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Henry John Stephen (1787–1864) was an English legal writer and
serjeant-at-law A Serjeant-at-Law (SL), commonly known simply as a Serjeant, was a member of an order of barristers at the English and Irish Bar. The position of Serjeant-at-Law (''servientes ad legem''), or Sergeant-Counter, was centuries old; there are wri ...
.


Life

Born on
St Kitts Saint Kitts, officially the Saint Christopher Island, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis cons ...
in the West Indies on 18 January 1787, he was the second son of James Stephen (1758–1832); James Stephen (1789–1859) and George Stephen were his brothers. He was a student 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 ...
, but did not graduate. Stephen was
called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...
on 24 November 1815. Nervous and shy, though an accomplished lawyer, he was not successful as a barrister, but became known as a legal writer. He was promoted as a serjeant-at-law in 1828, and was a member of the common-law commission appointed that year. In 1842 Stephen was on a commission on forgery of exchequer bills, and in the same year became commissioner of bankruptcy at Bristol, with
Matthew Davenport Hill Matthew Davenport Hill (6 August 1792 – 7 June 1872) was an English lawyer and prison reform campaigner and MP. Life Hill was born at Birmingham, where his father, Thomas Wright Hill, for long conducted the private schools Hazelwood and Bruce ...
as his colleague. He lived at Cleevewood, near Bristol, till his retirement from this post in 1854, and afterwards lived at
Clifton Clifton may refer to: People * Clifton (surname) * Clifton (given name) Places Australia *Clifton, Queensland, a town ** Shire of Clifton *Clifton, New South Wales, a suburb of Wollongong * Clifton, Western Australia Canada * Clifton, Nova Sc ...
. In later years he was reclusive, involved in speculating on prophecy and musical theory. Stephen died on 28 November 1864.


Works

Stephen's works were: * ''A Treatise on the Principles of Pleading in Civil Actions: comprising a Summary of the whole Proceedings in a Suit of Law'', 1824, 1827, 1834, 1838, 1843, 1860 (by J. Stephen and F. F. Pender); and 1866 (by F. F. Pender); eight American editions from 1824 to 1859. Considered lucid by
Albert Venn Dicey Albert Venn Dicey, (4 February 1835 – 7 April 1922), usually cited as A. V. Dicey, was a British Whig jurist and constitutional theorist. He is most widely known as the author of ''Introduction to the Study of the Law of the Constitution ...
. * ''Summary of the Criminal Law'', 1834; translated as ''Handbuch des englischen Strafrechts'', by E. Mühry, 1843. * ''New Commentaries on the Laws of England'' (based on
William Blackstone Sir William Blackstone (10 July 1723 – 14 February 1780) was an English jurist, judge and Tory politician of the eighteenth century. He is most noted for writing the ''Commentaries on the Laws of England''. Born into a middle-class family ...
's commentaries), 1841–5, 4 vols.; later editions, edited by his son, James Stephen, and his grandson, H. St. James Stephen; the tenth appeared in 1895. The book was reprinted in America in 1843–1846.


Family

Stephen in 1814 married his cousin, Mary Nuccoll Morrison. After his stepmother's death, from 1815 till 1832, he kept house for his father in
Kensington Gore Kensington Gore is the name of a U-shaped thoroughfare on the south side of Hyde Park in central London, England. The streets connect the Royal Albert Hall with the Royal College of Art, the Royal Geographical Society, and in Kensington Gard ...
. Stephen's wife and a daughter died before him; he left two children: *Sarah Wilberforce Stephen, born 28 June 1816, was author of a religious story ''Anna; or the Daughter at Home'', which went through several editions, and was one of the founders of the Metropolitan Association for befriending Young Servants. She died, aged 79, on 5 January 1895, Hastings. *James, born 16 September 1820, was recorder of
Poole Poole () is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Counc ...
, professor of law at
King's College, London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King G ...
, and then judge of the county court at Lincoln. He edited later editions of the ''Commentaries'' and their ''Questions for Law Students''. He died 25 November 1894.


Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Stephen, Henry John 1787 births 1864 deaths English barristers Serjeants-at-law (England) Stephen-Bell family English legal writers 19th-century English lawyers