His Honour the Honourable Ratcliffe Pring (17 October 1825 – 26 March 1885) was a lawyer, politician and the first

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 colonial

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

Early life

Pring was born on 17 October 1825 at

Crediton Crediton is a town and civil parish in the Mid Devon district of Devon in England. It stands on the A377 Exeter to Barnstaple road at the junction with the A3072 road to Tiverton, about north west of Exeter and around from the M5 motorway ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, the second son of Thomas E. Pring, solicitor. He was educated at

Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13 –18) in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by Royal Charter, it was originally a boarding school for boys; girls have been admitted into the ...

, and entered at 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 November 1845, being called to the Bar in June 1849. Pring suffered from

bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...

which motivated him to immigrate to Australia, arriving in Sydney in 1853. He practised as a barrister on the

Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...

, Bathurst and

Goulburn Goulburn ( ) is a regional city in the Southern Tablelands of the Australian state of New South Wales, approximately south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Canberra. It was proclaimed as Australia's first inland city through letters pate ...

court circuits of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

with much success. In 1857 a Northern Supreme Court for New South Wales was established in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

. Pring was appointed as its Crown Prosecutor and a

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of ...

by Sir

William Montagu Manning Sir William Montagu Manning (20 June 1811 – 27 February 1895) was an English-born Australian politician, judge and University of Sydney chancellor. Early life Manning was born in June 1811 at Alphington, near Exeter, Devon, the second son o ...

, the Solicitor-General for New South Wales. Pring took up residence in Brisbane in April 1857, when the court opened.

Political life

On 27 March 1860 Pring was elected to the first

Legislative Assembly of Queensland The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembl ...

for the district of Eastern Downs, and served under (later Sir)

Robert Herbert Sir Robert George Wyndham Herbert, (12 June 1831 – 6 May 1905), was the first Premier of Queensland, Australia. At 28 years and 181 days of age, he was the youngest person ever to be elected premier of an Australian state. Early years Born ...

in the first Ministry formed under responsible government from December 1859 to August 1865. In the second Herbert Ministry he filled the same office from July to August 1866. He was also Attorney-General in the Robert Mackenzie Ministry from August 1867 to November 1868; in the

Charles Lilley Sir Charles Lilley (27 August 1827 – 20 August 1897) was a Premier of Queensland, Premier and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Queensland. He had a significant influence on the form and spirit of state education in colonial Queensland whi ...

Government from November 1869 to May 1870; and in the first

Thomas McIlwraith Sir Thomas McIlwraith (17 May 1835 – 17 July 1900) was for many years the dominant figure of colonial politics in Queensland. He was Premier of Queensland from 1879 to 1883, again in 1888, and for a third time in 1893. In common with most po ...

Administration from May 1879 to June 1880, when he accepted a puisne judgeship of the

Supreme Court of Queensland The Supreme Court of Queensland is the highest court in the Australian State of Queensland. It was formerly the Brisbane Supreme Court, in the colony of Queensland. The original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court allows its trial division to he ...

. Pring served as member of the

Queensland Legislative Council The Queensland Legislative Council was the upper house of the parliament in the Australian state of Queensland. It was a fully nominated body which first took office on 1 May 1860. It was abolished by the Constitution Amendment Act 1921, which to ...

from 24 April 1862 to 26 May 1863. He also served in the Assembly for

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

from 30 May 1863 to 4 August 1866; for Burnett from 22 April 1867 to 17 August 1870. He was elected in

Town of Brisbane The Town of Brisbane was a local government area for Brisbane in Queensland, Australia from 1859 to 1903. History The Municipality of Brisbane was gazetted on 25 May 1859 and proclaimed by the Governor of New South Wales on 7 September 1859. ...

on 17 August 1870. He contributed to many acrimonious debates in 1871, which culminated in January 1871 in physical violence. On 10 January 1871, Pring repeatedly interrupted the member for Clermont,

Oscar de Satge Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...

. Clark (member for

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...

) complained about Pring's ''"extremely offensive and personal remarks in regard to the Member for Clermont"'' and proceeded to make insulting remarks about Pring. Pring called on the Speaker (

Arthur Macalister Arthur Macalister, (18 January 1818 – 23 March 1883) was three times Premier of Queensland, Australia. Early life Macalister was born in Glasgow, Scotland, son of John Macalister, a cabinet maker, and his wife Mary, ''née'' Scoullar. M ...

) to rebuke Clark, which he did. Pring then proposed that Clark exit parliament for five minutes to ''"settle all things"'', which the Speaker declared to be out of order. Pring responded by calling Clark ''"the dirty wretch"''. The Speaker told Pring not to continue this behaviour. Pring then threatened to kick Clark, by which time the Legislative Assembly was in an uproar with the Speaker unable to restore order. Clark and Pring continued to trade insults. Pring then rose as if to leave the Assembly, but, as he walked past Clark, he attacked Clark by grabbing his collar with one hand and tugged at Clark's beard with the other hand, yelling ''"Come outside and we will settle it"''. The Sergeant-at-Arms went to Pring saying ''"I take you in charge"''. Pring responded ''"Do you? You will have to catch me first!"'' and then raced out of the chamber, and the Sergeant-at-Arms was unable to catch him. The Speaker then issued a warrant for Pring's arrest for his contempt of Parliament 9 (the first time this had occurred in the Queensland Parliament), but did not sign it in order to allow Pring to end the matter by apologising, calling on Pring to attend the House on 16 January. However, Pring did not apologise but resigned the following day (11 January), evidently believing that would bring the matter to an end. However, on 22 January, the Speaker, in the absence of an apology from Pring, proceeded with the warrant and Pring was arrested in Dalby where Pring had gone on Court business. However, the police did not know what action to take after arresting Pring as he could not be delivered to the Parliament which was now in recess, so they ended up releasing him. Pring returned to Brisbane triumphant, where he addressed a crowd of sympathisers from the balcony of the Australian Hotel in Albert Street, promising that he would return to Parliament. He was elected in Carnarvon from 25 November 1873 to 2 January 1874. Following the retirement of

Thomas Blacket Stephens Thomas Blacket Stephens (5 January 1819 – 26 August 1877) was a wealthy Brisbane businessman and newspaper proprietor who also served as an alderman and mayor of Brisbane Municipal Council,Brisbane City Council Archives a Member of the Legis ...

due to illness, in May 1875 Pring stood for election for the

South Brisbane South Brisbane is an inner southern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , South Brisbane had a population of 7,196 people. Geography The suburb is on the southern bank of the Brisbane River, bounded to the north-west, ...

seat in the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly ...

, but was defeated by

Richard Ash Kingsford Richard Ash Kingsford (1821–1902) was an alderman and mayor of Brisbane Municipal Council, a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, Australia, and a mayor of Cairns, Queensland. Early life and education Richard Ash Kingsford was ...

. However, Pring was later elected in Brisbane City from 12 February 1878 to 15 November 1878 and for

Fortitude Valley Fortitude Valley (often called "The Valley" by local residents) is an inner suburb of the City of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. In the , Fortitude Valley had a population of 9,708 people. The suburb features two pedestri ...

from 26 November 1878 to 28 May 1879. In 1863 Pring was offered the position of first Chief Justice of Queensland, over the head of the Judge

Alfred Lutwyche Justice Alfred James Peter Lutwyche, Queen's Counsel (26 February 1810 – 12 June 1880) was the first judge of the Supreme Court Bench of Queensland. Early life Lutwyche was the eldest son of John Lutwyche, of a Worcestershire family, who ...

, but declined the post, and Sir

James Cockle Sir James Cockle FRS FRAS FCPS (14 January 1819 – 27 January 1895) was an English lawyer and mathematician. Cockle was born on 14 January 1819. He was the second son of James Cockle, a surgeon, of Great Oakley, Essex. Educated at Charterho ...

was appointed.

Later life

Pring died at his residence in Brisbane on Thursday 26 March 1885, after a 14-month illness, of cardiac asthma. He was buried in

Toowong Cemetery Toowong Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery on the corner of Frederick Street and Mt Coot-tha Road, Toowong, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was established in 1866 and formally opened in 1875. It is Queensland's largest cemet ...

. He left his wife almost destitute.

Miscellaneous

Ratcliffe Pring was a tenant of the now

heritage-listed This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and man-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In many ...

Newstead House Newstead House is Brisbane's oldest surviving residence and is located on the Breakfast Creek, Queensland, Breakfast Creek bank of the Brisbane River, in the northern Brisbane suburb of Newstead, Queensland, Newstead, in Queensland, Australia.T ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pring, Ratcliffe 1827 births 1885 deaths Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Members of the Queensland Legislative Council Burials at Toowong Cemetery English emigrants to colonial Australia Attorneys-General of Queensland Colony of Queensland judges Judges of the Supreme Court of Queensland Colony of Queensland people 19th-century Australian politicians 19th-century Australian judges Australian King's Counsel