Thomas Wilde, 1st Baron Truro, (7 July 178211 November 1855) was a British lawyer, judge, and politician. He was

Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The lord chancellor is the minister of justice for England and Wales and the highest-ra ...

between 1850 and 1852.

Background and education

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 ...

, Truro was the second son of Thomas Wilde, an attorney, and founder of Wilde Sapte, by his wife, Mary Anne (née Knight). He was educated at St Paul's School and was admitted as an attorney in 1805. He was the younger brother of Sir John Wylde and the uncle of

James Wilde, 1st Baron Penzance James Plaisted Wilde, 1st Baron Penzance, (12 July 1816 – 9 December 1899) was a noted British judge and rose breeder who was also a proponent of the Baconian theory that the works usually attributed to William Shakespeare were in fact writte ...

Legal and political career

Wilde subsequently entered the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

and 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 ...

in 1817, having practised for two years before as a

special pleader A special pleader was a historical legal occupation. The practitioner, or "special pleader" in English law specialised in drafting "pleadings", in modern terminology statements of case. History Up to the 19th century, there were many rules, tech ...

. Retained for the defence of Queen Caroline in 1820, he distinguished himself by his cross-examination and laid the foundation of an extensive common law practice. In 1824, he was made Serjeant-at-Law, and in 1827 King's Serjeant. He first entered parliament in the Whig interest as a member for Newark (1831–1832 and 1835–1841), afterwards representing

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engl ...

(1841–1846). He was appointed

Solicitor General A solicitor general is a government official who serves as the chief representative of the government in courtroom proceedings. In systems based on the English common law that have an attorney general or equivalent position, the solicitor general ...

in 1839,

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 ...

in 1840, and became

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 ...

in succession to Sir John Campbell in 1841. In 1846 he was appointed

Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas The chief justice of the common pleas was the head of the Court of Common Pleas (England), Court of Common Pleas, also known as the Common Bench, which was the second-highest Common law#History, common law court in the English law, English lega ...

, an office he held until 1850 when he became

Lord Chancellor The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The lord chancellor is the minister of justice for England and Wales and the highest-ra ...

and was created Baron Truro of Bowes in the

County of Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the Thames in the south, the Lea to the east and the Colne to the west. A line of hi ...

. He held this latter office until the fall of the Russell ministry in 1852.

Family

Lord Truro first married Mary Devaynes in 1813 (the widow of

William Devaynes William Devaynes (12 October 1730 – 29 November 1809) was an Africa trader, London banker, Government contractor, director of the East India Company, the Africa Company, the Globe Insurance Company, and the French Hospital and also five times ...

(1730–1809) and daughter of William Wileman). They had three surviving children. After Mary died in 1840, he married

Augusta Emma d'Este Augusta Emma Wilde, Baroness Truro (née d'Este; 11 August 1801 – 21 May 1866) was the daughter of Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex and Lady Augusta Murray. Her mother was the second daughter of John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunm ...

, daughter of

Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex (27 January 1773 – 21 April 1843), was the sixth son and ninth child of George III, King George III and his queen consort, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. He was the only surviving son of George III ...

and a first cousin of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

, on 13 August 1845. There were no children from this marriage. Lord Truro died in London in November 1855, aged 76. He was succeeded in the barony by his second but eldest surviving son, Charles. Lady Truro died in May 1866, aged 64. Thomas Wilde is commemorated by a

Blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom, and certain other countries and territories, to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving a ...

erected on the front of 2 Kelvin Avenue

Bowes Park Bowes Park () is situated on the borders of Wood Green, Palmers Green and Bounds Green in London, England. The postcodes for Bowes Park are N postcode area, N13 and N22. The border between the London boroughs of London Borough of Enfield, Enfield ...

London N13 which reads: "Site of Bowes Manor THOMAS WILDE 1st BARON TRURO 1782 – 1855 LORD CHANCELLOR 1850 – 1852 LIVED HERE" Wilde also lived at Truro House, Broomfield Park,

Palmers Green Palmers Green is a suburban area and electoral ward in north London, England, within the London Borough of Enfield. It is located within the N13 postcode district, around north of Charing Cross. It is home to the largest population of Greek Cy ...

London N13, a Grade II listed building that dates back to 1673.

Arms

Notes

References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Truro, Thomas Wilde, 1st Baron 1782 births 1855 deaths Attorneys general for England and Wales 1 Lord chancellors of Great Britain Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies People educated at St Paul's School, London UK MPs 1835–1837 UK MPs 1837–1841 UK MPs 1841–1847 UK MPs 1831–1832 UK MPs who were granted peerages Members of the Inner Temple Serjeants-at-law (England) Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom D'Este family Members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council Peers of the United Kingdom created by Queen Victoria Committee members of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge