Thomas Denman, 1st Baron Denman, (23 July 177926 September 1854) was an
English lawyer, judge and politician. He served as
Lord Chief Justice
The Lord or Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales is the head of the judiciary of England and Wales and the president of the courts of England and Wales.
Until 2005 the lord chief justice was the second-most senior judge of the English a ...
between 1832 and 1850.
Background and education
Denman was born in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, the son of
Dr Thomas Denman. In his fourth year, he attended
Palgrave Academy in Suffolk, where his education was supervised by
Anna Laetitia Barbauld
Anna Laetitia Barbauld (, by herself possibly , as in French, Aikin; 20 June 1743 – 9 March 1825) was a prominent English poet, essayist, literary critic, editor, and author of children's literature. A prominent member of the Blue Stockings ...
and her husband. He continued to
Eton and
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, formally the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge, is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch L ...
, where he graduated in 1800. In 1806 he 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 ...
, and at once entered upon practice.
Legal and judicial career
His success was rapid, and in a few years he attained a position at the bar second only to that of
Henry Brougham and
James Scarlett. He distinguished himself by his defence of the
Luddites; but his most brilliant appearance was as one of the counsel for
Queen Caroline. His speech before the
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
was very powerful, and some competent judges even considered it not inferior to Brougham's. It contained one or two daring passages, which made the
King
King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
his bitter enemy, and retarded his legal promotion.
Unfortunately he made a notable gaffe when he compared the Queen to the Biblical woman taken in adultery, who was told to "go away and sin no more". This suggested that her counsel had no belief in the Queen's innocence, and produced the mocking satire:
"Most Gracious Queen, we thee implore
To go away and sin no more
Or if that effort be too great
To go away at any rate".
At the general election of 1818 he was returned Member of Parliament for
Wareham, and at once took his seat with the
Whig opposition. In the following year, he was returned for
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...
, which seat he represented until 1826 and again from 1830 until his elevation to the bench in 1832. His liberal principles had caused his exclusion from office till in 1822 he was appointed
Common Serjeant of London by the corporation of
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. In 1830 he was made
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 ...
under
Lord Grey's administration
and was
knighted
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity.
The concept of a knighthood ...
on 24 November that year.
Two years later he was made
Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench
The Lord or Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales is the head of the judiciary of England and Wales and the president of the courts of England and Wales.
Until 2005 the lord chief justice was the second-most senior judge of the English and ...
and was sworn of the
Privy Council two days later. In 1834, he was raised to the peerage as Baron Denman, ''of Dovedale, in the County of Derby''. As a judge he is best remembered for his decision in the important privilege case of ''
Stockdale v. Hansard'' (9 Ad. & El. I.; II Ad. & El. 253).
In 1841 he presided, as
Lord High Steward
The Lord High Steward is the first of the Great Officers of State in England, nominally ranking above the Lord Chancellor.
The office has generally remained vacant since 1421, and is now an ''ad hoc'' office that is primarily ceremonial and ...
, over the trial in the House of Lords of the
Earl of Cardigan for attempted murder. In ''O'Connell v the Queen'', in 1844, he led the majority of the Lords in quashing the conviction for
sedition
Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech or organization, that tends toward rebellion against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent toward, or insurrection against, establ ...
of
Daniel O'Connell
Daniel(I) O’Connell (; 6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847), hailed in his time as The Liberator, was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century. His mobilisation of Catholic Irelan ...
. This is a tribute to his integrity since O'Connell was regarded with aversion by the British ruling class; but Denman, as he made clear, could not accept that he had received a fair trial. In 1850 he resigned from his chief justiceship and retired into private life. He was a Governor of the
Charter House, and a Vice-President of the
Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy. He also strove with great energy, both as a writer and as a judge, to effect the abolition of the
slave trade Slave trade may refer to:
* History of slavery - overview of slavery
It may also refer to slave trades in specific countries, areas:
* Al-Andalus slave trade
* Atlantic slave trade
** Brazilian slave trade
** Bristol slave trade
** Danish sl ...
.
Family
Lord Denman married Theodosia Anne, daughter of Reverend Richard Vevers, in 1804. His Derbyshire seat was
Middleton Hall, Stoney Middleton. He died at Stoke Albany, Northamptonshire aged 75, and was succeeded in the barony by his oldest son
Thomas
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the A ...
. Another son,
Joseph
Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...
, was a
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
officer, while another,
George, was an MP and High Court judge.
Cases
*''
Williams v. Carwardine'' (1833) 4 B. & Ad. 621
*''
Stockdale v. Hansard'' 9 Ad. & El. I.; II Ad. & El. 253
*''
Lynch v. Nurdin'' 1 QB 29, (1841) Arn and H 158, (1841) 113 ER 1041
*''O'Connell v The Queen''
84411 Cl. & Fin. 155
References
Sources
*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.
*
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Denman, Thomas
Chancellors of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom
Lord chief justices of England and Wales
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Wareham
Lord High Stewards
Whig (British political party) MPs for English constituencies
1
1779 births
1854 deaths
People educated at Eton College
Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge
Attorneys general for England and Wales
Common Serjeants of London
Fellows of the Royal Society
UK MPs 1818–1820
UK MPs 1820–1826
UK MPs 1826–1830
UK MPs 1830–1831
UK MPs 1831–1832
UK MPs who were granted peerages
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Thomas
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the A ...
Peers of the United Kingdom created by William IV
Knights Bachelor
Committee members of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge