Sir Richard Birnie (c. 1760 – 1832) was a Scottish

police magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a ''Roman magistrate, magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and pos ...

in London, who came to prominence for his involvement with the

Cato Street Conspiracy The Cato Street Conspiracy was a plot to murder all the British cabinet ministers and the Prime Minister Lord Liverpool in 1820. The name comes from the meeting place near Edgware Road in London. The police had an informer; the plotters fell int ...

Life

He was a native of

Banff, Aberdeenshire Banff () is a town in the Banff and Buchan area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is situated on Banff Bay and faces the town of Macduff, Aberdeenshire, Macduff across the estuary of the River Deveron. It is a former royal burgh, and is the county ...

, born about 1760. After serving an apprenticeship to a saddler he came to London, and worked for the house of Macintosh & Co., in the Haymarket, saddlers and harness-makers to the royal family. In favour with the Prince of Wales (the future

George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death in 1830. At the time of his accession to the throne, h ...

), a favour Birnie retained until his death, he was made foreman and eventually a partner in the business; he married the daughter of a wealthy baker. After his marriage Birnie rented a house in

St Martin-in-the-Fields St Martin-in-the-Fields is a Church of England parish church at the north-east corner of Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, London. Dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, there has been a church on the site since at least the medieval pe ...

parish, and took part in parochial affairs. He established almshouses in Pratt Street,

Camden Town Camden Town () is an area in the London Borough of Camden, around north-northwest of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is identified in the London Plan as one of 34 major centres in Greater London. Laid out as a residential distri ...

. He also enrolled himself in the Royal Westminster Volunteers, in which he became a captain. At the request of the

Duke of Northumberland Duke of Northumberland is a noble title that has been created three times in English and British history, twice in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of Great Britain. The current holder of this title is Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of N ...

he was placed in the commission of the peace, and began to frequent the

Bow Street Magistrates' Court Bow Street Magistrates' Court (formerly Bow Street Magistrates' court (England and Wales), Police Court) and Police Station each became one of the most famous magistrates' court (England and Wales), magistrates' courts and police stations in Eng ...

. In time Birnie was appointed police magistrate at Union Hall court (which later became Southwark Police Court). After a few years he was promoted to be a magistrate at Bow Street. In February 1820 he headed the police officers in the apprehension of the Cato Street conspirators. At the funeral of Queen Caroline in August 1821 Birnie took the initiative in reading the

Riot Act The Riot Act (1 Geo. 1. St. 2. c. 5), sometimes called the Riot Act 1714 or the Riot Act 1715, was an act of the Parliament of Great Britain which authorised local authorities to declare any group of 12 or more people to be unlawfully assembled ...

, which Sir Robert Baker, the

chief magistrate A chief magistrate is a public official, executive or judicial, whose office is the highest in its class. Historically, the two different meanings of magistrate have often overlapped and refer to, as the case may be, to a major political and admi ...

, refused to do. Shortly afterwards Baker resigned; he had been criticised, for example by the Tory

Harriet Arbuthnot Harriet Arbuthnot (; 10 September 1793 – 2 August 1834) was an early 19th-century English diarist, social observer and political hostess on behalf of the Tory party. During the 1820s she was the closest woman friend of the hero of Waterloo ...

for his soft line, in the violent circumstances where there had already been deaths. Birnie was appointed to succeed him, and a knighthood was conferred on him in the September following. In 1823, Birnie refused to enforce the unpopular

Poor rate In England and Wales the poor rate was a tax on property levied in each parish, which was used to provide poor relief. It was collected under both the Old Poor Law and the New Poor Law. It was absorbed into "general rate" local taxation in the ...

in Acton, causing it to be reduced for some householders. He died on 29 April 1832.

Family

Birnie and his wife Louisa had a son

Richard Birnie Sir Richard Birnie (c. 1760 – 1832) was a Scottish police magistrate in London, who came to prominence for his involvement with the Cato Street Conspiracy. Life He was a native of Banff, Aberdeenshire, born about 1760. After serving an ...

(1808–1888), a barrister and journalist, who emigrated to Australia in 1854.Australian Dictionary of Biography, ''Birnie, Richard (1808–1888)''.
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References

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Birnie, Richard 1760s births 1832 deaths People from Banff, Aberdeenshire Knights Bachelor English justices of the peace