Sir Claud Ramsay Wilmot Seton Kt MC (30 June 1888 – 3 September 1982), also known as C.R.W. Seton, was a British solicitor, barrister, and colonial judge.

Early life

Seton was one of the four children of Emily Georgina Walker and Reverend Andrew Ramsay Wilmot Seton, Vicar of Stow, Upland, Suffolk in 1883, a Councillor of Halsingden, Manchester in 1878, and a colonist and church clerk in South Africa during the 1890s. Seton received his education at

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

. He then trained as a solicitor and practiced with a firm under the name of Shelton and Company. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he served as a Temporary 2nd Lieutenant in the Infantry Motor Machine Gun Corps, for which he was awarded a

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

Colonial career

Following the War, Seton was a judge of the Jaffa district court in

Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine was a British Empire, British geopolitical entity that existed between 1920 and 1948 in the Palestine (region), region of Palestine, and after 1922, under the terms of the League of Nations's Mandate for Palestine. After ...

for six years, from 1920 to 1926 (during which he rose to the position of vice-president). After, he was seconded to the government of the

Emirate of Transjordan The Emirate of Transjordan (), officially the Amirate of Trans-Jordan, was a British protectorate established on 11 April 1921,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 Wale ...

in 1928. He served as the President of the

Haifa Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area i ...

district court from 1931 to 1935. He then served as a Puisne Judge in Jamaica between 1935 and 1941. After this, he was appointed as the Chief Justice of Nyasaland from 1941 to 1945;

Chief Justice of Fiji The chief justice is the Republic of Fiji's highest judiciary, judicial officer. The office and its responsibilities are set out in Chapter 5 of the 2013 Constitution of Fiji. The chief justice is appointed by the President of Fiji, president ...

and

Chief Judicial Commissioner for the Western Pacific The Chief Justice of the High Commissioner's Court, more commonly known as the Chief Judicial Commissioner for the Western Pacific, was the chief judicial officer throughout the British Western Pacific Territories from 1877 through 1976. This was ...

from 1945 to 1949.

Personal life

Seton married Mary Francis Bennett in 1933.

Heraldry

In 1965, Seton had arms matriculated for him by the Scottish

Court of the Lord Lyon The Court of the Lord Lyon, or Lyon Court, is a standing court of law, based in New Register House in Edinburgh, which regulates heraldry in Scotland. The Lyon Court maintains the register of grants of arms, known as the Public Register of All ...

as "Representer of Seton of Powderhall", his ancestor, Daniel Seton, a Scottish merchant who is said to have had 19 children from two marriages.

National Honours

* : **

Military Cross of the

British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces are the unified military, military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its British Overseas Territories, Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests ...

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...

Foreign Honours

* : ** Grand Officer / Second Class of the

Order of Independence (Jordan) The Order of Independence (''Wisam al-Istiqial'') is the fourth knighthood order of the Kingdom of Jordan. History It was instituted in 1921 by Emir Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca. Grades The Order of Independence is divided in five class ...

The London Gazette, 1 December 193

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seton, Claud Knights Bachelor 1982 deaths Recipients of the Military Cross People educated at Framlingham College Alumni of University College London English solicitors Members of Gray's Inn Colonial Legal Service officers Staffordshire Yeomanry officers Machine Gun Corps officers British Army personnel of World War I Mandatory Palestine judges Nyasaland judges Chief justices of Fiji Colony of Fiji judges Chief judicial commissioners for the Western Pacific 1888 births 20th-century Jamaican judges