Sir John Pennycuick (6 November 1899 – 14 January 1982) was an English barrister and judge. He was a High Court judge from 1960 to 1974, and

Vice-Chancellor of the Chancery Division The Chancellor of the High Court is the head of the Chancery Division of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales. This judge and the other two heads of divisions (Family and Queens Bench) sit by virtue of their offices often, as and when ...

from the recreation of the office in 1970 until 1974. Pennycuick was the only son of the British Army officer and engineer Colonel John Pennycuick, CSI (1841–1911). His father was the tenth of the eleven children of Brigadier John Pennycuick (1789–1849), who was killed in the Battle of Chillianwala in the

Second Anglo-Sikh War The Second Anglo-Sikh War was a military conflict between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company that took place in 1848 and 1849. It resulted in the fall of the Sikh Empire, and the annexation of the Punjab and what subsequently ...

. He was educated at

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of ...

and New College, Oxford, and became a second lieutenant in the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

in 1919. He was called to the bar at

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 ...

in 1925, where later he became a

bencher A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales or the Inns of Court in Northern Ireland, or the Honorable Society of King's Inns in Ireland. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher ca ...

in 1954 and was

Treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury ...

in 1978. He became a

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister o ...

in 1947. He was appointed as a High Court judge in 1960, in the

Chancery Division The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Senior Courts of England and Wales. Its name is abbreviated as EWHC (England ...

, and received the customary knighthood. Pennycuick became the first modern

Vice-Chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor ...

in July 1970 when the office was revived to replace the title of "Senior Judge" for the head of the Chancery Division. He was appointed as a

Privy Counsellor The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises senior politicians who are current or former members of ei ...

in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in June 1974, and retired as a full-time Chancery judge in September 1974, although he continued to sit as a judge occasionally. He married Lucy Johnstone in 1930, and they had one son and one daughter. His wife predeceased him in 1972.

References

* Obituary in ''The Times'', 15 January 1982, p. 10.
Portrait from the National Portrait Gallery
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom 1899 births 1982 deaths Chancery Division judges Knights Bachelor People educated at Winchester College Alumni of New College, Oxford Coldstream Guards officers Members of the Inner Temple English King's Counsel 20th-century English lawyers {{England-law-bio-stub