William Campbell Sleigh (1818– 23 January 1887) was an English lawyer and politician. He became 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 ...

in 1868, the last person received into

Serjeants' Inn Serjeant's Inn (formerly Serjeants' Inn) was the legal inn of the Serjeants-at-Law in London. Originally there were two separate societies of Serjeants-at-law: the Fleet Street inn dated from 1443 and the Chancery Lane inn dated from 1416. In 17 ...

who was not a judge.

Early life

Sleigh was born in Dublin, the eldest son of William Willcocks Sleigh, M.D., of Bull House,

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

, and subsequently of Dublin. After a private education, he matriculated from St. Mary Hall, Oxford on 9 February 1843, but did not graduate with a degree. He married Amelia Warner at Waterperry in Oxfordshire on 25 January 1843. They had one child, William Warner Sleigh, who also became a barrister.

Legal career

Sleigh became a student of the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn an ...

on 18 January 1843, and 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 30 January 1846. He practised on the home circuit, attending the

Central Criminal Court A Central Criminal Court refers to major legal court responsible for trying crimes within a given jurisdiction. Such courts include: *The name by which the Crown Court is known when it sits in the City of London *Central Criminal Court of England ...

, and the London, Middlesex, and Kent

quarter sessions The courts of quarter sessions or quarter sessions were local courts traditionally held at four set times each year in the Kingdom of England from 1388 (extending also to Wales following the Laws in Wales Act 1535). They were also established in ...

. He was created a serjeant-at-law on 2 November 1868: he was the last person received into

who was not a judge. Like his fellow serjeants-at-law,

John Humffreys Parry John Humffreys Parry (24 January 1816 – 10 January 1880) was a British barrister, who became serjeant-at-law. Early life The son of John Humffreys Parry the antiquarian (1786–1825), he was born in London on 24 January 1816. He received a comm ...

William Ballantine Serjeant William Ballantine SL (3 January 1812 – 9 January 1887) was an English Serjeant-at-law, a legal position defunct since the legal reforms of the 1870s. Early career Born in Howland Street, Tottenham Court Road in Camden, London, the ...

, and

John Walter Huddleston Sir John Walter Huddleston (8 September 1815 – 5 December 1890) was an English judge, formerly a criminal lawyer who had established an eminent reputation in various '' causes célèbres''. As a Baron of the Exchequer of Pleas, he was styled ...

(afterwards Baron Huddleston), he enjoyed a lucrative practice at the

Old Bailey The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands, is a criminal court building in central London, one of several that house the Crown Court of England and Wales. The s ...

, and took part in many leading criminal trials, being a most effective cross-examiner In 1871 he accepted the first brief for the claimant

Arthur Orton Arthur Orton (20 March 1834 – 1 April 1898) was an English man who has generally been identified by legal historians and commentators as the "Tichborne Claimant", who in two celebrated court cases both fascinated and shocked Victorian soc ...

, alias Roger Tichborne, in his civil action. He was long retained as leading counsel to the

Bank of England The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the English Government's banker, and still one of the bankers for the Government of ...

, with

Hardinge Giffard Hardinge is a surname. People with the surname include: *Viscount Hardinge, UK peerage, including: **Henry Hardinge, 1st Viscount Hardinge (1785–1856), British Army field marshal, Governor-General of India **Charles Hardinge, 2nd Viscount Hardi ...

(afterwards

Lord Halsbury Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

) as his junior. He stood for Parliament four times without being elected: as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area expe ...

on 5 May 1862, and as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...

on 20 March 1868,

Frome Frome ( ) is a town and civil parish in eastern Somerset, England. The town is built on uneven high ground at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills, and centres on the River Frome. The town, about south of Bath, is the largest in the Mendip d ...

in the 1868 general election on 17 November 1868, and

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

on 1 April 1870. After visiting Australia in 1871, convalescing from

sciatica Sciatica is pain going down the leg from the lower back. This pain may go down the back, outside, or front of the leg. Onset is often sudden following activities like heavy lifting, though gradual onset may also occur. The pain is often described ...

, he decided to emigrate in 1877. He was called to the bar in

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 ...

on 8 March 1877 and in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

on 21 March 1877. Although a claim to precedence as a serjeant-at-law was not allowed, he was given the courtesy title of serjeant. He was the only serjeant-at-law to practise in Australia. He moved to Launceston and was admitted to the bar in

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

on 11 March 1880. He was elected to the

Tasmanian House of Assembly The House of Assembly, or Lower House, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. The other is the Legislative Council or Upper House. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Hobart. The Assembly has 25 m ...

in April 1880, as an independent candidate for the Deloraine seat. He spent more time in Melbourne after visiting England in 1881.

Later life

His son died in 1882, and he returned to England permanently in 1886. He died at

Ventnor Ventnor () is a seaside resort and civil parish established in the Victorian era on the southeast coast of the Isle of Wight, England, from Newport. It is situated south of St Boniface Down, and built on steep slopes leading down to the sea. ...

on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

, survived by his wife.

Publications

Among his publications were: * ''Marriage with a Deceased Wife's Sister'', 1850. * ''The Grand Jury System subversive of the Moral Interests of Society'', 1852. * ''A Handy Book on Criminal Law, applicable chiefly to Commercial Transactions'', 1858. * ''Personal Wrongs and Legal Remedies'', 1860.

References

* * J. M. Bennett, 'Sleigh, William Campbell (1818–1887)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University
accessed 5 December 2012
* G. C. Boase, ‘Sleigh, William Campbell (1818–1887)’, rev. Eric Metcalfe, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 4 Dec 2012
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sleigh 1818 births 1887 deaths Serjeants-at-law (England) 19th-century English lawyers