Thomas Flower Ellis, (5 December 1796 – 5 April 1861) was an English law reporter. Ellis was the son of Thomas Flower Ellis, a merchant in the West India trade, and his wife Frances, ''née'' Danvers. Born in

Walthamstow Walthamstow ( or ) is a town within the London Borough of Waltham Forest in east London. The town borders Chingford to the north, Snaresbrook and South Woodford to the east, Leyton and Leytonstone to the south, and Tottenham to the west. At ...

, he was educated in Hackney and 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 with a BA in 1818, and was elected a fellow in 1819. He graduated with an MA there in 1821, and relinquished his fellowship that same year on his marriage, on 5 September 1821, to Susan McTaggart (1796/97–1839), daughter of John McTaggart of Ardwal. He became a member of

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

, and was

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 ...

in February 1824, and for some years went to the northern circuit. Here he first became acquainted with

Thomas Babington Macaulay Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay, (; 25 October 1800 – 28 December 1859) was an English historian, poet, and Whig politician, who served as the Secretary at War between 1839 and 1841, and as the Paymaster General between 184 ...

, and he remained Macaulay's close friend until his death. So attached were they, that when Macaulay went to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, Ellis wrote to him that, "next to his wife, he was the person for whom he felt the most thorough attachment, and in whom he placed the most unlimited confidence". In later life, they visited the continent together every autumn, and he was an executor of Macaulay's will. After his friend died the light seemed to have gone out of Ellis's life, but he occupied himself in preparing for publication the posthumous collection of Macaulay's essays. In 1831 he was a commissioner under the

Reform Act 1832 The Representation of the People Act 1832 (also known as the Reform Act 1832, Great Reform Act or First Reform Act) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (indexed as 2 & 3 Will. 4. c. 45), enacted by the Whig government of Pri ...

to determine the boundaries of parliamentary boroughs in

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. He was, till his death, Attorney-General for the

Duchy of Lancaster The Duchy of Lancaster is an estate of the British sovereign. The estate has its origins in the lands held by the medieval Dukes of Lancaster, which came under the direct control of the monarch when Henry Bolingbroke, the then duke of Lancast ...

, and had "Palatine silk"; and in 1839 he succeeded Armstrong as Recorder of

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

. He was, about 1830, a contributor to the ''

Edinburgh Review The ''Edinburgh Review'' is the title of four distinct intellectual and cultural magazines. The best known, longest-lasting, and most influential of the four was the third, which was published regularly from 1802 to 1929. ''Edinburgh Review'', ...

'', was a member of the

Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (SDUK) was founded in London in 1826, mainly at the instigation of Whig MP Henry Brougham, with the object of publishing information to people who were unable to obtain a formal education or who ...

, and revised several of its publications. He is best known as co-author of three excellent series of law reports: (with

John Leycester Adolphus John Leycester Adolphus (1795–1862) was an English lawyer, jurist and author. Life He was the son of Martha Elizabeth née Leycester (1765–1842) and John Adolphus (1768–1845), a well-known London barrister who wrote ''A History of Engla ...

) ''Adolphus and Ellis'', 1835–1842; (with

Colin Blackburn Colin Blackburn, Baron Blackburn, (18 May 1813 – 8 January 1896) was a British lawyer and judge. The son of a Scottish clergyman, he was educated in Scotland and England, before joining the English bar. He was little known to the legal world ...

) ''Ellis and Blackburn'', 1853–1858; and (with his son Francis) ''Ellis and Ellis'', published after his death. He was a

Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) is a learned society and charity that encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science. Its headquarters are in Burlington House, on Pi ...

, and having been elected in May 1820, was one of that society's earliest members. He was also, from 1847, a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

. He died at his house, 15 Bedford Place,

Russell Square Russell Square is a large garden square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden, built predominantly by the firm of James Burton (property developer), James Burton. It is near the University of London's main buildings and the British Mus ...

, on 5 April 1861. His wife Susan ''nee'' McTaggart, died on 18 March 1839. They had five sons and two daughters. Their grandson by Francis Ellis, and his wife Caroline Ellis, was the philosopher John McTaggart Ellis McTaggart (who was named after Susan's brother Sir John McTaggart). His youngest brother (and the father of Caroline Ellis) was Edward Chauncy Ellis. His cousin was

Robert Leslie Ellis Robert Leslie Ellis (25 August 1817 – 12 May 1859) was an English polymath, remembered principally as a mathematician and editor of the works of Francis Bacon. Biography Robert Leslie Ellis was the youngest of six children of Francis Ellis (17 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Thomas Flower 1796 births 1861 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge Members of Lincoln's Inn Fellows of the Royal Astronomical Society Fellows of the Royal Society Committee members of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge