Sir Victor Murray Coutts-Trotter (12 May 1874 – 12 May 1929) was a British barrister who was Chief Justice of the

Madras High Court The High Court of Judicature at Madras is a High Courts of India, High Court located in Chennai, India. It has appellate jurisdiction over the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry. It is one of ...

from 1924 to 1929.

Biography

Son of Alexander Trotter, of Newcastle and London,''Who was who in British India'', John F. Riddick, Greenwood Press, 1998, p. 367 Trotter was educated at

St. Paul's School, London St Paul's School is a Selective school, selective Private schools in the United Kingdom, independent day school (with limited boarding school, boarding) for boys aged 13–18, founded in 1509 by John Colet and located on a 43-acre site by Rive ...

and

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 ...

, and

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 ...

from the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

. In 1901 he stood 1st class in classical Moderations and in the Final School of Humanities. Trotter won Hertford and

Eldon Law Scholarship The Eldon Law Scholarship is a scholarship awarded to students from the University of Oxford who wish to study for the English Bar. Applicants must either have obtained a first class honours degree in the Final Honours School, or obtained a dist ...

s. He became assistant professor of Greek at the

University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a Public university, public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University (United Kingdom), Victoria University, it received Ro ...

in 1898. Trotter also served as Vinerian Professor of Law and Lecturer in Criminal Law and Evidence in

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

. He worked under Justice Sir Walter George Salis Schwabe as a junior

Barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

in the

Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency or Madras Province, officially called the Presidency of Fort St. George until 1937, was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India and later the Dominion of India. At its greatest extent, the presidency i ...

. In January 1915 he became a

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 ...

of the Madras High Court and was appointed Chief Justice on 3 June 1924. He was subsequently knighted and resigned in 1929 due to ill-health; he died at sea on the journey back to England on his 55th birthday. He had married in 1905, Dorothy Evelyn Mary, daughter of

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Tra ...

clerk George W. Godfrey (author of a one-act comic play, "My Milliner's Bill").Catalogue of Copyright Entries, Part 1, Group 3- Dramatic Compositions and Motion Pictures, vol. 2, no. 1, Library of Congress Copyright Office, 1929, p. 435 They had two sons and two daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trotter, Murray Coutts 1874 births 1929 deaths People from Newcastle upon Tyne Knights Bachelor Legal scholars of the University of Oxford Chief justices of the Madras High Court Members of the Inner Temple British India judges English barristers People who died at sea