Nicolas Christopher Henry Browne-Wilkinson, Baron Browne-Wilkinson, PC (30 March 1930 – 25 July 2018) was a British judge who served as a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary from 1991 to 2000, and Senior Lord of Appeal in Ordinary from 1998 to 2000.

Life and career

Browne-Wilkinson was the sixth child and only son of the Rev Canon Arthur Browne-Wilkinson, MC, and of Mary Abraham, daughter of Charles Abraham,

Bishop of Derby The Bishop of Derby is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Derby in the Province of Canterbury.''Crockford's Clerical Directory'', 100th edition, (2007), Church House Publishing. . The diocese was formed from part of the Diocese of ...

. He was educated at Lancing and at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he took a

First First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

in Jurisprudence in 1952. He was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1953 and

took silk In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...

in 1972. He was a judge of the

Court of Appeal of Jersey The Courts of Jersey are responsible for the administration of justice in the Bailiwick of Jersey, one of the Channel Islands. They apply the law of the Island, which is a mixture of customary law and legislation passed by the legislature, the ...

and of Guernsey from 1976 to 1977. In 1977, Browne-Wilkinson was appointed a Justice of the

High Court of Justice The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Senior Courts of England and Wales. Its name is abbreviated as EWHC (Englan ...

and assigned to the

Chancery division The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Senior Courts of England and Wales. Its name is abbreviated as EWHC (Englan ...

, receiving the customary

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

. He was promoted as a

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) Justice ...

in 1983, and was of sworn of the Privy Council. From 1985 to 1991 he was

Vice-Chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor is ...

, the ''de facto'' head of the Chancery Division. He was made a

Lord of Appeal in Ordinary Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, commonly known as Law Lords, were judges appointed under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876 to the British House of Lords, as a committee of the House, effectively to exercise the judicial functions of the House of ...

and was created a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...

as Baron Browne-Wilkinson, ''of

Camden Camden may refer to: People * Camden (surname), a surname of English origin * Camden Joy (born 1964), American writer * Camden Toy (born 1957), American actor Places Australia * Camden, New South Wales * Camden, Rosehill, a heritage res ...

in the

London Borough of Camden The London Borough of Camden () is a London borough in Inner London. Camden Town Hall, on Euston Road, lies north of Charing Cross. The borough was established on 1 April 1965 from the area of the former boroughs of Hampstead, Holborn, and S ...

'' on 1 October 1991, and was Senior Lord of Appeal in Ordinary from 1998 until his retirement as Law Lord in 2000. His tenure as Senior Law Lord was marred by the controversy surrounding the Pinochet extradition case. He retired from the House of Lords under the

House of Lords Reform Act 2014 The House of Lords Reform Act 2014 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Act was a private member's bill. It received Royal Assent on 14 May 2014. The Act allows members of the House of Lords to retire or resign – actions previousl ...

on 1 March 2016.

Family

Browne-Wilkinson married Ursula de Lacy Bacon in 1955; they had three sons and two daughters. After her death in 1987, he married Hilary Warburton in 1990.

Selected judgments

*''

Johnstone v Bloomsbury Health Authority ''Johnstone v Bloomsbury Health Authority'' 992QB 333 is an English contract law case, concerning implied terms and unfair terms under the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977. Facts Dr Chris Johnstone was a junior doctor in the Obstetric Department ...

'' 992QB 333 *''

Airedale NHS Trust v Bland Anthony David Bland (21 September 1970 – 3 March 1993) was a supporter of Liverpool F.C. injured in the Hillsborough disaster. He suffered severe brain damage that left him in a persistent vegetative state as a consequence of which the hospita ...

'' 993AC 789 *''Tan Te Lam v Superintendent of Tai A Chau Detention Centre'' 997AC 97 * ''Westdeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale v Islington London Borough Council'' 996AC 669 *'' R v Bow Street Metropolitan Stipendiary Magistrate, Ex p Pinochet Ugarte (No 2)'' 0001 AC 119 *'' R v Bow Street Metropolitan Stipendiary Magistrate, Ex p Pinochet Ugarte (No 3)'' 0001 AC 147 *''Multiservice Bookbinding Ltd v Marden''

979 Year 979 ( CMLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * March 24 – Second Battle of Pankaleia: An Ibero-Byzantine expeditionary ...

Ch 84

References

1930 births 2018 deaths People educated at Lancing College Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford 20th-century English judges Senior Lords of Appeal in Ordinary Law lords Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Knights Bachelor Chancery Division judges Members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council Members of Lincoln's Inn English King's Counsel Lords Justices of Appeal {{Life-peer-stub