Thomas Wilde, 1st Baron Truro, (7 July 178211 November 1855) was a British lawyer, judge, and politician. He was

Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. The ...

between 1850 and 1852.

Background and education

Born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, Truro was the second son of Thomas Wilde, an attorney, and founder of

Wilde Sapte Denton Wilde Sapte LLP (informally Dentons) was an international law firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It merged with the United States-based law firm Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal in September 2010, forming SNR Denton. At the time ...

, by his wife, Mary Anne (née Knight). He was educated at St Paul's School and was admitted as an attorney in 1805. He was the younger brother of

Sir John Wylde Sir John Wylde (or Wilde; 11 May 1781 – 13 December 1859) was Chief Justice of the Cape Colony, Cape of Good Hope and a judge of the Supreme Court of the colony of New South Wales born at Warwick Square, Newgate Street, London. Member o ...

James Wilde, 1st Baron Penzance James Plaisted Wilde, 1st Baron Penzance, (12 July 1816 – 9 December 1899) was a noted British judge and rose breeder who was also a proponent of the Baconian theory that the works usually attributed to William Shakespeare were in fact written ...

, was his nephew.

Legal and political career

Wilde subsequently entered 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 ...

and 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 ...

in 1817, having practised for two years before 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 ...

. Retained for the defence of Queen Caroline in 1820, he distinguished himself by his cross-examination and laid the foundation of an extensive common law practice. In 1824, he was made

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 writ ...

, and in 1827 King's Serjeant. He first entered parliament in the Whig interest as a member for

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

(1831–1832 and 1835–1841), afterwards representing

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Englan ...

(1841–1846). He was appointed Solicitor General in 1839,

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in 1840, and became

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

in succession to Sir John Campbell in 1841. In 1846 he was appointed

Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas The chief justice of the Common Pleas was the head of the Court of Common Pleas, also known as the Common Bench or Common Place, which was the second-highest common law court in the English legal system until 1875, when it, along with the other ...

, an office he held until 1850 when he became

Lord Chancellor The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. The ...

and was created Baron Truro of Bowes in the

County of Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbourin ...

. He held this latter office until the fall of the Russell

ministry Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian ...

in 1852.

Family

Lord Truro first married Mary Devaynes in 1813 (the widow of

William Devaynes William Devaynes (12 October 1730 – 29 November 1809) was an Africa trader, London banker, Government contractor, director of the East India Company, the Africa Company, the Globe Insurance Company, and the French Hospital and also five time ...

(1730–1809) and daughter of William Wileman). They had three surviving children. After Mary died in 1840, he married

Augusta Emma d'Este Augusta Emma Wilde, Baroness Truro (née d'Este; 11 August 1801 – 21 May 1866) was the daughter of Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, by his marriage with Lady Augusta Murray, second daughter of John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmor ...

, daughter of

Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, (27 January 1773 – 21 April 1843) was the sixth son and ninth child of King George III and his queen consort, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. He was the only surviving son of George III who did not ...

and a first cousin of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

, on 13 August 1845. There were no children from this marriage. Lord Truro died in London in November 1855, aged 76. He was succeeded in the barony by his second but eldest surviving son, Charles. Lady Truro died in May 1866, aged 64. Thomas Wilde is commemorated by a

Blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...

erected on the front of 2 Kelvin Avenue

Bowes Park Bowes Park () is situated on the borders of Wood Green, Palmers Green and Bounds Green in London, England. The postcodes for Bowes Park are N13 and N22. The border between the London boroughs of Enfield and Haringey goes through the area. Bowes ...

London N13 which reads: "Site of Bowes Manor THOMAS WILDE 1st BARON TRURO 1782 – 1855 LORD CHANCELLOR 1850 – 1852 LIVED HERE" Wilde also lived at Truro House, Broomfield Park,

Palmers Green Palmers Green is a suburban area and electoral ward in North London, England, within the London Borough of Enfield. It is located within the N13 postcode district, around north of Charing Cross. It is home to the largest population of Greek Cy ...

London N13, a Grade II listed building that dates back to 1673.

Arms

Notes

References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Truro, Thomas Wilde, 1st Baron 1782 births 1855 deaths Attorneys General for England and Wales Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Lord chancellors of Great Britain Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies People educated at St Paul's School, London UK MPs 1835–1837 UK MPs 1837–1841 UK MPs 1841–1847 UK MPs 1831–1832 UK MPs who were granted peerages Members of the Inner Temple Serjeants-at-law (England) Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom D'Este family Members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council Peers of the United Kingdom created by Queen Victoria