Sir Christopher Rawlinson (10 July 1806 – 28 March 1888) was an English colonial judge who was

Chief Justice of Madras The High Court of Judicature at Madras is a High Court located in Chennai, India. It has appellate jurisdiction over the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. It is one of the oldest high courts of India along with Calcut ...

and the first vice-chancellor of the

University of Madras The University of Madras is a public university, public State university (India), state university in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and most prominent universities in India, incorporated by an ...

. Rawlinson was born at Combe, Hampshire, the second son of police magistrate John Rawlinson (1777/8–1847) of New Place, Alresford, and of Clatford and Combe, Hampshire, by his wife Felicia, daughter of Thomas Watson, of Haydon Hall, Middlesex.A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland for 1850, vol. II, John B. Burke, Henry Colburn, 1850, p. 1101 He was educated at the

Charterhouse Charterhouse may refer to: * Charterhouse (monastery), of the Carthusian religious order Charterhouse may also refer to: Places * The Charterhouse, Coventry, a former monastery * Charterhouse School, an English public school in Surrey London ...

and at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, 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 ...

(B.A. 1828, M.A. 1831).

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 ...

at the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...

(as his father had been) in 1831, he joined the western circuit in 1832, and was recorder of

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

from 1840 to 1847, when he was appointed recorder of Prince of Wales Island, Singapore, and Malacca. In 1847 he was knighted. In 1849 he was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Judicature at Madras, and held that position till his retirement in 1859. In his charge to the

grand jury A grand jury is a jury empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a person to testify. A grand ju ...

on 5 January 1859 he expressed the belief that great benefits would accrue from the recent transfer of the government of India from the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

to the

Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, parti ...

, and refuted the assertion then commonly made by English officials in India, that no materials for self-government existed in the country. On 9 February 1859 he was presented with a farewell address by the native community of Madras at an entertainment at which the governor,

Lord Harris Colonel George Robert Canning Harris, 4th Baron Harris, (3February 185124March 1932), generally known as Lord Harris, was a British colonial administrator and Governor of Bombay, best known for developing cricket administration via Marylebone ...

, was present. In 1842 he published a work on "The Municipal Practices Act". He died at 33

Eaton Square Eaton Square is a rectangular, residential garden square in London's Belgravia district. It is the largest Squares in London, square in London. It is one of the three squares built by the landowning Grosvenor family when they developed the main ...

, London, on 28 March 1888. On 27 May 1847 he had married Georgina Maria, younger daughter of Alexander Radclyffe Sidebottom,

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 ...

, by whom he had three sons—Christopher (b. 1850), Albemarle Alexander, late major 8th hussars, John Frederick Peel—and one daughter. His nephew by marriage was William Melmoth Walters, whose daughter Gertrude married Rawlinson's nephew Thomas Arthur Rawlinson and was mother of the screenwriter and film producer A. R. Rawlinson.The Law Times, vol. 96, 1894, p. 46

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rawlinson, Christopher Members of the Middle Temple 1806 births 1888 deaths Vice chancellors of the University of Madras Knights Bachelor Chief justices of the Madras High Court People educated at Charterhouse School Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge British India judges