Henry Alworth Merewether (1780–1864) was an English

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 wri ...

Town Clerk of London The Town Clerk of London is an important position that has existed since the 13th century in the City of London, England. Originally the role was to take the minutes of London council meetings, but over the years the holder's role has gathered re ...

and author.

Life

He was eldest son of Henry Merewether of

Calne Calne () is a town and civil parish in Wiltshire, southwestern England,OS Explorer Map 156, Chippenham and Bradford-on-Avon Scale: 1:25 000.Publisher: Ordnance Survey A2 edition (2007). at the northwestern extremity of the North Wessex Downs ...

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 ...

; his brother Francis (1784–1864) was rector of

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. He was educated at

Reading School Reading School is a grammar school for boys with academy status in the English town of Reading, the county of Berkshire. It traces its history back to the school of Reading Abbey and is, thus, one of the oldest schools in England. There are no ...

under Richard Valpy, was called to the bar 5 May 1809, was created serjeant-at-law 25 June 1827, and became king's counsel with patent of precedence in 1853. Merewether practised on the western circuit with success. He was appointed

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and was attorney-general to Adelaide, Queen-dowager. He received the degree of D.C.L. from the

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on 12 June 1839. Elected town-clerk of London on 23 June 1842, over William Pritchard, Merewether then became high bailiff of Southwark. By accepting this appointment he lost a good income at the bar. He resigned the office of town-clerk on 10 February 1859, and died at his family seat, Castlefield, near Calne, Wiltshire, on 22 July 1864, at age 83.

Works

Merewether's major work was ''The History of the Boroughs and Municipal Corporations of the United Kingdom'' (1835), written with Archibald John Stephens, and published in three volumes. He also wrote: * ''A New System of Police'', London, 1816. * ''A Sketch of the History of Boroughs, and of the Corporate Right of Election'', London, 1822. * ''Report of the Case of the Borough of West Looe'', London, 1823. * ''An Address to the King, the Lords, and Commons on the Representative Constitution of England'', London, 1830. * ''The Speech … at the Bar of the House of Commons against the Bill intituled An Act to make Temporary Provision for the Government of Jamaica'', London, 1839. * ''The Speech … upon the Claim of the Commissioners of Woods and Forests to the Seashore'', London, Dublin, 1850.

Family

Merewether was twice married, and left several children. His eldest son, Henry Alworth (1812–1877), was recorder of

Devizes Devizes is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It developed around Devizes Castle, an 11th-century Norman castle, and received a charter in 1141. The castle was besieged during the Anarchy, a 12th-century civil war between ...

and a bencher 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 ...

. His youngest son was Sir William Lockyer Merewether.

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Merewether, Henry Alworth 1780 births 1864 deaths Serjeants-at-law (England) English writers People from Wiltshire 19th-century English judges