Sir William Leece Drinkwater (28 March 1812 – 22 May 1909) was a

First Deemster A Deemster ( gv, briw) is a judge in the Isle of Man. The High Court of Justice of the Isle of Man is presided over by a deemster or, in the case of the appeal division of that court, a deemster and the Judge of Appeal. The deemsters also pro ...

of the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

. Drinkwater came from an old

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

family and was born on 28 March 1812. His grandfather was James Drinkwater,

Mayor of Liverpool The mayor of Liverpool is the executive mayor of the city of Liverpool in England. The incumbent mayor is Joanne Anderson, who was elected in May 2021. The mayor of Liverpool was previously branded 'the most powerful politician in England outs ...

in 1810 who married Elinor Leece, of Ballamona, Braddan. The long European peace, which followed the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

, resulted in many English children being sent to France for education, among them William Leece Drinkwater, who attended Angoulëme College and became fluent in French. He then attended the Royal Institution School in Liverpool and then St John's College, Cambridge. He graduated with a BA degree in 1834 and later took an MA degree. He was called to the English Bar (

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 ...

) in 1837 and subsequently practised in the Northern circuit acting as a reporting barrister in the Common Pleas Division. Ten years later Drinkwater was appointed Second Deemster of the

, and eight years later

. As a judge his record was one of which any man would have had good reason to be proud. His profound knowledge of both English and Manx law, his common sense and his impeccable impartiality made him almost the perfect judge. His position as Deemster entitled him to a seat in the Legislative Council and his record as a member of the Legislature was as distinguished as that of his career as a judge. In politics he was 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 in ...

. He was also very independent and this independence often brought him into conflict with Sir Henry Loch, who was very autocratic in his methods and ruled Legislative Council with a rod of iron. Drinkwater was the only member of the Council willing to put up a fight and seldom came off second best. Despite their frequent bickerings in the Council and

Tynwald Tynwald ( gv, Tinvaal), or more formally, the High Court of Tynwald ( gv, Ard-whaiyl Tinvaal) or Tynwald Court, is the legislature of the Isle of Man. It consists of two chambers, known as the branches of Tynwald: the directly elected House of ...

Court, Loch and Drinkwater were friends in private life. In 1877, on the recommendation of Lieutenant Governor Sir Henry Loch, he was knighted. In the autumn of 1897 he resigned his Deemstership and retired from public life. After retiring from the bench and Legislature, Drinkwater continued to take a great interest in the Isle of Man Hospital being Chairman of the Committee. He had married his first cousin, Elenor Drinkwater Bourne (1818-1897), in 1841. He died on 22 May 1909 and his funeral was a private affair with only seven family members present: at the time of his death he had one surviving child, George Leece Drinkwater (1852-1930). Sir William Leece Drinkwater was a descendant of the ancient family of Drinkwater, of Bent, in Chesire. According to

Burke's Landed Gentry ''Burke's Landed Gentry'' (originally titled ''Burke's Commoners'') is a reference work listing families in Great Britain and Ireland who have owned rural estates of some size. The work has been in existence from the first half of the 19th cen ...

, the Drinkwater's Crest is 'Three wheat ears, two in saltire, one in pale or, encircled by a ducal coronet ppr.'

Offices of State

, 1855–1897 * Second Deemster, 1847–1855

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drinkwater, William 1812 births 1909 deaths Knights Bachelor Manx judges Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge People educated at the Royal Institution School