Sir James Gell (13 January 1823 – 12 March 1905)''Ramsey Courier.'' Tuesday, 14.03.1905 Page: 3 was a Manx lawyer, who was the

First Deemster A Deemster ( gv, briw) is a judge in the Isle of Man. The High Court of Justice of the Isle of Man is presided over by a deemster or, in the case of the appeal division of that court, a deemster and the Judge of Appeal. The deemsters also promu ...

and

Clerk of the Rolls The Clerk of the Rolls ( gv, Cleragh ny Lioaryn) is a judge and Head of the Judiciary in the Isle of Man. This position was formerly distinct from that of the Deemsters but now the Clerk of the Rolls is held jointly with the office of First Dee ...

in the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = " O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europ ...

. He was also the first Manxman to become Attorney General of the Isle of Man.

Biography

Early life

James Gell was born on 13 January 1823, the son of John Gell, of Kenna, in the parish of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

and Margaret (née McHutchin) of

Peel, Isle of Man Peel ( gv, Purt ny h-Inshey – Port of the Island) is a seaside town and small fishing port in the Isle of Man, in the historic parish of German but administered separately. Peel is the third largest town in the island after Douglas and Ram ...

. He was the second of three children, his brothers being John Gell (Jnr) and

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Phillip Gell (1827-1898). Gell was educated at

King William's College King William's College (nicknamed KWC or King Bill's; gv, Colleish Ree Illiam) is an independent school for pupils aged 3 to 18, located near Castletown on the Isle of Man. It is a member of the International Baccalaureate and Headmasters' and ...

, Castletown, Isle of Man.

Career

Following his schooling, Gell was

articled Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

to Gilbert McHutchin (his uncle) at the Rolls Office. In 1845 he was called to the Manx Bar.''Mona's Herald'' Wednesday, 15.03.1905 Page 7 After completing his articles Gell set up his own legal practice, becoming a highly sought-after advocate. His first official appointment was as High Bailiff of Castletown upon the death of

John Kelly John or Jack Kelly may refer to: People Academics and scientists *John Kelly (engineer), Irish professor, former Registrar of University College Dublin *John Kelly (scholar) (1750–1809), at Douglas, Isle of Man * John Forrest Kelly (1859–1922) ...

; he held this office from 1854 to 1866. In 1866 the office of

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 ...

became vacant following the retirement of Charles Ogden. Until the appointment of Gell, this office had always been held by an English lawyer, but at this juncture Governor Loch made determined efforts to secure the appointment of a Manxman, and made strong representations to the Home Office as to the advisability of appointing a Manx lawyer. Gell was eventually appointed; he was the first Manxman selected for the office. From 1872 to 1881 he was Chairman of the island's Board of Education. In 1887 he was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of 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. Knighthood finds origins in the G ...

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 her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

, along with

William Drinkwater Sir William Leece Drinkwater (28 March 1812 – 22 May 1909) was a First Deemster of the Isle of Man. Drinkwater came from an old Liverpool family and was born on 28 March 1812. His grandfather was James Drinkwater, Mayor of Liverpool in 1810 ...

. In 1895 Sir James Gell was elected as a Church Commissioner. After holding the office of Attorney General for 32 years, he was appointed

in 1898 upon the retirement of Sir William Drinkwater; and in 1900 he succeeded Sir Alured Dumbell as Clerk of the Rolls. On two separate occasions Sir James held the highest office open to a Manxman, that of Governor of the Isle of Man. The first instance was during the illness of Lord Henniker: Sir James was appointed Deputy and presided at

Tynwald Tynwald ( gv, Tinvaal), or more formally, the High Court of Tynwald ( gv, Ard-whaiyl Tinvaal) or Tynwald Court, is the legislature of the Isle of Man. It consists of two chambers, known as the branches of Tynwald: the directly elected House ...

. The second instance was in 1902, during the interregnum between the death of Lord Henniker and the appointment of Lord Raglan. During the second period Sir James welcomed

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

and

Queen Alexandra Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 January 1901 to 6 May 1910 as the wife of ...

to the island during their visit in August 1902, an occasion on which Sir James was appointed a Commander of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...

(CVO) by King Edward. Sir James was also present at the Coronation ceremony of King Edward VII. Whilst Sir James was appointed Deputy Governor in the first place, he was appointed Acting Governor in the second instance, an important distinction. The Duke of Athol was the last supreme Governor of Man, until the Isle of Man Purchase Act 1765 (also known as the Act of Revestment). All Governors since then had been Lieutenant Governors, but Sir James' appointment as Acting Governor was on a par with the position of the Duke of Athol, and he had the right to appoint a Lieutenant Governor had he so wished. Thus his office of Acting Governor carried with it greater authority than that of Lieutenant Governor; this fact Sir James himself pointed out to the Home Office. Other offices held by Sir James included: Chairman of the Insular Magistrates (to which office he succeeded in 1872 upon the death of William Callister), President of the Manx Law Society and Trustee of

. It was said of Sir James that as a lawyer he had an unequalled knowledge of Manx law in all its intricacies. In addition he was a very thorough

ecclesiastical {{Short pages monitor