Charles Gray Round (28 January 1797 – 1 December 1867) was a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

and the Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for North Essex 1837–47. He also served as

Recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a newsp ...

for

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in northeastern Essex, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the county, with a population of 130,245 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census. The demonym is ''Colcestrian''. Colchester occupies the ...

, and as a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

and Deputy Lieutenant for

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

, as well as being a substantial local landowner and notable. Round was educated at

Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...

then

Felsted Felsted (sometimes spelt Felstead) is a village and civil parish in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. The civil parish includes the hamlets of Bannister Green, Bartholomew Green, Causeway End, Coblers Green, Cock Green, Frenches Gre ...

(1810–1814), and graduated from

Balliol College Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and ar ...

, Oxford, with first-class honours in classics in 1818 (BA) and 1821 (MA); he was called to the Bar by

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 ...

in 1822.The round was always regarded as "a very able and intelligent lawyer", though not an eloquent pleader. He served as Chairman of the

Essex Quarter Sessions Essex ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the south, Greater London to the so ...

, a post which he held for twenty years, and as Recorder of Colchester for nearly thirty. Round was an active magistrate for Essex and a warm supporter of most of the religious societies connected with the Church of England. He was also a founding member of the Essex Archaeological Society. Politically, he was elected unopposed to become an MP for North Essex in 1837, a seat which he held until 1847, when he stood for the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

, but failed to win that, losing to

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...

. Round inherited from his father (also Charles) a great deal of land in Colchester, including Birch Hall, which he rebuilt 1843–8 as "a handsome mansion in the plain Ionic order". In the same way, he took possession of

Colchester Castle Colchester Castle is a Norman architecture, Norman castle in Colchester, Essex, England, dating from the second half of the eleventh century. The keep of the castle is mostly intact and is the largest example of its kind anywhere in Europe, d ...

and the accompanying Castle Park, originally under the ownership of Charles Gray. Round resigned his position as Recorder of Colchester in 1863. In 1838 he married his wife Emma Sarah (1819–1892); together they "promoted religion and education in the parish f Birch were diligent in charitable works, and provided some housing for estate workers." Having no children, he was succeeded as owner of Birch Hall by his nephew James Round. In his will, he provided for trustees to build

sea defences Coastal management is defence against flooding and erosion, and techniques that stop erosion to claim lands. Protection against rising sea levels in the 21st century is crucial, as sea level rise accelerates due to climate change. Changes in s ...

near

Clacton-on-Sea Clacton-on-Sea, often simply called Clacton, is a seaside town and seaside resort, resort in the county of Essex, on the east coast of England. It is located on the Tendring Peninsula and is the largest settlement in the Tendring District, wi ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Round, Charles Gray 1797 births 1867 deaths UK MPs 1837–1841 UK MPs 1841–1847 Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Deputy lieutenants of Essex