John Romilly, 1st Baron Romilly PC (20 January 1802 – 23 December 1874), known as Sir John Romilly between 1848 and 1866, was an English Whig politician and judge. He served in Lord John Russell's first administration as Solicitor-General from 1848 to 1850 and as

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

from 1850 and 1851. The latter year he was appointed

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 ...

, a post he held until 1873. Knighted in 1848, he was ennobled as Baron Romilly in 1866.

Early life

Romilly was born in London, the second son of

Sir Samuel Romilly Sir Samuel Romilly (1 March 1757 – 2 November 1818), was a British lawyer, politician and legal reformer. From a background in the commercial world, he became well-connected, and rose to public office and a prominent position in Parliament. A ...

and the former Anne Garbett, a daughter of daughter of Francis Garbett of Knill Court,

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthsh ...

. After serving as

Solicitor-General for England and Wales His Majesty's Solicitor General for England and Wales, known informally as the Solicitor General, is one of the law officers of the Crown in the government of the United Kingdom. They are the deputy of the Attorney General, whose duty is to ad ...

, his father became a

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for Horsham, Wareham, Arundel, and

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

. Among his siblings was sister Sophia Romilly (wife of

Thomas Francis Kennedy Thomas Francis Kennedy (11 November 17881 April 1879), Scottish politician, was born near Ayr in 1788. He studied for the bar and became advocate in 1811. Having been elected Member of Parliament for the Ayr Burghs in 1818, he devoted the gre ...

, MP for Ayr Burghs), and younger brothers Charles Romilly (who married Lady Georgiana Russell, a daughter of

John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford, (6 July 1766 – 20 October 1839), known as Lord John Russell until 1802, was a British Whig politician who notably served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in the Ministry of All the Talents. He was the fathe ...

), Frederick Romilly (who served as MP for

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

).thepeerage.com John Romilly, 1st Baron Romill
/ref> He was educated at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a 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 college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

, and was called to the Bar at

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

, in 1827.

Career

Romilly first entered

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

in 1832 as member for

Bridport Bridport is a market town in Dorset, England, inland from the English Channel near the confluence of the River Brit and its tributary the Asker. Its origins are Saxon and it has a long history as a rope-making centre. On the coast and wit ...

, holding the seat from 1832 to 1835 and again from 1846 to 1847. In 1843 he became a

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister o ...

. He was elected Member of Parliament for Devonport in 1847, and was appointed Solicitor-General and knighted in 1848 in

Lord John Russell John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, (18 August 1792 – 28 May 1878), known by his courtesy title Lord John Russell before 1861, was a British Whig and Liberal statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1852 and a ...

's administration, being promoted to

in 1850. In 1851 he was appointed

, and continued to sit for Devonport till the general election in 1852, when he was defeated. He was the last Master of the Rolls to sit in Parliament. Romilly was raised to the peerage as Baron Romilly, of

Barry Barry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Barry (name), including lists of people with the given name, nickname or surname, as well as fictional characters with the given name * Dancing Barry, stage name of Barry Richards (born c. 19 ...

in the County of Glamorgan, in 1866, and retired from the mastership of the rolls in 1873. He did much to remove the restrictions which had long hampered research among the public records and state papers.

Notable judicial decisions

Notable judicial decisions of Romilly include: ''Norris v Chambres'' (1861) 29 Beav 246, 54 ER 621: whether an equitable lien could be claimed in immovable property overseas against a third party.

Personal life

Lord Romilly married Caroline Charlotte, daughter of the Right Reverend

William Otter William Otter (23 October 1768 – 20 August 1840) was the first Principal of King's College, London, who later served as Bishop of Chichester. Early life William Otter was born at Cuckney, Nottinghamshire on 23 October 1768, the son of Do ...

, in 1833. They had several children, including: *

William Romilly, 2nd Baron Romilly William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

(1835–1891), who married Emily Idonea Sophia Le Marchant, eldest daughter of Lt.-Gen. Sir John Le Marchant, in 1865. After her death in 1866, he married Helen Denison, eldest daughter of Edward Hanson Denison, in 1872. * Hon. Edward Romilly (1838–1886), a barrister who married Edith Mary Cowie (d. 1880), second daughter of

Benjamin Morgan Cowie Benjamin Morgan Cowie was Dean of Manchester and then Exeter, both in England, in the last quarter of the 19th century. Born on 8 June 1816, he was educated at St John's College, Cambridge and graduated Senior Wrangler in 1839. Ordained in 18 ...

Dean of Manchester The Dean of Manchester is based in Manchester, England and is the head of the Chapter of Manchester Cathedral. The current dean is Rogers Govender MBE. List of deans *1840–1847 William Herbert *1847–1872 George Bowers *1872–1883 Benj ...

, in 1871. * Hon. Henry Romilly (1845–1886), who married Edith Rathbone, eldest daughter of Bernard Rathbone, in 1878. After his death in 1886, she married

Thomas Northcote Toller Thomas Northcote Toller (1844–1930) was the first professor of English language at Manchester and one of the editors of ''An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary'' which had been begun by Joseph Bosworth Joseph Bosworth (1788 – 27 May 1876) was an Eng ...

of Lansdowne House in Didsbury in 1889. * Hon. Arthur Romilly, barrister (1850–1884), who married Flora Schellbach (d. 1937), second daughter of Prof Schellbach of Berlin, in 1877. * Hon. Anne Romilly (d. 1913), who married Clement Tudway Swanston QC (d. 1879) in 1861. * Hon. Mary Romilly (d. 1921), who married Gen. Sir Lothian Nicholson KCB,

Governor of Gibraltar The governor of Gibraltar is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The role of the governor is to act as the ...

(d. 1893) in 1864. * Hon. Sophie Romilly (–1895) * Hon. Lucy Henrietta Romilly (d. 1923), who married

Henry Crompton Henry Crompton (1836–1904) was an English court clerk and barrister, known as an advocate of positivism and trade unions. Life Born in Liverpool on 27 August 1836, he was the second of five sons of Charles John Crompton and his wife Caroline Fle ...

(d. 1904), second son of

Charles John Crompton Sir Charles John Crompton (12 June 1797 – 30 October 1865) was an English justice of the Queen's Bench. Life Crompton was born in Derby; he was the third son of Dr. Peter Crompton, and his second cousin Mary, daughter of John Crompton of Chorl ...

in 1870. Lady Romilly died in December 1856. Lord Romilly died in London on 23 December 1874, aged 72, and was succeeded in the barony his eldest son, William. He is buried in

Brompton Cemetery Brompton Cemetery (originally the West of London and Westminster Cemetery) is a London cemetery, managed by The Royal Parks, in West Brompton in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries. Establ ...

, London.

Descendants

Through his son Edward, he was a grandfather of Sybil Edith Mary Romilly (b. 1880), who married her cousin Admiral Sir Douglas Romilly Lothian Nicholson

KCMG KCMG may refer to * KC Motorgroup, based in Hong Kong, China * Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, British honour * KCMG-LP, radio station in New Mexico, USA * KCMG, callsign 1997-2001 of Los Angeles radio station KKLQ (FM) ...

KCVO (d. 1946), in 1907. Through his son Henry, he was a grandfather of Sophie Katherine Romilly (1879–1904).

Arms

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Romilly, 1st Baron Romilly, John 1802 births 1874 deaths Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies Attorneys General for England and Wales Solicitors General for England and Wales UK MPs 1832–1835 UK MPs 1841–1847 UK MPs 1847–1852 UK MPs who were granted peerages Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Burials at Brompton Cemetery Members of Gray's Inn Masters of the Rolls Members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council People associated with The National Archives (United Kingdom) Knights Bachelor Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Peers of the United Kingdom created by Queen Victoria