Sir Alan Chambré (4 October 1739 – 20 September 1823) was an English judge.

Life

He was the eldest son of Walter Chambré, of Halhead Hall,

Kendal Kendal, once Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Westmorland and Furness, England. It lies within the River Kent's dale, from which its name is derived, just outside the boundary of t ...

, in

Westmorland Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland''R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref>) is an area of North West England which was Historic counties of England, historically a county. People of the area ...

. He was a barrister through his wife, Mary, who was the daughter of Jacob Morland of Capplethwaite Hall in the same county. He was born at Kendal on 4 October 1739. After receiving an early education at Kendal Grammar School, he was sent to

Sedbergh School Sedbergh School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Private schools in the United Kingdom, private boarding school, boarding and day school, day school) in the town of Sedbergh in Cumbria, North West England. It comprise ...

under the care of Wynne Bateman. From Sedbergh he went to London, where he entered the office of Forth Wintour, as solicitor, in Pall Mall. He also became a member of the Society of

Staple Inn Staple Inn is a part-Tudor period, Tudor building on the south side of High Holborn street in the City of London, London, England. Located near Chancery Lane tube station, it is used as the London venue for meetings of the Institute and Faculty ...

. He moved to

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...

in February 1758 and in November 1764 from the Middle Temple to

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

. In May 1767 he 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 ...

, and went to the northern circuit, of which he soon became one of the leaders. He was elected to the bench of

in June 1781, and in 1783 filled the annual office of treasurer. In 1796, he was appointed recorder of Lancaster. Upon the retirement of Richard Perryn from the judicial bench, he was chosen as his successor. In order to qualify for the bench, it was necessary that Chambré be made a serjeant-at-law. As Perryn had retired just before the summer circuit, and serjeants could only be called in term, a special act of parliament ( Courts of Exchequer Act 1799, 39 Geo. 3. c. 67) was passed authorising, for the first time, the appointment of a serjeant in the vacation. Under the provisions of this act, Chambré received the degree of serjeant on 2 July 1799, and was appointed a baron of the exchequer on the same day. Lord Chief Justice James Eyre died five days after the special act had received the royal assent. The same difficulty occurred again, and a general act ( Appointment of Judges in Vacation Act 1799, 39 Geo. 3. c. 113) was passed in the same session authorising the appointment of any barrister to the degree of serjeant during the vacation if done for the purpose of filling up a vacancy on the bench. Lord Eldon was the first judge appointed under the provisions of this act. On 13 June 1800, Chambré was transferred to the court of common pleas, as successor to Sir Francis Buller. In this court he remained until December 1815, when he resigned his seat. Sitting on the bench for more than fifteen years, he became entitled to a pension of £2,000 a year by virtue of an act passed in the same year in which he had been appointed a judge ( Judges' Pensions Act 1799, 39 Geo. 3. c. 110). Chambré died at Crown Inn,

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and civil parish in the North Yorkshire District, district and North Yorkshire, county of North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist de ...

, on 20 September 1823, at age 84, and was buried in the family vault in Kendal parish church, where a monument was erected to his memory. He was never married, and was succeeded in his estates by his nephew, Thomas Chambré.

References

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Chambre, Alan 1739 births 1823 deaths English barristers 18th-century English judges Barons of the Exchequer 19th-century English judges People educated at Sedbergh School