Denis Martin Cowley QC (30 January 1919 – 28 June 1985) was a British barrister and judge.

Biography

Cowley was born in

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

, a son of Sir William Percy Cowley CBE, also a Liberal and a

Deemster A Deemster () 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 promulgate th ...

on 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 ...

. He was educated at

Radley College Radley College, formally St Peter's College, Radley or the College of St. Peter at Radley, is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (independent boarding school) for boys near the village of Radley, in Oxfordshire, in the United Kingd ...

and

Exeter College, Oxford Exeter College (in full: The Rector and Scholars of Exeter College in the University of Oxford) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, and the fourth-oldest college of the university. The college was founde ...

where he received a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

(Hons

Jurisprudence Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...

). In 1940 he married Margaret Hazel Teare, of

Ramsey, Isle of Man Ramsey () is a coastal town in the north of the Isle of Man. In 2024 it became the largest town on the Island after Douglas, Isle of Man, Douglas was granted city status. Ramsey's population is 8,288 according to the Census in the Isle of Man, ...

. They had one son and two daughters. Cowley served during the war as a Sergeant and then a Flight Lieutenant in the

Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) was established in 1936 to support the preparedness of the U.K. Royal Air Force (RAF) in the event of another war. The Air Ministry intended it to form a supplement to the Royal Auxiliary Air Force ( ...

from 1939–45. His spitfire was shot down over the English Channel and he was taken prisoner. He was a prisoner of war in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

from 1941 to 1944. While a prisoner he studied law. He made numerous attempts to escape and succeeded in reaching

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

where he was held by the authorities. He made a further escape to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, where the French Resistance helped him to link up with the Allied Forces. Cowley 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 the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

in 1946. He based himself in

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

and practised on the Midland Circuit. In 1965 he became a

Queen'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 1969 he became Deputy Senior Judge on the Midland and Oxford Circuit. In 1972 he became 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 ...

. In 1973 he successfully acted for the Douglas Corporation at the Summerland fire disaster inquiry. In 1974 he became a Recorder of the Crown Court. In 1979 he was leading counsel for John Le Mesurier in Thorpe affair trial at the

Old Bailey The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands, is a criminal court building in central London, one of several that house the Crown Court of England and Wales. The s ...

. During the trial, Cowley advised Le Mesurier that his best chance of acquittal was by giving evidence that could harm the other defendants, including

Jeremy Thorpe John Jeremy Thorpe (29 April 1929 – 4 December 2014) was a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament for North Devon from 1959 to 1979 and as leader of the Liberal Party from 1967 to 1976. In May 1979 he was tried at the Old ...

. However, Le Measurier chose not to and was acquitted along with the other defendants. In 1982 he became Senior Judge in the Sovereign Base Areas, Cyprus. In 1984 he was appointed to the Mental Health Appeal Tribunal. In August 1949 Cowley was chosen as Liberal candidate for the

Brigg Brigg (Wikipedia:IPA for English#Key, /'brɪg/) is a market town in North Lincolnshire, England, with a population of 5,076 in the United Kingdom Census 2001, 2001 UK census, the population increased to 5,626 at the 2011 census. The town lies ...

division of Lincolnshire and contested the 1950 General Election, standing against Lance Mallalieu, a former Liberal MP who held the seat for the Labour Party. The Liberal Party did not have much of a track record in the constituency and did not even contest the 1948 Brigg by-election. He finished third, though he did manage to save his deposit. He did not stand for parliament again.British parliamentary election results 1950-1973, Craig, F.W.S. In 1985 he died in

Castletown, Isle of Man Castletown (, pronounced ) is a town in the Isle of Man, geographically within the historical parish of Malew but administered separately. Lying at the south of the island, it was the Manx capital until 1869. The centre of town is dominated by ...

at the age of 66.

Electoral results

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cowley, Denis Martin 1919 births 1985 deaths Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford 20th-century King's Counsel 20th-century English judges Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II People educated at Radley College