Sir Perceval Maitland Laurence (20 April 185428 February 1930)
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English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

classical scholar Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

, judge in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

and a benefactor of the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

and the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...

Early life and education

Perceval Maitland Laurence was born on 20 April 1854 in

Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in northwest Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'' and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement o ...

the eldest son of Perceval Laurence, a

clergyman Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

and Isabella Sarah Moorsom. In 1872 Laurence went up to

Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Corpus Christi College (full name: "The College of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary", often shortened to "Corpus"), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. From the late 14th century through to the early 19th century ...

to read Classics, graduating with

first class honours The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied (sometimes with significant variati ...

in 1876. Like his father before him, he was President of the Cambridge Union Society, holding office in the Easter Term of 1874.S.D.Girvin: The Architects of the Mixed Legal System in ''Southern Cross: Civil Law and Common Law in South Africa'' ed R Zimmermann and D Visser, 1996
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The law

On graduating his studies turned to the law. As a fellow of Corpus Christi, he was awarded the

Yorke Prize The Yorke Prize is awarded annually by the Faculty of Law at the University of Cambridge for an essay of between 30,000 and 100,000 words on a legal subject, including the history, analysis, administration and reform of law, "of exceptional quality ...

in 1878 for his essay, written jointly with Courtney Stanhope Kenny, on ''The Law and Custom of Primogeniture'', the

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

degree Degree may refer to: As a unit of measurement * Degree (angle), a unit of angle measurement ** Degree of geographical latitude ** Degree of geographical longitude * Degree symbol (°), a notation used in science, engineering, and mathematics ...

in 1879, the Chancellor's Gold Medal for Legal Studies and in 1885 the degree of

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL. ...

. Laurence 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 ...

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...

on 18 November 1878 but the effects of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

curtailed his English practice of the law and took him instead to the

Cape Colony The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when i ...

for the beneficial effect of the drier climate. He practised initially in Kimberley before being appointed second

puisne Puisne (; from Old French ''puisné'', modern ''puîné'', "later born, younger" (and thence, "inferior") from late Latin ''post-'', "after", and ''natus'', "born") is a legal term of art obsolete in many jurisdictions and, when current, used main ...

judge of the High Court of

Griqualand The Griquas (; af, Griekwa, often confused with ''!Orana'', which is written as ''Korana'' or ''Koranna'') are a subgroup of heterogeneous former Khoe-speaking nations in Southern Africa with a unique origin in the early history of the Cape ...

in 1882 and subsequently becoming Judge President in 1888. Moving to

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

in 1905, he served as Chairman of the War Losses Compensation Commission and the

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

Delimitation Commissions, for which he 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 ...

in 1906.

Retirement

In 1913 Laurence retired and returned to England and in 1914 was made an honorary fellow of Corpus Christi College. In 1921-23 he served on the Royal Commission on Fire Brigades and Fire Prevention. His final work was a biography of

John Xavier Merriman John Xavier Merriman (15 March 1841 – 1 August 1926) was the last prime minister of the Cape Colony before the formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910. Early life He was born in Street, Somerset, England. His parents were Nathaniel Jame ...

, the last prime minister of the Cape Colony, published in 1930, the year of Laurence's death.

Benefactor

Laurence died on 28 February 1930. By his will he endowed funds at

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

for the benefit of the

Cambridge University Library Cambridge University Library is the main research library of the University of Cambridge. It is the largest of the over 100 libraries within the university. The Library is a major scholarly resource for the members of the University of Cambri ...

, to establish the Laurence Professorship of Ancient Philosophy and the Laurence Professorship of Classical Archaeology and to provide funds generally for the purposes of classical studies. He also endowed his college, Corpus Christi, with funds to support the study of classics and prizes in his name continue to be awarded. In 1925 he endowed the University of Cape Town with the Sir Laurence Gift which supports the Laurence Prize (awarded annually to the best undergraduate student in Ancient Greek).Student Resources page, UCT Classics
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Publications

* ''Two Essays on the Law of Primogeniture'' (with Courtney Stanhope Kenny), 1878, reprinted by Kessinger Publishing 2008, * ''Judges and Litigants'', London 1879 * ''Collectanea: Essays, Addresses And Reviews'', 1899, reprinted by Kessinger Publishing June 2008 * ''Catalogue of the Kimberley Public Library'', 1891, Compiled by P. M. Laurence ASIN: B0014NV3JE * ''Reports of Cases decided in the High Court of Griqualand''. Reported by P. M. Laurence ASIN: B0014JX9DQ * ''On Circuit in Kaffirland, and other sketches and studies'', 1903 * ''The life of

'', Constable, London, 1930

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laurence, Perceval Maitland 1854 births 1930 deaths People from Woking Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Fellows of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Presidents of the Cambridge Union Members of Lincoln's Inn Cape Colony judges 19th-century South African judges 19th-century South African lawyers 20th-century South African judges