Newman Knowlys (1758– 5 January 1836) was an English

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 ...

and judge and the Common Serjeant of London and

Recorder of London The recorder of London is an ancient legal office in the City of London. The recorder of London is the senior circuit judge at the Central Criminal Court (the Old Bailey), hearing trials of criminal offences. The recorder is appointed by the Cr ...

. Knowlys was born in London, the fourth son of William Knowlys, a merchant of London. He was educated at Botesdale and at

Christ's College, Cambridge Christ's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college includes the Master, the Fellows of the College, and about 450 undergraduate and 250 graduate students. The c ...

but left before taking his degree. Knowlys was admitted to the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...

in 1774 and called to the Bar in 1782. He began to practise at the Central Criminal Court (the Old Bailey) immediately after his call to the Bar and between 1783 and 1803 he was engaged in over 1300 cases there. During the 1790s Knowlys shared the leadership of Old Bailey practice with Jerome William Knapp. Knowlys was made a

Bencher A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales or the Inns of Court in Northern Ireland, or the Honorable Society of King's Inns in Ireland. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher c ...

of the

in 1817, Reader in 1819 and Treasurer in 1826.John Venn (editor), ''Alumni Cantabrigienses: A Biographical List of All Known Students, Graduates and Holders of Office at the University of Cambridge, from the Earliest Times to 1900'' Volume 2: from 1752 to 1900

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(2011) –

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pg 68 He was elected Common Serjeant of London (1803–1811), the second most senior permanent judge of the Central Criminal Court and

(1822–33), the senior Circuit Judge at the Central Criminal Court. hearing trials of criminal offences.Allyson N. May, ‘Knowlys, Newman (1758–1836)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 200
accessed 9 Dec 2016
/ref> His term as Common Serjeant was compared by ''

The Morning Chronicle ''The Morning Chronicle'' was a newspaper founded in 1769 in London. It was notable for having been the first steady employer of essayist William Hazlitt as a political reporter and the first steady employer of Charles Dickens as a journalist. It ...

'' with the severity of that of Judge Jefferys and reported on Knowlys' "unparalleled severity" and "bare-faced system of frightening a jury into a verdict of conviction" during the trial for libel of Richard Carlile. His term as Recorder made him and the office unpopular through his uncouth and severe actions. ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' had been against his election, disparagingly describing him as "a mere practitioner in the courts" adding that he lacked the personal dignity and legal ability required for the role. Like John Silvester before him Knowlys was against reforming England's severe criminal law. Knowlys was forced to resign in 1833 after issuing a warrant for the execution for Job Cox, a postman in the service of the

General Post Office The General Post Office (GPO) was the state postal system and telecommunications carrier of the United Kingdom until 1969. Established in England in the 17th century, the GPO was a state monopoly covering the dispatch of items from a specific ...

who was charged with stealing the contents of a letter entrusted to him for delivery. Knowlys had sentenced Cox to death and later sent the warrant for his execution even though Cox in the meantime had received a Royal Pardon commuting his sentence to transportation for life. On the error being discovered it was reported that:

"Mr Knowlys, who at this time filled the office of Recorder, was immediately called upon to explain to the Common Hall of the City of London the circumstances which attended the very remarkable error into which he had fallen. When they had heard from him whatever excuse he had to urge, on Monday, 24th of June, they came to the following resolutions:-
Resolved unanimously, that this Common Hall has learned, with feelings of the deepest horror and regret, that the life of Job Cox, a convict under sentence of death in Newgate, had well-nigh been sacrificed by the act of the Recorder of London in sending down a warrant for his execution, notwithstanding his Majesty in Privy Council had, in the gracious exercise of his Royal Prerogative of mercy, been pleased to commute his sentence for an inferior punishment.
Resolved unanimously, that the mildest and most charitable construction which this Common Hall can put upon this conduct of the Recorder is that it was the result of some mental infirmity incident to his advanced age; but contemplating with alarm the dreadful consequences which, though happily averted in the present instance, may possibly ensue from such an infirmity in that important public functionary, this Common Hall feels that an imperative duty to record the solemn expression of its opinion that the recorder ought forthwith to retire from an office the vitally important duties of which he is, from whatever cause, incompetent to discharge."
The Recorder, who was present, was received with deep groans. The resolutions of the Common Hall were followed by a resolution of the court of aldermen announcing the receipt of a communication from the Recorder that from his advanced age, ill-health and debility, consequent upon a late very severe fit of illness, he had felt himself bound, after serving the city for more than forty-seven years – upwards of thirty as Common Serjeant and Recorder – to resign the office of Recorder."'' The Morning Herald'' 8 May 1833

Despite this Knowlys remained Steward of the Borough Court of Southwark until his death. He married late in life in 1807 to Mrs Slope (d. 1837), a widow of Bath. They had no children. Newman Knowlys died on 5 January 1836 at his house in James Street, Buckingham Gate, London, and was buried in the vault of the

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knowlys, Newman 1758 births 1836 deaths Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge English barristers Common Serjeants of London Recorders of London Members of the Middle Temple