Sir Albert Denis Gerrard (27 May 1903 – 23 January 1965) was a British lawyer and High Court judge, who sat in the

Queen's Bench Division The King's Bench Division (or Queen's Bench Division when the monarch is female) of the High Court of Justice deals with a wide range of common law cases and has supervisory responsibility over certain lower courts. It hears appeals on point ...

between 1953 and 1956.

Biography

The younger son of Samuel and Ruth Gerrard,

Southport Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...

, Denis Gerrard was educated at Merchant Taylors’ School, Crosby and

Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, commonly known as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348 by Edmund Gonville, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and ...

(BA, LLB). He was

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 ...

by Gray’s Inn in 1927. He joined the

Northern Circuit The Northern Circuit is a circuit of the General Council of the Bar and English judiciary. The Northern Circuit stretches from Carlisle in Cumberland at its northernmost point, running through Lakeland to the port of Whitehaven in the West, ...

, of which he eventually became the leader. He was made a

King's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

in 1945 and elected a

bencher A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales or the Inns of Court in Northern Ireland, or the Honorable Society of King's Inns in Ireland. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher c ...

of Gray's Inn in 1948. He was the

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 ...

Salford Salford ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Greater Manchester, England, on the western bank of the River Irwell which forms its boundary with Manchester city centre. Landmarks include the former Salford Town Hall, town hall, ...

from 1945 to 1948, Judge of the Salford Hundred Court of Record from 1948 to 1953, and Judge of Appeal of the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

from 1950 to 1953. Gerrard was appointed a Justice of the High Court in 1953, receiving the customary

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a 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. The concept of a knighthood ...

. Assigned to the

, he resigned from the bench in 1956 due to ill health. He later became Treasurer of Gray’s Inn for 1964 and Vice-Treasurer for 1965. Gerrard married Hilda Goodwin Jones in 1927; they had one son.

Arms

References

* "Sir Denis Gerrard", ''The Times'', 25 January 1965, p. 14 * ''Who Was Who'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Gerrard, Denis Knights Bachelor 1965 deaths People educated at Merchant Taylors' Boys' School, Crosby Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Members of Gray's Inn English King's Counsel 20th-century King's Counsel Queen's Bench Division judges 1903 births