Sir Richard Richards (5 November 1752 – 11 November 1823) was a Welsh politician and judge. He was Member of Parliament for
Helston
Helston ( kw, Hellys) is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the Lizard Peninsula approximately east of Penzance and south-west of Falmouth.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map she ...
on two occasions, but only made one speech in Parliament. He was later a successful chancery barrister, eventually becoming
Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer
The Chief Baron of the Exchequer was the first "baron" (meaning judge) of the English Exchequer of Pleas. "In the absence of both the Treasurer of the Exchequer or First Lord of the Treasury, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, it was he who pre ...
.
Life
Richards was born on 5 November 1752 at Coed,
Brithdir, near
Dolgellau
Dolgellau () is a town and community in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on the River Wnion, a tributary of the River Mawddach. It was the traditional county town of the historic county of Merionethshire ( cy, Meirionnydd, Sir Feirionnydd) un ...
in
Merionethshire
, HQ= Dolgellau
, Government= Merionethshire County Council (1889-1974)
, Origin=
, Status=
, Start= 1284
, End=
, Code= MER
, CodeName= ...
. He was the eldest son of Thomas Richards and his wife, Catherine, whose brother (William Parry) was warden of
Ruthin
Ruthin ( ; cy, Rhuthun) is a market town and community in Denbighshire, Wales, in the south of the Vale of Clwyd. It is Denbighshire's county town. The town, castle and St Peter's Square lie on a hill, skirted by villages such as Pwllglas and ...
,
Denbighshire
Denbighshire ( ; cy, Sir Ddinbych; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name. This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation – Pontnewydd (Bontnewy ...
. His grandfather, also called William Parry, was headmaster of
Ruthin School
Ruthin School is a public school (i.e. independent school) located on the outskirts of Ruthin, the county town of Denbighshire, North Wales. It is over seven hundred years old, making it one of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom. Origina ...
and Richards was educated there. Richards then progressed to
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
,
matriculating
Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination.
Australia
In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now. ...
as a member of
Jesus College, Oxford
Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship St ...
on 19 March 1771.
[ He transferred to ]Wadham College, Oxford
Wadham College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street and Parks Road.
Wadham College was founded in 1610 by Dorothy W ...
on 7 May 1773 and obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree on 10 October 1774. He then became a scholar at The Queen's College, Oxford
The Queen's College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault. It is distinguished by its pred ...
, and after being appointed to a fellowship
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
at Queen's on 17 December 1774, he was awarded his Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
degree on 15 July 1777. In the meantime, Richards had become a member of 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 ...
(being admitted on 10 May 1775) and 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 ...
on 12 February 1780.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
in February 1793 as a "''Gentleman studious in Natural History''".
Political career
In the 1796 general election, Richards was elected as one of the members of parliament for the constituency of Helston, Cornwall. He held the seat until March 1799, when he resigned in favour of Lord Francis Osborne, son of the Duke of Leeds
Duke of Leeds was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1694 for the prominent statesman Thomas Osborne, 1st Marquess of Carmarthen, who had been one of the Immortal Seven in the Revolution of 1688. He had already succeeded as ...
who controlled the seat. He was re-elected at the May 1807 general election, resigning on 29 July 1807 in favour of Sir James Blackwood. During his parliamentary career, he supported the ministry of William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger (28 May 175923 January 1806) was a British statesman, the youngest and last prime minister of Great Britain (before the Acts of Union 1800) and then first prime minister of the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Ire ...
but made only one reported speech, opposing the Quakers' Relief Bill on 24 February 1797 as unnecessary and inconvenient.[
]
Legal career
Richards' main area of practice was in the Court of Chancery
The Court of Chancery was a court of equity in England and Wales that followed a set of loose rules to avoid a slow pace of change and possible harshness (or "inequity") of the Common law#History, common law. The Chancery had jurisdiction over ...
. He was one of the three registrars to the Prerogative Court
In law, a prerogative is an exclusive right bestowed by a government or state and invested in an individual or group, the content of which is separate from the body of rights enjoyed under the general law. It was a common facet of feudal law. The ...
of the Province of Canterbury
The Province of Canterbury, or less formally the Southern Province, is one of two ecclesiastical provinces which constitute the Church of England. The other is the Province of York (which consists of 12 dioceses).
Overview
The Province consist ...
from 1788 to 1800, and was appointed counsel to Queen Anne's Bounty
Queen Anne's Bounty was a scheme established in 1704 to augment the incomes of the poorer clergy of the Church of England, and by extension the organisation ("The Governors of the Bounty of Queen Anne for the Augmentation of the Maintenance of the ...
in 1789. He became solicitor-general to Queen Charlotte
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and of Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until the union of the two kingdoms ...
(the wife of King George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
) in 1794, becoming attorney-general to the queen in 1801 in succession to William Grant. He was appointed as a Bencher
A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales or the Inns of Court in Northern Ireland, or the Honorable Society of King's Inns in Ireland. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher can ...
of Inner Temple in 1799, and held the positions of Reader (1804) and Treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance.
Government
The treasury o ...
(1806).[
He was a potential appointee to the newly created position of Vice-Chancellor of the Court of Chancery in 1812, since he was the senior chancery barrister who was not an MP, earning £7,000 per year. He was led to believe by his friend ]Lord Eldon
Earl of Eldon, in the County Palatine of Durham, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1821 for the lawyer and politician John Scott, 1st Baron Eldon, Lord Chancellor from 1801 to 1806 and again from 1807 to 1827. ...
, the 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 ...
, that he would be appointed. However, Eldon instead bowed to party-political pressure and appointed the 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 ...
, Thomas Plumer
Right-Hon. Sir Thomas Plumer (10 October 1753 – 24 March 1824) born 2nd s. of Mr Thomas Plumer, Esquire (Oct 1711 - 17 March 1781) a City of London Banker and a Director of Bank of England, sometime Wine Merchant, of Lilling Hall, Yorks., and ...
, to the new post. Richards was indignant, although he was appeased by his appointment as chief justice of the county palatine
In England, Wales and Ireland a county palatine or palatinate was an area ruled by a hereditary nobleman enjoying special authority and autonomy from the rest of a kingdom. The name derives from the Latin adjective ''palātīnus'', "relating to ...
of Chester
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
. He resigned that position when he was offered a position of Baron of the Exchequer
The Barons of the Exchequer, or ''barones scaccarii'', were the judges of the English court known as the Exchequer of Pleas. The Barons consisted of a Chief Baron of the Exchequer and several puisne (''inferior'') barons. When Robert Shute was a ...
in February 1814. He had refused this appointment in 1807, but he was now given to understand that he would in due course succeed as Chief Baron. The offer was apparently made when Lord Eldon tossed a note into court addressed to " Taffy".[ Richards was appointed a ]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 ...
on 26 February 1814 and was knighted by the Prince Regent
A prince regent or princess regent is a prince or princess who, due to their position in the line of succession, rules a monarchy as regent in the stead of a monarch regnant, e.g., as a result of the sovereign's incapacity (minority or illness ...
at Carlton House
Carlton House was a mansion in Westminster, best known as the town residence of King George IV. It faced the south side of Pall Mall, and its gardens abutted St James's Park in the St James's district of London. The location of the house, no ...
on 11 May 1814. On the death of Sir Alexander Thomson, Richards became Chief Baron on 21 April 1817 and became a Privy Counsellor
The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a privy council, formal body of advisers to the British monarchy, sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises Politics of the United King ...
five days later. He helped clear the backlog of equity appeals and was regarded as a sound and capable judge. He presided over the trials of Jeremiah Brandreth
Jeremiah Brandreth (1785 – 7 November 1817) was an out-of-work stocking maker, living in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, who was executed for treason after being convicted of plotting to overthrow the Government of the United Kingdom. He a ...
, convicted of treason, and two of the Cato Street conspirators. He also acted as Lord Speaker
The Lord Speaker is the presiding officer, chairman and highest authority of the House of Lords in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The office is analogous to the Speaker of the House of Commons: the Lord Speaker is elected by the member ...
when Lord Eldon was ill in January 1819.[
]
Family
Richards married Catherine Humphreys, through whom Richards acquired an estate in Caerynwch, Merionethshire; he later became a Deputy Lieutenant of Merionethshire. He had eight sons and two daughters, and was known as "Stumpy Dick". His eldest son Richard Richards (known as "Double Dick") was MP for the constituency of Merioneth from 1836 to 1852. Robert Richards and Griffith Richards (the third and sixth sons) were both appointed 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 ...
and both, like their father, became benchers of Inner Temple, as did a grandson and a great-grandson of Sir Richard Richards. Richards died on 11 November 1823 and was buried in the Inner Temple vault; his wife was buried there also on 12 October 1825.[
A monument was erected in ]Dolgellau
Dolgellau () is a town and community in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on the River Wnion, a tributary of the River Mawddach. It was the traditional county town of the historic county of Merionethshire ( cy, Meirionnydd, Sir Feirionnydd) un ...
to a design by Edward Hodges Baily
Edward Hodges Baily (10 March 1788 – 22 May 1867; sometimes misspelled ''Bailey'') was a prolific English sculptor responsible for numerous public monuments, portrait busts, statues and exhibition pieces as well as works in silver. He carved ...
.[Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851 by Rupert Gunnis]
See also
*List of people with reduplicated names
Reduplication is a process by which the root or stem of a word, or part of it, is repeated. Alternative terms include cloning, doubling, duplication, and repetition. Reduplication has a grammatical function in some languages, such as plurality ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Richard
1752 births
1823 deaths
Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford
Alumni of Wadham College, Oxford
Alumni of The Queen's College, Oxford
Fellows of The Queen's College, Oxford
British MPs 1796–1800
Chief Barons of the Exchequer
Deputy Lieutenants of Merionethshire
Fellows of the Royal Society
Knights Bachelor
Members of the Inner Temple
Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Helston
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Helston
Serjeants-at-law (England)
UK MPs 1807–1812
Welsh politicians
19th-century English judges
Barons of the Exchequer
18th-century Welsh lawyers