Sir Richard Temple Rennie (1839 – 14 April 1905) was a British

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 A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

who served in China and Japan. He was the Chief Justice of the

British Supreme Court for China and Japan The British Supreme Court for China (originally the British Supreme Court for China and Japan) was a court established in the Shanghai International Settlement to try cases against British subjects in China, Japan and Korea under the principles o ...

from 1881 to 1891. He was judge of the

British Court for Japan The British Court for Japan (formally Her Britannic Majesty's Court for Japan) was a court established in Yokohama in 1879 to try cases against British subjects in Japan, under the principles of extraterritoriality. The court also heard appeals ...

from its creation in 1879 to 1881.

Early life

Rennie was the fourth son of George Rennie who had been a member of parliament and a sculptor. His great uncle was John Rennie, a famous Scots engineer who, amongst other things, designed the new

London Bridge The name "London Bridge" refers to several historic crossings that have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark in central London since Roman Britain, Roman times. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 197 ...

. Rennie was called to the bar of 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 1860, having qualified by immediately commencing a pupilage after leaving school. He and practiced on the Western Circuit before moving to Hong Kong, where his brother,

William Hepburn Rennie William Hepburn Rennie CMG (1829 – 1874) was a British official who served in Hong Kong and St. Vincent. Rennie was the son of the sculptor George Rennie who was a Liberal Member of Parliament and a Governor of the Falkland Islands. William's ...

, was serving as Auditor-General. He then moved to Shanghai to practice before the

Judicial career

Rennie was appointed Judge of the

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

on the creation of that court in 1879 and served until 1881, when he was appointed Chief Justice of the

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

, replacing George French who had died that year. Rennie was knighted on 30 November 1882. Rennie was succeeded as both Judge for Japan and Chief Justice in Shanghai by Sir Nicholas Hannen.

Retirement

Rennie retired in 1891. Rennie's successor as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court was

Nicholas John Hannen Sir Nicholas John Hannen (24 August 1842 – 27 April 1900) was a British barrister, diplomat and judge who served in China and Japan. He was the Chief Justice of the British Supreme Court for China, British Supreme Court for China and Japan fro ...

, then judge of the

who had also succeeded Rennie in that position. In 1895, he stood as a candidate for County Council in the Kensington Division. In 1896, Rennie was appointed by a special

Order in Council An Order in Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom, this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council ('' ...

Acting Judge of the British Supreme Consular Court in Constantinople to hear two cases. The first related to alleged improper conduct by the Vice-Consul, Mr Phillip Sarell, in obtaining a loan from the Constantinople Building Society. The second was a civil claim brought by Henry Silley, the former chief clerk of the Supreme Consular Court, against Sarell, Charles Tarring, the Judge of the Supreme Consular Court.

Death

Rennie, who at the time lived at 115 Piccadilly in London, died in at

Sidmouth Sidmouth () is a town on the English Channel in Devon, South West England, southeast of Exeter. With a population of 13,258 in 2021, it is a tourist resort and a gateway to the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. A large part of the town has ...

, Devon on 14 April 1905.''London Gazette'', 30 June 1905, p. 4577

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rennie, Richard 1839 births 1905 deaths 19th-century English judges British extraterritorial judges British Supreme Court for China judges

Early life

Judicial career

Retirement

Death

Further reading

References