Sir Edward Maurice Hill (8 January 1862 – 6 June 1934) was a British judge. Born in

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

, the eldest son of Sir George Birkbeck Norman Hill, he was educated at

Haileybury College Haileybury may refer to: Australia * Haileybury (Melbourne), a school in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia **Haileybury Rendall School, an offshoot in Berrimah, North Territory, Australia China * Haileybury International School, an international ...

and

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the f ...

, where he was an

Exhibitioner An exhibition is a type of scholarship award or bursary. United Kingdom and Ireland At the universities of Dublin, Oxford, Cambridge and Sheffield, at some public schools, and various other UK educational establishments, an exhibition is a sma ...

, taking Firsts in

classical moderations Honour Moderations (or ''Mods'') are a set of examinations at the University of Oxford at the end of the first part of some degree courses (e.g., Greats or '' Literae Humaniores''). Honour Moderations candidates have a class awarded (hence the ' ...

(1881) and '' literae humaniores'' (1884). He 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 ...

by 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 ...

in 1888, and took silk in 1910. His practice was in

shipping law Admiralty law or maritime law is a body of law that governs nautical issues and private maritime disputes. Admiralty law consists of both domestic law on maritime activities, and private international law governing the relationships between priva ...

, and he was acknowledged as a leading expert in marine insurance. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he became a government adviser in shipping matters, and was

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 ...

for his services in 1916. On 18 January 1917, Hill was appointed, on the recommendation of Lord Finlay, to the High Court and assigned to the Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division. During the first eight years of his judicial career, he was almost exclusively occupied with the large number of admiralty cases that had arisen as a consequence of the War, trying 1313 admiralty cases between 1917 and 1924. Due to the heavy strain of the work and the death of his wife, his health gave way in 1924, and a judge was added to the Division in 1925. When the volume of admiralty cases began to decline, he began to try probate and divorce cases as well. He resigned from the bench in 1930.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Maurice 1862 births 1934 deaths People educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Members of the Inner Temple English King's Counsel 20th-century King's Counsel Knights Bachelor

Hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct Summit (topography), summit. Terminology The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally con ...

Lawyers from London