Richard Pepper Arden, 1st Baron Alvanley (20 May 1744 – 19 March 1804) was a

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and Whig politician, who served as the Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas. He was a Member of Parliament from 1783 to 1801.

Biography

He was born on 20 May 1744 in Bredbury, the son of John Arden (1709–1787), and Mary Pepper, and baptised on 20 June 1744 in

Stockport Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt, Rivers Goyt and River Tame, Greater Manchester, Tame merge to create the River Mersey he ...

. Educated at The Manchester Grammar School, he matriculated at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, 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 ...

in November 1761 and received his BA in 1766. Arden was admitted to the

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in 1769, and received his MA from Trinity the same year, being made a Fellow of the college shortly after. He took chambers in

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and became a close friend of William Pitt, with whom he would maintain a political alliance throughout his career. In 1776 he was made judge on the South Wales circuit. Invested as a

King'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 1780, he was

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during the ministry of Shelburne, and again for a year under Pitt the Younger. At this time he entered the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

as the Whig MP for Newtown, representing the seat from 1783 to 1784. In 1784 he became MP for Aldborough, and was appointed

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

and Chief Justice of Chester, posts he would hold until 1788. On 4 June 1788, he was again advanced to become

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 ...

, and was knighted on 18 June 1788. He was also appointed to the Privy Council that year. In 1790, he left Aldborough to become MP for

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until 1794, and then for

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until 1801. In May 1801, he was appointed Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas, and on 22 May 1801, was created Baron Alvanley, of Alvanley, in the

County of Chester Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shropshire to the south; to the west ...

. Alvanley died on 19 March 1804 and was buried a week later in

Rolls Chapel The Maughan Library () is the main university research library of King's College London, forming part of the Strand Campus. A 19th-century Gothic Revival architecture, neo-Gothic building located on Chancery Lane in the City of London, it was fo ...

, London. His will was probated in April 1804. According to William E. A. Axon in the ''Dictionary of National Biography'': "He was not a man of great oratorical powers, but possessed the qualities of intelligence, readiness and wit... It would be vain to claim any great distinction for Lord Alvanley. He was a learned lawyer and a successful politician... the few productions that remain from his pen evince refinement, taste and facility of expression."

Family

On 9 September 1784, Arden married Anne Dorothea Wilbraham-Bootle (1757–1825), daughter of Richard Wilbraham-Bootle and Mary Bootle. Their children were: *John Arden (1786–1787) *Sarah Arden (d. 1787) *

William Arden, 2nd Baron Alvanley William Arden, 2nd Baron Alvanley (8 January 1789 – 16 November 1849) was a British Army officer, peer and socialite, who was a friend of Beau Brummell and one of a close circle of young men surrounding the Prince Regent. Early life and milita ...

(1789–1849), died unmarried. *Marianne Arden (d. 1791) *Frances Henrietta Arden (1792–1852), married on 25 June 1831 to Sir John Warrender of Lochend, 5th Baronet, son of Sir Patrick Warrender of Lochend. * Richard Pepper Arden, 3rd Baron Alvanley (1792–1857), married Lady Arabella Vane, daughter of William Henry Vane, 1st Duke of Cleveland and Lady Catherine Margaret Powlett. *Katherine Emma Arden (1794–1875)The History and Antiquities of the Parish of Darlington, W. H. D. Longstaffe, J. Henry Parker (London), 1854, p. 389.

Notes

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Alvanley, Richard Pepper Arden, 1st Baron 1744 births 1804 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge 1 Alvanley British MPs 1780–1784 British MPs 1784–1790 British MPs 1790–1796 British MPs 1796–1800 Chief justices of the common pleas Alvanley, Richard Arden, 1st Baron Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge Masters of the Rolls Alvanley, Richard Arden, 1st Baron Members of Parliament for the Isle of Wight Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain People educated at Manchester Grammar School People from Bredbury Politics of Bath, Somerset UK MPs 1801–1802 UK MPs who were granted peerages Whig (British political party) MPs for English constituencies Knights Bachelor 19th-century English judges