnant forest the Weald, overlooking the valley of the River Rother. It was a member of the Cinque Ports Confederation. Its riverside today is not ...

from 1932 to 1934, becoming a Judge that year. He was made Recorder of London in September 1937, succeeding

Henry Holman Gregory Sir Henry Holman Gregory (30 June 1864 – 9 May 1947) was an English lawyer, judge and Liberal Party politician. Family and education Holman Gregory was born at Bath in Somerset, the son of H T Gregory a well-known Bath solicitor. He was educ ...

, by the unanimous vote of the

Court of Aldermen The Court of Aldermen forms part of the senior governance of the City of London Corporation. It comprises twenty-five aldermen of the City of London, presided over by the Lord Mayor (becoming senior alderman during his year of office). The Cou ...

. He was knighted in 1939. From 1945 Dodson began to have trouble with his eyesight, even learning braille at one point, but he recovered and was able to continue working. He married twice: to Emily Alice Chater in 1910, and after her death in 1961 to Marjorie Binks Heath three years later. His memoirs were published posthumously in 1967.''Consider your verdict: The memoirs of Sir Gerald Dodson, Recorder of London, 1937-1959'' (1967)
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External links

Portrait of Sir Gerald Dodson
by

Alfred Egerton Cooper Alfred Ernest Egerton Cooper (5 July 1883 – 11 May 1974), RBA, ARCA, was a British painter of portraits, landscapes and other figurative work. In the era of Modernism, he continued to work in traditional style from his studio in Chelsea, L ...

, Guildhall Art Gallery
'The Fishermen of England', sung by Peter Dawson

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dodson, Gerald Recorders of London Place of birth missing Place of death missing 1884 births 1966 deaths