Sir John Wickens (13 June 1815 – 25 October 1873) was an English barrister and judge. John Wickens Perkins

Life

The second son of James Stephen Wickens of Chandos Street,

Cavendish Square Cavendish Square is a public square, public garden square in Marylebone in the West End of London. It has a double-helix underground commercial car park. Its northern road forms ends of four streets: of Wigmore Street that runs to Portman Square ...

, London by his wife, Anne Goodenough, daughter of John Hayter of

Winterbourne Stoke Winterbourne Stoke is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, about west of Amesbury and west of the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge. The village is on the River Till at the southern edge of Salisbury Plain, on both sides of a ...

, Wiltshire, was born at his father's house on 13 June 1815. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

under

John Keate John Keate (30 March 1773 – 5 March 1852) was an English schoolmaster, and Head Master of Eton College. He was born at Wells, Somerset, the son of Prebendary William Keate, rector of Laverton, Somerset, and brother of Robert Keate (1777� ...

. Wickens won in 1832 an open scholarship at

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and aro ...

, matriculating on 30 November. He graduated B.A. with a

double first The British undergraduate degree classification system is a Grading in education, grading structure used for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and Master's degree#Integrated Masters Degree, integrated master's degrees in the United Kingd ...

in Michaelmas term 1836, and M.A. in 1839, but was an unsuccessful candidate for a Balliol fellowship (a later rumour put this down to ill-timed display of his wit). Having entered

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 ...

, 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 ...

in May 1840. A conveyancer and equity draftsman, Wickens had a practice that reaped the benefit when in 1852 a number of leading juniors

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

. He appeared frequently before the House of Lords and the privy council. During the later years of his career as barrister he was equity counsel to the treasury; he was never Q.C. nor a parliamentary candidate.

Horace Davey Horace Davey, Baron Davey, PC, FRS, FBA (30 August 183320 February 1907) was an English judge and Liberal politician. Background and education Davey was the son of Peter Davey, of Horton, Buckinghamshire and Caroline Emma Pace, and was ...

was one of his pupils in the late 1850s, when his chambers had a high reputation on the equity side. In 1868 Wickens was made vice-chancellor of the

county palatine of Lancaster Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

on the elevation of Sir

William Milbourne James Admiral Sir William Milbourne James, (22 December 1881 – 17 August 1973) was a British naval commander, politician and author. He served in the Royal Navy from the early 20th century to the Second World War. During the First World War, he wa ...

Lord Justice of Appeal A Lord Justice of Appeal or Lady Justice of Appeal is a judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, the court that hears appeals from the High Court of Justice, the Crown Court and other courts and tribunals. A Lord (or Lady) Just ...

. In 1871 he was elected a bencher of his inn, and in April of that year was raised to the bench as

Vice-Chancellor of England The chancellor of the High Court is the head of the Chancery Division of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales. This judge and the other two heads of divisions (Family and King's Bench) sit by virtue of their offices often, as and whe ...

in succession to Sir John Stuart, and was knighted. As a judge he was considered to stay rather close to the case law. Wickens's health broke down within a short period of his appointment, and he died at his seat, Chilgrove, near

Chichester Chichester ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in the Chichester District, Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher ...

, on 23 October 1873.

Family

Wickens married, in 1845, Harriet Frances, daughter of William Davey of Cowley House,

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

. His daughter, Mary Erskine, married Mr. Justice George Farwell.

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Wickens, John 1815 births 1873 deaths English barristers People educated at Eton College Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Members of Lincoln's Inn 19th-century English judges Vice chancellors (Court of Chancery)