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Richard Birnie (1808–1888), was a
Richard Birnie (1808–1888), was a 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 colonial Australia.
Birnie was the second son of Sir 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 ...
, Chief Metropolitan 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 ...
at Bow Street
Bow Street is a thoroughfare in Covent Garden, City of Westminster, Westminster, London. It connects Long Acre, Russell Street and Wellington Street, and is part of a route from St Giles, London, St Giles to Waterloo Bridge.
The street was ...
, was born in London in 1808. He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...
, where he graduated BA in 1830, and MA in 1837. He entered at 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 ...
on 9 January 1828 and was called to the bar on 7 May 1833. After practising in the Central Criminal Court Mr. Birnie was appointed by the Duke of Newcastle
Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne was a title that was created three times, once in the Peerage of England and twice in the Peerage of Great Britain. The first grant of the title was made in 1665 to William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle, Willi ...
to be Advocate-General of Western Australia, in which colony he arrived in January 1854. After holding this post for nearly six years he acted as judge for about a year. Arriving in 1859 in Melbourne, he was called to the Victorian
Victorian or Victorians may refer to:
19th century
* Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign
** Victorian architecture
** Victorian house
** Victorian decorative arts
** Victorian fashion
** Victorian literatur ...
bar on 13 October the same year. He was on several occasions employed as crown prosecutor
Crown prosecutor is the title given in a number of jurisdictions to the state prosecutor, the legal party responsible for presenting the case against an individual in a criminal trial. The title is commonly used in Commonwealth realms.
Examples
* ...
in Victoria, but has been mainly known as a contributor of several hundred essays to the ''Australasian''. A selection of these were later published as, ''Essays Social, Moral and Political by a Barrister-at-law'', (Melbourne, 1879). His father, Sir Richard Birnie, was originally a saddle
A saddle is a supportive structure for a rider of an animal, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is equestrian. However, specialized saddles have been created for oxen, camels and other animals.
It is not know ...
r, but is chiefly known by his success in detecting and hunting down the Cato Street conspirators.
References