John Romilly, 1st Baron Romilly PC (20 January 1802 – 23 December 1874), known as Sir John Romilly between 1848 and 1866, was an English Whig politician and judge. He served in Lord John Russell's first administration as Solicitor-General from 1848 to 1850 and as Attorney-General from 1850 and 1851. The latter year he was appointed Master of the Rolls, a post he held until 1873. Knighted in 1848, he was ennobled as Baron Romilly in 1866.

Early life

Romilly was born in London, the second son of Sir Samuel Romilly and the former Anne Garbett, a daughter of daughter of Francis Garbett of Knill Court, Herefordshire. After serving as Solicitor-General for England and Wales, his father became a Member of Parliament for

Horsham Horsham is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...

, Wareham,

Arundel Arundel ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Arun District of the South Downs, West Sussex, England. The much-conserved town has a medieval castle and Roman Catholic cathedral. Arundel has a museum and comes second behind much large ...

, and Westminster. Among his siblings was sister Sophia Romilly (wife of Thomas Francis Kennedy, MP for

Ayr Burghs Ayr Burghs was a district of burghs constituency of the House of Commons of Great Britain, House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons of the Parliamen ...

), and younger brothers Charles Romilly (who married Lady Georgiana Russell, a daughter of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford),

Frederick Romilly Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick Romilly (21 March 1810 – 6 April 1887), was a British Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1850 to 1852 and a cricketer who played for Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). Romilly was a younger son of Si ...

(who served as MP for Canterbury).thepeerage.com John Romilly, 1st Baron Romill
/ref> He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, 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 ...

at Gray's Inn, in 1827.

Career

Romilly first entered Parliament in 1832 as member for Bridport, holding the seat from 1832 to 1835 and again from 1846 to 1847. In 1843 he became a Queen's Counsel. He was elected Member of Parliament for Devonport in 1847, and was appointed Solicitor-General and

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 1848 in Lord John Russell's administration, being promoted to Attorney-General in 1850. In 1851 he was appointed Master of the Rolls, and continued to sit for Devonport till the general election in 1852, when he was defeated. He was the last Master of the Rolls to sit in Parliament. Romilly was raised to the peerage as Baron Romilly, of

Barry Barry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Barry (name), including lists of people with the given name, nickname or surname, as well as fictional characters with the given name * Dancing Barry, stage name of Barry Richards (born c. 195 ...

in the

County of Glamorgan , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...

, in 1866, and retired from the mastership of the rolls in 1873. He did much to remove the restrictions which had long hampered research among the public records and state papers.

Notable judicial decisions

Notable judicial decisions of Romilly include: ''Norris v Chambres'' (1861) 29 Beav 246, 54 ER 621: whether an

equitable lien A lien ( or ) is a form of security interest granted over an item of property to secure the payment of a debt or performance of some other obligation. The owner of the property, who grants the lien, is referred to as the ''lienee'' and the pers ...

could be claimed in immovable property overseas against a third party.

Personal life

Lord Romilly married Caroline Charlotte, daughter of the Right Reverend William Otter, in 1833. They had several children, including: * William Romilly, 2nd Baron Romilly (1835–1891), who married Emily Idonea Sophia Le Marchant, eldest daughter of Lt.-Gen. Sir John Le Marchant, in 1865. After her death in 1866, he married Helen Denison, eldest daughter of Edward Hanson Denison, in 1872. * Hon. Edward Romilly (1838–1886), a barrister who married Edith Mary Cowie (d. 1880), second daughter of

Benjamin Morgan Cowie Benjamin Morgan Cowie was Dean of Manchester and then Exeter, both in England, in the last quarter of the 19th century. Born on 8 June 1816, he was educated at St John's College, Cambridge and graduated Senior Wrangler in 1839. Ordained in 1 ...

, Dean of Manchester, in 1871. * Hon. Henry Romilly (1845–1886), who married Edith Rathbone, eldest daughter of Bernard Rathbone, in 1878. After his death in 1886, she married Thomas Northcote Toller of Lansdowne House in

Didsbury Didsbury is a suburban area of Manchester, England, on the north bank of the River Mersey, south of Manchester city centre. The population at the 2011 census was 26,788. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, there are ...

in 1889. * Hon. Arthur Romilly, barrister (1850–1884), who married Flora Schellbach (d. 1937), second daughter of Prof Schellbach of Berlin, in 1877. * Hon. Anne Romilly (d. 1913), who married Clement Tudway Swanston QC (d. 1879) in 1861. * Hon. Mary Romilly (d. 1921), who married Gen. Sir Lothian Nicholson KCB, Governor of Gibraltar (d. 1893) in 1864. * Hon. Sophie Romilly (–1895) * Hon. Lucy Henrietta Romilly (d. 1923), who married Henry Crompton (d. 1904), second son of Charles John Crompton in 1870. Lady Romilly died in December 1856. Lord Romilly died in London on 23 December 1874, aged 72, and was succeeded in the barony his eldest son, William. He is buried in Brompton Cemetery, London.

Descendants

Through his son Edward, he was a grandfather of Sybil Edith Mary Romilly (b. 1880), who married her cousin Admiral Sir Douglas Romilly Lothian Nicholson KCMG KCVO (d. 1946), in 1907. Through his son Henry, he was a grandfather of Sophie Katherine Romilly (1879–1904).

Arms

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Romilly, 1st Baron Romilly, John 1802 births 1874 deaths Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies Attorneys General for England and Wales Solicitors General for England and Wales UK MPs 1832–1835 UK MPs 1841–1847 UK MPs 1847–1852 UK MPs who were granted peerages Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Burials at Brompton Cemetery Members of Gray's Inn Masters of the Rolls Members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council People associated with The National Archives (United Kingdom) Knights Bachelor Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Peers of the United Kingdom created by Queen Victoria