Sir John Tankerville Goldney (15 June 1846 – 11 April 1920) was a British

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

who rose to be

Chief Justice of Trinidad and Tobago The Chief Justice of Trinidad and Tobago is the highest judge of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and presides over its Supreme Court of Judicature. He is appointed by a common decision of the President of Trinidad and Tobago, president, the Prim ...

, and was also High Sheriff of Wiltshire in 1910. He is also notable for introducing golf to Singapore in 1891.

Early life

Goldney was the third son of

Sir Gabriel Goldney, 1st Baronet Sir Gabriel Goldney, 1st Baronet (25 July 1813 – 8 May 1900) was a Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1865 to 1885. He was created a baronet in May 1880. Ancestry and early life The Goldney family, from Bristol, becam ...

of Beechfield, Corsham and

Bradenstoke Abbey Bradenstoke Priory was a medieval priory of Augustinian canons regular in the village of Bradenstoke, Wiltshire, England. Its site, in the north of the county about west of Lyneham, is on a ridge above the south side of Dauntsey Vale. In the ...

(both

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

) and Mary Anne (née Alexander). He was born on 15 June 1846 and baptised at Corsham on 14 July. He attended

Harrow School (The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God) , established = (Royal Charter) , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , religion = Church of E ...

, studied at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

, and was called to the bar by

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 ...

on 30 April 1869. On 9 February 1875 he married Jane MacGregor Laird, daughter of

John Laird John Laird may refer to: * John Laird (American politician) (born 1950), California State Senator * John Laird (footballer) (1935–2016) Australian rules footballer * John Laird (philosopher) (1887–1946), Scottish philosopher * John Laird (ship ...

, Member of Parliament for

Birkenhead Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...

, where he lived for a while.

Legal career

In April 1880 he was appointed

Attorney General of the Leeward Islands The Attorney General of the Leeward Islands was the chief law officer of the Leeward Islands. The British crown colony of the Leeward Islands, comprising Antigua, Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, Saint Kitts, Nevis, Anguilla, and ...

and translated to acting Chief Justice in 1881; in 1883 he was appointed a judge of the High Court of

British Guiana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies, which resides on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first European to encounter Guiana was S ...

, where he served until 1887. Goldney served as Chief Justice for the

Straits Settlements The Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Headquartered in Singapore for more than a century, it was originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Comp ...

from 1887 to 1892. It is believed that having brought golf clubs with him, Goldney noticed there was no course in Singapore where he could use them; accordingly, he proposed that part of the Singapore Sporting Club's land be used for golf; this was accepted and a nine-hole course was laid out. Goldney became the first president of the club, which he inaugurated by driving the first ball. In 1892, he was appointed

and was honoured as a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

in the following year. He resigned his office in 1899 and returned to England, where he was appointed High Sheriff of Wiltshire for 1910 and a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for the same county. He died on 11 April 1920 and was buried at St Bartholomew's Church, Corsham alongside other members of his family.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldney, John 1846 births 1920 deaths English justices of the peace People from Wiltshire People from Birkenhead People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Members of the Inner Temple British Trinidad and Tobago judges Chief justices of Trinidad and Tobago Knights Bachelor Lawyers awarded knighthoods Younger sons of baronets High Sheriffs of Wiltshire Attorneys General of the Leeward Islands John

Early life

Legal career

See also

References