Sir John Mellor, PC (1 January 1809 – 26 April 1887) was an English judge and
Member of Parliament.
Life
Mellor was born in
Hollinwood,
Oldham
Oldham is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers River Irk, Irk and River Medlock, Medlock, southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative cent ...
and raised in
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
, where his father was mayor and a
Justice of the Peace.
As a young man, his
Unitarian beliefs prevented Mellor attending university. He entered law, joined the midland circuit, and practised at Leicester borough and Warwick sessions, at assizes, and at the
parliamentary bar. 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 1833. Following failed attempts in 1852 (at
Warwick
Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined wit ...
) and 1857 (at
Coventry
Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...
) he was elected to Parliament to represent
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth ( ), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside resort, seaside town which gives its name to the wider Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. Its fishing industry, m ...
in 1857, and
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 ...
in 1859. He was appointed to the
Queen's Bench in 1861 and
knight
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 ...
ed in 1862.
Mellor was one of the two judges at the special commission set up in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
in 1867 to try those accused of the murder of Police Sergeant Charles Brett.
He was one of three judges at the 188-day long trial in 1873 of
Arthur Orton, the
Tichborne claimant. In his description of the case, James Beresford Atlay described him as 'second to none amongst the Common Law judges'. Hamilton notes he 'often amused the jury with his dry humour'.
Mellor retired in 1879 and was raised to the
Privy Council. He died at his London house in 1887 and was buried at
Kingsdown, Kent.
Family
Mellor and his wife Elizabeth (née Moseley) had eight sons.
Sir James Robert Mellor (1839–1926), the third son, was noted as a lawyer and polo player.
Arms
References
Further reading
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External links
*
1809 births
1887 deaths
Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
UK MPs 1857–1859
UK MPs 1859–1865
19th-century King's Counsel
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Justices of the King's Bench
Knights Bachelor
Politics of the Borough of Great Yarmouth
Politics of Nottingham
Queen's Bench Division judges
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