Sir Giles Rooke (1743–1808) was an English judge. Giles Rooke Hoppner

Life

The third son of Giles Rooke, a merchant of London and director of 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 ...

, by Frances, daughter of Leonard Cropp (1710-1785) of

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

, he was born on 3 June 1743. He was educated at

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...

and matriculated at

St John's College, Oxford St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded as a men's college in 1555, it has been coeducational since 1979.Communication from Michael Riordan, college archivist Its foun ...

on 26 November 1759, graduating B.A. in 1763. He proceeded M.A. in 1766, and in the same year was elected to a fellowship at

Merton College Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor ...

, which he held until 1785. Rooke was also

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 ...

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

in 1766, and went the western circuit. In 1781 he was called to the degree of serjeant-at-law, and in April 1793 was made king's serjeant. At the next

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

assizes he prosecuted to conviction William Winterbotham, a dissenting minister at

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

, for preaching sermons of a revolutionary tendency; and on 13 November of the same year was appointed to the

puisne judge Puisne judge and puisne justice () are terms for an ordinary judge or a judge of lesser rank of a particular court. The term comes from a combination of the two French words, (since, later) and (born) which have been combined as or ; meaning ...

ship of the

Court of Common Pleas A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...

, left vacant by the death of John Wilson. At the same time he was knighted. Rooke presided at the trial at the York Lent assizes in 1795 of Henry Redhead Yorke for conspiracy against the government. Giles Rooke

He died on 7 March 1808. Rooke left a large family by his wife, Harriet Sophia Burrard (d. 1839), the sister of Admiral Sir Harry Burrard Neale 2nd Bt., of Walhampton. Lady Rooke was the daughter of Colonel William Burrard of Walhampton, Hampshire; Governor of Yarmouth Castle. The Rookes were the grandparents of the author

William Henry Giles Kingston William Henry Giles Kingston (28 February 1814 – 5 August 1880), often credited as W. H. G. Kingston, was an English writer of boys' adventure novels. Life William Henry Giles Kingston was born in Harley Street, London on 28 February 1814. ...

. Rooke was author of ''Thoughts on the Propriety of fixing Easter Term'', 1792 (anon.)

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External links

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Rooke, Giles 1743 births 1808 deaths English barristers 18th-century English judges Fellows of Merton College, Oxford Alumni of St John's College, Oxford Members of Lincoln's Inn People educated at Harrow School 19th-century English judges