Peter Raymond Oliver, Baron Oliver of Aylmerton, PC (7 March 1921 – 17 October 2007) was a British barrister and judge who served as a

Lord of Appeal in Ordinary Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, commonly known as Law Lords, were judges appointed under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876 to the British House of Lords, as a committee of the House, effectively to exercise the judicial functions of the House of ...

between 1986 and 1991. The son of an academic lawyer, he served with distinction during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, before joining the Chancery bar. He was appointed to the High Court in 1974, to the Court of Appeal in 1980, and to the House of Lords in 1986, having earlier been tipped to succeed

Lord Denning Alfred Thompson Denning, Baron Denning, (23 January 1899 – 5 March 1999), was an English barrister and judge. He was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1923 and became a King's Counsel in 1938. Denning became a judge in 1944 when he w ...

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 Court of Appeal (England and Wales)#Civil Division, Civil Division of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales ...

in 1982. He retired in 1992, and in later life suffered from loss of sight.

Biography

Oliver was born in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

, where his father, David Thomas Oliver, was a professor of law and fellow of

Trinity Hall, Cambridge Trinity Hall (formally The College or Hall of the Holy Trinity in the University of Cambridge, colloquially "Tit Hall" ) is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1350, it is th ...

. He was educated at

The Leys School The Leys School is a co-educational private school in Cambridge, England. It is a boarding and day school for about 565 pupils between the ages of eleven and eighteen. The head is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. ...

and

, graduating with a starred First in law in 1941. He later became an honorary fellow of Trinity Hall, and became University Commissary. From 1941 to 1945, he served in the 12th Battalion

Royal Tank Regiment The Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) is the oldest tank unit in the world, being formed by the British Army in 1916 during the World War I, First World War. Today, it is an Armoured warfare, armoured regiment equipped with Challenger 2 main battle tanks ...

, and was

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

during his service in Italy. He was Honorary President of the Cambridge University Law Society. Oliver was called to the Bar at

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

in 1948, and became a

chancery Chancery may refer to: Offices and administration * Court of Chancery, the chief court of equity in England and Wales until 1873 ** Equity (law), also called chancery, the body of jurisprudence originating in the Court of Chancery ** Courts of e ...

barrister. He became a

Queen's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

in 1965, a

bencher A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales or the Inns of Court in Northern Ireland, or the Honorable Society of King's Inns in Ireland. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher c ...

at Lincoln's Inn in 1973. He was knighted one year later, when he was appointed a Judge of the High Court in the

Chancery Division The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Senior Courts of England and Wales. Its name is abbreviated as EWHC (England ...

. Between 1976 and 1980, he was a member of the Restrictive Practices Court. He was chairman of the Review Body on the Chancery Division from 1979 to 1981, recommending many changes to modernise its practice. He became a

Privy Counsellor The Privy Council, formally His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its members, known as privy counsellors, are mainly senior politicians who are current or former ...

in 1980, when he was promoted to become a

Lord Justice of Appeal A Lord Justice of Appeal or Lady Justice of Appeal is a judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, the court that hears appeals from the High Court of Justice, the Crown Court and other courts and tribunals. A Lord (or Lady) Just ...

. He joined with Lord Denning in ruling that the

Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council (LCC) which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 198 ...

's "

Fares Fair Fares Fair was a public policy advocated by the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party administration of the Greater London Council (GLC), then led by Ken Livingstone. The policy of low public transport fares was implemented in 1981, but was later rul ...

" policy was illegal (a decision which was later upheld by the House of Lords). He was a leading contender to succeed

on his retirement in 1982, but the post went to Sir John Donaldson instead. In 1986, Oliver was appointed a

, and was created a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

with the title Baron Oliver of Aylmerton, of Aylmerton in the County of

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

. He joined the minority in the House of Lords judgment in the ''

Spycatcher ''Spycatcher: The Candid Autobiography of a Senior Intelligence Officer'' (1987) is a memoir written by Peter Wright, former MI5 officer and assistant director, and co-author Paul Greengrass. Wright drew on his experiences and research into ...

'' case in 1987, in favour of lifting the ban on its publication. He retired as Lord of Appeal in 1992. In later life, he lost his sight due to

macular degeneration Macular degeneration, also known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD or ARMD), is a medical condition which may result in blurred vision, blurred or vision loss, no vision in the center of the visual field. Early on there are often no sym ...

. Lord Oliver married twice, firstly Mary Chichester Rideal in 1945. They had a son and a daughter. After her death in 1985, he married secondly Wendy Anne Lloyd Jones (née Harrison) in 1987. He was survived by his second wife, and the two children from his first marriage.

Notable cases

*'' Taylor Fashions v Liverpool Victoria Trustees'' (1979), a leading case of

proprietary estoppel Proprietary estoppel is a legal claim, especially connected to English land law, which may arise in relation to rights to use the property of the owner. It may even be effective in connection with disputed transfers of ownership. Proprietary esto ...

*'' Alcock v Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police'' (1991), a leading case on psychiatric harm in Tort

Arms

References

*
Obituary, ''The Daily Telegraph'', 24 October 2007Obituary, ''The Times'', 29 October 2007Obituary, ''The Independent'', 31 October 2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oliver, Peter 1921 births 2007 deaths Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Oliver of Alymerton 20th-century English judges Royal Tank Regiment officers British Army personnel of World War II Oliver of Alymerton Alumni of Trinity Hall, Cambridge Fellows of Trinity Hall, Cambridge Chancery Division judges Members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council 20th-century King's Counsel Knights Bachelor

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

Military personnel from Cambridgeshire