Sir Frederick Pollock, 3rd Baronet PC, FBA (10 December 1845 – 18 January 1937) was an English jurist best known for his ''History of English Law before the Time of Edward I'', written with F.W. Maitland, and his lifelong correspondence with US Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes. He was a

Cambridge Apostle The Cambridge Apostles (also known as ''Conversazione Society'') is an intellectual society at the University of Cambridge founded in 1820 by George Tomlinson, a Cambridge student who became the first Bishop of Gibraltar.W. C. Lubenow, ''The ...

Life

Pollock was the eldest son of William Frederick Pollock, Master of the Court of Exchequer, and Juliet Creed, daughter of the Rev, Harry Creed. He was the grandson of Sir Frederick Pollock, 1st Baronet,

Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer The Chief Baron of the Exchequer was the first "baron" (meaning judge) of the English Exchequer of Pleas. "In the absence of both the Treasurer of the Exchequer or First Lord of the Treasury, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, it was he who pre ...

, the great-nephew of Field Marshal Sir George Pollock, 1st Baronet, and the first cousin of

Ernest Pollock, 1st Viscount Hanworth Ernest Murray Pollock, 1st Viscount Hanworth, KBE, PC (25 November 1861 – 22 October 1936), was a British Conservative politician, lawyer and judge. He served as Master of the Rolls from 1923 to 1935. Background Pollock was born in Wimbledo ...

Master of the Rolls The Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the President of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales and Head of Civil Justice. As a judge, the Master of ...

. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI of England, Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. i ...

, where he was a King's Scholar, and

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

, where he was elected Fellow in 1868 (later Honorable Fellow in 1920).''For My Grandson'' (1933) John Murray, Note B: ''Personal Dates'' In 1871 he was admitted to the Bar. He wrote a series of text books that took a new approach to the teaching of English Law including ''The Principles of Contract at Law and in

Equity Equity may refer to: Finance, accounting and ownership *Equity (finance), ownership of assets that have liabilities attached to them ** Stock, equity based on original contributions of cash or other value to a business ** Home equity, the diff ...

'' (1876) and ''The Law of

Torts A tort is a civil wrong that causes a claimant to suffer loss or harm, resulting in legal liability for the person who commits the tortious act. Tort law can be contrasted with criminal law, which deals with criminal wrongs that are punishab ...

'' (1887). Rather than relying on specific applications of law these works emphasised underlying principles. They acted as models for future textbooks and helped modernise English legal education. Pollock taught at the University of Oxford (1883–1903), as

Corpus Professor of Jurisprudence The position of Professor of Jurisprudence (originally the Corpus Professor of Jurisprudence) at the University of Oxford, England, was created in 1869. The holders of the position have been: * Sir Henry Maine 1869–77 * Sir Frederick Pollock 1 ...

. He was Professor of Common Law in the Inns of Court (1884–1890). He was Editor of the Law Reports from 1895 to 1935. He was the first editor of the '' Law Quarterly Review'' which was founded in 1885. He was also, in 1894, the Chairman of The Society of AuthorsThe Times 1 June 1894 He was admitted to the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mo ...

in 1911. He was elected Treasurer of Lincoln's Inn in 1931.

Family

Pollock married on 13 August 1873 to Georgina Harriet Deffell (died on 30 March 1935), a daughter of John Deffell. They had two children: *Alice Isabella Pollock, born on 15 June 1876, died on 28 June 1953. Married first at St Marylebone Parish Church in London on 19 November 1902 to Sydney Waterlow (1878–1944), a diplomat and grandson of Sir Sydney Waterlow, 1st Baronet. This marriage was annulled in 1912, and she re-married the same year Captain Orlando Cyprian Williams, MC, CB (d.1967). * Frederick John Pollock (1878–1963), a noted historian, who succeeded to the baronetcy.

Fencing

Together with his younger brother Walter Herries Pollock, he participated in the first English revival of historical fencing, originated by Alfred Hutton and his colleagues Egerton Castle, Captain Carl Thimm, Colonel Cyril Matthey, Captain Percy Rolt, Captain Ernest George Stenson Cooke, Captain Frank Herbert Whittow. He was cited in a 1897 slander case involving the London Fencing Club when Sir John Hutton was sued by a French naval officer, Rene Martin Fortris, who accused Hutton of falsely stating that Fortris had been making unwelcome advances towards his daughter for two years. According to Fortris this led to Sir Frederick Pollock and John Norbury declining his application for membership of the London Fencing Club. The jury was unimpressed by Fortris's case and found in favour of Sir John Hutton.

Works

*
9th edition, 1921
* A Digest of the Law of Partnership. F.H. Thomas and Company, St. Louis, 1878 * *
2nd edition, 1892
*
volume II
* * * *
volume II
* *
4th edition, 1918
* * * * * * * * *

References

External links