Sir Mackenzie Dalzell Edwin Stewart Chalmers (7 February 1847 – 22 December 1927) was a British judge and civil servant. He was Parliamentary Counsel to the Treasury, a judge of the

county court A county court is a court based in or with a jurisdiction covering one or more counties, which are administrative divisions (subnational entities) within a country, not to be confused with the medieval system of ''county courts'' held by the hig ...

s and a Law Member of the Viceroy's Council in India. Chalmers also served as

Permanent Under-Secretary of State at the Home Office The Permanent Under-Secretary of State of the Home Office is the permanent secretary of the Home Office, the most senior civil servant in the department, charged with running its affairs on a day-to-day basis. Home Office Permanent Secretaries * ...

from 1903 to 1908. His mother was Matilda, the daughter of Rev. William Marsh. He was educated at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

, and

Trinity College, Oxford (That which you wish to be secret, tell to nobody) , named_for = The Holy Trinity , established = , sister_college = Churchill College, Cambridge , president = Dame Hilary Boulding , location = Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BH , coordinates ...

. Chalmers is best remembered today as the draftsman of the Bills of Exchange Act 1882, and in 1888 of the Sale of Goods Act 1893. The original Bill was settled by

Lord Herschell Farrer Herschell, 1st Baron Herschell, (2 November 1837 – 1 March 1899), was Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain in 1886, and again from 1892 to 1895. Life Childhood and education Herschell was born on 2 November 1837 in Brampton, Hampsh ...

who introduced it into the House of Lords in 1889, with a view to obtaining criticism of its provisions. The Bill was referred to a

Select committee Select committee may refer to: *Select committee (parliamentary system) A select committee is a committee made up of a small number of parliamentary members appointed to deal with particular areas or issues originating in the Westminster system o ...

consisting of Lord Herschell, the

Earl of Halsbury Earl of Halsbury, in the County of Devon, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Halsbury is a historic manor in the parish of Parkham, near Bideford, Devon, long the seat of the Giffard family and sold by them in the 18th. centu ...

, Baron Bramwell and Lord Watson. The 1893 Act was repealed and re-enacted as the

Sale of Goods Act 1979 The Sale of Goods Act 1979c 54 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which regulated English contract law and UK commercial law in respect of goods that are sold and bought. The Act consolidated the original Sale of Goods Act 1893 ...

. Sir Mackenzie is also known for drafting the Marine Insurance Act 1906, which is still in force. He was appointed as

Chief Justice of Gibraltar The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Gibraltar is one of the four judges who make up the supreme court of Gibraltar. Previously the Chief Justice was appointed by the Governor of Gibraltar on the advice of the British Foreign and Commonwealt ...

in 1894.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chalmers, Mackenzie Dalzell 1847 births 1927 deaths Alumni of King's College London Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford Permanent Under-Secretaries of State for the Home Department Civil servants in HM Treasury Members of HM Government Legal Service 20th-century English judges Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Order of the Star of India County Court judges (England and Wales)