Francis Raymond Evershed, 1st Baron Evershed,
PC (8 August 1899 – 3 October 1966) was a British
judge who served as
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 ...
, and subsequently became a
Law Lord
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 ...
.
Background and education
Evershed was the son of
Frank Evershed, a brewer and sportsman, and his wife Florence Helen, daughter of Thomas Lowe. He was educated at
Clifton College
''The spirit nourishes within''
, established = 160 years ago
, closed =
, type = Public schoolIndependent boarding and day school
, religion = Christian
, president =
, head_label = Head of College
, hea ...
and
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the ...
. During the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...
he was a Second Lieutenant in the
Royal Engineers. In January 1923, he was
called to the bar by
Lincoln's Inn.
[Francis Raymond Evershed, 1st and last Baron Evershed](_blank)
/ref> He then practiced at the Chancery bar.
Legal and judicial career
Evershed was made a K.C. in 1933 and 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 ca ...
of Lincoln's Inn in 1938. He became a High Court Judge in 1944 when he was knighted, and 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) Justice ...
in 1947, when he was also made a Privy Counsellor
The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises senior politicians who are current or former members of ei ...
. Between 1949 and 1962, he was 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 ...
and served as the U.K. Member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a list of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's ad ...
in 1950.
He was raised to the peerage as Baron Evershed, of Stapenhill
Stapenhill is a suburban village and civil parish in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire in the UK. It was a small village owned by Nigel of Stafford as far back as 1086, however, this ancient parish area has long since been surrounded by new hous ...
in the County of Derby, on 20 January 1956. In 1962, he was made 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 ...
, and was succeeded as Master of the Rolls by Lord Denning
Alfred Thompson "Tom" Denning, Baron Denning (23 January 1899 – 5 March 1999) was an English lawyer 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 whe ...
.
Personal life
Lord Evershed married Cecily Elizabeth Joan, daughter of Sir Charles Alan Bennett, in 1928. The title became extinct on his death in October 1966, aged 67.
References
1899 births
1966 deaths
Military personnel from Staffordshire
People educated at Clifton College
20th-century English judges
Knights Bachelor
Law lords
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Royal Engineers officers
Chancery Division judges
Masters of the Rolls
20th-century King's Counsel
English King's Counsel
Members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
Place of birth missing
Place of death missing
Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford
Hereditary barons created by Elizabeth II
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