Sir Denys Ambrose Williams,

KCMG KCMG may refer to * KC Motorgroup, based in Hong Kong, China * Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, British honour * KCMG-LP, radio station in New Mexico, USA * KCMG, callsign 1997-2001 of Los Angeles radio station KKLQ (FM) ...

, GCM (12 October 1929 – 7 August 2014) was a Chief Justice of Barbados. He served as acting

Governor-General of Barbados The governor-general of Barbados was the representative of the Barbadian monarch from independence in 1966 until the establishment of a republic in 2021. Under the government's Table of Precedence for Barbados, the governor-general of Barbado ...

from 19 December 1995 until 1 June 1996.

Biography

Early life and education

Denys Ambrose Williams was born on 12 October 1929 in Barbados. He was one of 10 children of family to George C. Williams and Violet Williams. He studied at

Combermere School Combermere School is a school in Barbados, one of the oldest schools in the Caribbean, established in 1695. Its alumni include several leading cricketers, David Thompson, sixth prime minister of Barbados and other politicians, several authors and ...

and Harrison College in Barbados, won a Barbados Scholarship in 1949 and went on to study law at

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a 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 second-oldest continuously operating u ...

, subsequently being admitted to the

English Bar Barristers in England and Wales are one of the two main categories of lawyer in England and Wales, the other being solicitors. Barristers have traditionally had the role of handling cases for representation in court, both defence and prosecutio ...

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 ...

in London.

Career

He then returned to the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

, spending some time working for the

West Indies Federation The West Indies Federation, also known as the West Indies, the Federation of the West Indies or the West Indian Federation, was a short-lived political union that existed from 3 January 1958 to 31 May 1962. Various islands in the Caribbean th ...

based in

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger, more populous island of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the country. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is the southernmost island in ...

, before returning to

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

in 1955 and being admitted 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 ...

. Holding the post of Barbados' Chief Parliamentary Counsel, Denys Ambrose Williams in cooperation with Sir Roy Marshall draft the constitution of Barbados, before Barbados gained independence in 1966. Also in that period he was one of the member of team accompanying first Prime Minister

Errol Barrow Errol Walton Barrow (21 January 1920 – 1 June 1987) was a Barbadian statesman and the first prime minister of Barbados. Born into a family of political and civic activists in the parish of Saint Lucy, he became a WWII aviator, combat vet ...

to the Independence conference in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. In 1966, Denys was appointed a

judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

, at the time the youngest judge in the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

at the age of 37, and subsequently became Chief Justice of Barbados. In May 1992, he declared illegal the government's decision to cut wages in the public sector by eight percent. This decision was upheld unanimously by the

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 August ...

, England. In 1981, he presided over the

extradition In an extradition, one Jurisdiction (area), jurisdiction delivers a person Suspect, accused or Conviction, convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, into the custody of the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforc ...

of the notorious robber

Ronald Biggs Ronald Arthur Biggs (8 August 1929 – 18 December 2013) was an English criminal who helped plan and carry out the Great Train Robbery of 1963. He subsequently became notorious for his escape from prison in 1965, living as a fugitive for 36 y ...

, ruling that Biggs could not be extradited to another country because the

Parliament of Barbados The Parliament of Barbados is the national legislature of Barbados. It is accorded parliamentary sovereignty, legislative supremacy by Chapter V of the Constitution of Barbados.#refConstitution, Constitution, Chapter V, Part 1; Section 35 The P ...

had not ratified the extradition treaty with the UK. In 1987,

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

awarded the

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 ...

to Denis Williams, which was a great honour and significant event for him. From 1995 to 1996, he held the post of acting Governor General of Barbados. Sir Denys retired as Chief Justice on 10 October 2001. At the time of his retirement, Sir Denys had been the longest serving judge in the Commonwealth, having given 34 years of his life to the judicial service of Barbados. Sir Denys Ambrose Williams was also an honorary member of the Canadian Bar and served as Commissioner of the National Insurance Scheme in Barbados until June 2014. He was also a member of the Rotary Club of Barbados and served as Chief Scout of the Boy Scouts of Barbados for several years. In July 2012, Sir Denys, along with former Governor-General Sir Clifford Husbands were conferred as Honorary Chief Scouts.

Personal life

Sir Denys was married to Carmel, Lady Williams, and they were the parents of six children: Denise, Fiona, Shaun, Clare, Roslyn, and Simon, and five grandchildren. Sir Denys Ambrose Williams died on 7 August 2014 at his home in Rockley, Christ Church, Barbados, at the age of 84. His body was interred at the Coral Ridge Memorial Gardens, The Ridge, Christ Church,

, on Wednesday, 13 August 2014.

Awards

* Was awarded the

Gold Crown of Merit The Order of Barbados is a national Order of honours and decorations for Barbados. History The first Order of Barbados was instituted by Queen Elizabeth II by letters patent dated 25 July 1980. With Barbados becoming a republic on 30 November 20 ...

(GCM). *

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 ...

in the

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

. * Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (KCMG) in 1993.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Denys 1929 births 2014 deaths Barbadian judges Barbadian knights Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Governors-general of Barbados Chief justices of Barbados Alumni of the University of Oxford Members of the Middle Temple