Sir John Gorrie
KB (30 March 1829 – 4 August 1892) was a British judge who served through the British colonies of the nineteenth century.
Biography
1856-62
John Gorrie was born in the parish of
Kingskettle
Kingskettle or often simply Kettle is a village and parish in Fife, Scotland. Encompassed by the Howe of Fife, the village is approximately southwest of the nearest town, Cupar, and north of Edinburgh. According to the 2011 Census for Scotl ...
,
Fife
Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...
, Scotland, a son of the Rev. Daniel Gorrie, United Presbyterian Minister, and Jane Moffat. He was educated at the village school, subsequently at
Madras College
Madras College, often referred to as Madras, is a Scottish comprehensive secondary school located in St Andrews, Fife. It educates over 1,400 pupils aged between 11 and 18 and was founded in 1833 by the Rev. Dr Andrew Bell.
History
Madras ...
,
St Andrews
St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fou ...
, and then at the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
. He was called to the Scottish Bar in 1856. Sir John's advocacy that the volunteer movement should be made a national one, by including all ranks of the people, that force owed a great deal at its start. At the request of the Lord Provost of Edinburgh he himself raised a couple of artisan companies of 100 men each in a single day, and this continued until a whole battalion was formed out of similar materials. The example of Edinburgh was quickly followed throughout the country, and the impulse then given has never been lost. In 1862 he became a leader-writer on the ''
Morning Star'', having as colleagues many men who subsequently distinguished themselves in literature and politics.
1865-68
In 1865, on the news reaching the UK of the
disturbances in
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
, which led ultimately to the removal and attempted trial of Governor
Edward Eyre
Edward John Eyre (5 August 181530 November 1901) was an English land explorer of the Australian continent, colonial administrator, and Governor of Jamaica.
Early life
Eyre was born in Whipsnade, Bedfordshire, shortly before his family moved to ...
, Gorrie was invited by the Jamaica Committee to go out to represent them before the Royal Commission in the colony. This service, which extended over several months, having been performed to the entire satisfaction of his constituents, Gorrie returned to his usual vocations in London until 1868, when he offered his services to the Border Burghs. Finding, however, that his candidature would split up the advanced Liberal party, a portion of whom considered themselves pledged to
Sir George (then Mr. Trevelyan), he withdrew.
1869
In 1869, Gorrie was offered and accepted the post of Substitute Procureur-General in
Mauritius
Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...
, and a few months after his arrival became a
Puisne judge
A puisne judge or puisne justice (; from french: puisné or ; , 'since, later' + , 'born', i.e. 'junior') is a dated term for an ordinary judge or a judge of lesser rank of a particular court. Use
The term is used almost exclusively in common law ...
. He was a member of a Commission that discovered an extraordinary system of legal oppression upon natives of India who had completed their indentures as coolies, and he also showed how properties were wasted by legal costs, because of the officials misunderstanding the spirit and meaning of the local ordinances. Gorrie boldly protected the Creoles and coolies alike from all attempted oppression.
1876
In 1876, he was appointed
Chief Justice of Fiji
The chief justice is Fiji's highest judicial officer. The office and its responsibilities are set out in Chapter 5 of the 2013 Constitution of Fiji. The Chief Justice is appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister
Prime Mi ...
. In the new colony of
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
, an altogether different native race and language had to be studied, and as the Chief Justice was a member of the Legislative Council, a different class of work had to be undertaken. Perhaps the most useful work done by Gorrie at that time was the application of the
Torrens system
Torrens title is a land registration and land transfer system, in which a state creates and maintains a register of land holdings, which serves as the conclusive evidence (termed " indefeasibility") of title of the person recorded on the regist ...
of land titles to the land which had been acquired by Europeans in the new colony. Whilst engaged in these labours, the High Commission for the Western Pacific was organized by an Order in Council (1877), the Chief Justice becoming Chief Justice of Fiji and Chief Judicial Commissioner for the Western Pacific. He also acted for upwards of one year as High Commissioner.
1882–1886
After being knighted in 1882, Sir John was appointed to the old West India Colonies, now united into the
Leeward Islands
french: Îles-Sous-le-Vent
, image_name =
, image_caption = ''Political'' Leeward Islands. Clockwise: Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Saint kitts and Nevis.
, image_alt =
, locator_map =
, location = Caribbean SeaNorth Atlantic Ocean
, coor ...
, as
Chief Justice of the Leeward Islands
The chief justice of the Leeward Islands headed the Supreme Court of the Leeward Islands.
The British Leeward Islands was a British colony existing between 1833 and 1960, and consisted of Antigua, Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, S ...
. While there, he contributed most materially to overthrow the custom of consignee's lien, which favoured the London merchant at the expense of local creditors; and also the Encumbered Estates Court, which made West Indian properties change hands in London without giving people in the locality a chance to bid. Sir John drafted with great labour an ordinance to introduce Indefeasible Titles, and to give security for local advances. This ordinance ultimately became law, and Sir John received a unanimous vote of thanks from the Leeward Islands Legislature. Appointed
Chief Justice of Trinidad The Chief Justice of Trinidad and Tobago is the highest judge of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and presides over its Supreme Court of Judicature. He is appointed by a common decision of the president, the prime minister and the leader of the m ...
in 1885 he was asked to remain in the Leeward Islands until 1886.
1886–1892
In 1885 Sir John was transferred to
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
as
Chief Justice of Trinidad The Chief Justice of Trinidad and Tobago is the highest judge of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and presides over its Supreme Court of Judicature. He is appointed by a common decision of the president, the prime minister and the leader of the m ...
, moving in 1886. In both that island and in
Tobago
Tobago () is an List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, island and Regions and municipalities of Trinidad and Tobago, ward within the Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located northeast of the larger island of Trini ...
, annexed to Trinidad in 1889, he energetically endeavoured to make the Courts of Justice accessible to all, to administer justice impartially, and to promote measures for the well being of the colony. An Australian newspaper wrote, but this welcome was not universal. Because of his attempts to help the underdog, encouraging sharecroppers, peasants, and labourers in Tobago to assert their rights and attempting to ease the financial burdens on Trinidad's black population, the élites of both Trinidad and Tobago saw Gorrie as a threat to their interests.
As a result of a campaign to remove him, a commission investigated his administration of justice in Trinidad and Tobago, and when the governor suspended him from office pending a final decision in London, he returned to Britain in the middle of 1892 to fight his case personally but died a few days after arrival on 4 August 1892.
Family
He married, on 6 December 1855, Marion, daughter of Michael Graham of Edinburgh, who died in 1884, leaving issue.
His daughter Isabella Jane Gorrie (born 1865) married Hamilton Hunter (born 1846), (Consul of Tonga 1901), Deputy Commissioner for Western Pacific 1881, who tried a murder case on
Pitcairn Island
Pitcairn Island is the only inhabited island of the Pitcairn Islands, of which many inhabitants are descendants of mutineers of HMS ''Bounty''.
Geography
The island is of volcanic origin, with a rugged cliff coastline. Unlike many other ...
. His son Malcolm Graham (born 1864) followed his father into law, becoming a barrister and working as Sir John's secretary until Sir John's death.
References
;Attribotion
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gorrie, John
1829 births
1892 deaths
Knights Bachelor
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Chief justices of Fiji
Colony of Fiji judges
Ethnic minority members of the Legislative Council of Fiji
Chief justices of the Leeward Islands
Chief justices of Trinidad and Tobago
British Mauritius judges
British colonial judges in the Americas
Chief judicial commissioners for the Western Pacific
British Trinidad and Tobago judges