David Silsoe
Encyclopedia
David Malcolm Trustram Eve, 2nd Baron Silsoe QC
, (2 May 1930 - 31 December 2005), who was known as David Silsoe, was a prominent British
lawyer who succeeded to the title of Baron Silsoe
in 1976 on the death of his father, Malcolm Eve, 1st Baron Silsoe. He assumed the familial title on succession; prior to that he was known by his family name, Trustram Eve. Silsoe rarely used his title, introducing himself as David Silsoe, and was intolerant of (and apparently embarrassed by) pomp.
Educated at Winchester College
and Christ Church, Oxford
, he was called to the Bar in 1955. In 1963 he married Bridget Min Hart-Davis, daughter of Sir Rupert Hart-Davis
and sister of Duff Hart-Davis
and Adam Hart-Davis
. He took silk
in 1972.
Silsoe deliberately followed a career in planning law, his favoured area, rather than spending his life in law courts, an environment he did not particularly enjoy. He was leading counsel for the proposers in notable public inquiries beginning with the Thorp nuclear fuel reprocessing plant
and finishing with the Heathrow airport Terminal 5 expansion inquiry. Between the two he appeared in those for Heathrow Terminal 4, Gatwick North Terminal and Sizewell B and Hinkley Point C nuclear power stations. Silsoe never used a computer, typewriter or even a calculator, writing all communications longhand and making calculations the same way, often over many sheets of paper. He was renowned as a tireless worker, regularly working through the night on cases.
His self-effacing nature and boyish demeanour served to defuse passions in many of these hotly disputed cases. He appeared to have no ego, although the consensus is that he was both highly intelligent and very persuasive.
In his youth he was an excellent skier, preferring to ski off-piste on powder snow. There are stories of visitors to his chambers being treated to the sight of him hopping up the stairs as part of his training for his next skiing trip. His other passions were Russia - he was a champion of Lyra, a Russian chamber choir, and supported the family of a scientist working on the Chernobyl cleanup - and singing. Although he claimed never to have had a music lesson he was a good singer with a clear bass voice.
Silsoe lived near Reading
, Berkshire
and was an active member of the congregation at All Saints Church, Rotherfield Peppard
, acting as volunteer "taxi driver" for a number of infirm or learning disabled parishioners and serving for some years on the Parochial Church Council. He was instrumental in shaping the revised Henley deanery in the late 1990s.
Lord Silsoe died in Reading, aged 75; he was succeeded by Simon Rupert Trustram Eve, 3rd Baron Silsoe.
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
, (2 May 1930 - 31 December 2005), who was known as David Silsoe, was a prominent British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
lawyer who succeeded to the title of Baron Silsoe
Baron Silsoe
Baron Silsoe, of Silsoe in the County of Bedford, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1963 for the barrister Sir Malcolm Eve, 1st Baronet. He had already been created a Baronet, of Silsoe in the County of Bedford, on 18 January 1943. He was succeeded by his son, the...
in 1976 on the death of his father, Malcolm Eve, 1st Baron Silsoe. He assumed the familial title on succession; prior to that he was known by his family name, Trustram Eve. Silsoe rarely used his title, introducing himself as David Silsoe, and was intolerant of (and apparently embarrassed by) pomp.
Educated at Winchester College
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
and Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
, he was called to the Bar in 1955. In 1963 he married Bridget Min Hart-Davis, daughter of Sir Rupert Hart-Davis
Rupert Hart-Davis
Sir Rupert Charles Hart-Davis was an English publisher, editor and man of letters. He founded the publishing company Rupert Hart-Davis Ltd...
and sister of Duff Hart-Davis
Duff Hart-Davis
Peter Duff Hart-Davis , generally known as Duff Hart-Davis, is a British biographer, naturalist and journalist, who writes for The Independent newspaper. He is married to Phyllida Barstow and has one son and one daughter, the journalist Alice Hart-Davis...
and Adam Hart-Davis
Adam Hart-Davis
Adam John Hart-Davis is an English scientist, author, photographer, historian and broadcaster, well-known in the UK for presenting the BBC television series Local Heroes and What the Romans Did for Us, the latter spawning several spin-off series involving the Victorians, the Tudors, the Stuarts,...
. He took silk
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
in 1972.
Silsoe deliberately followed a career in planning law, his favoured area, rather than spending his life in law courts, an environment he did not particularly enjoy. He was leading counsel for the proposers in notable public inquiries beginning with the Thorp nuclear fuel reprocessing plant
Thorp nuclear fuel reprocessing plant
The Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant, or THORP, is a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant at Sellafield in Cumbria, England. THORP is owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and operated by Sellafield Ltd...
and finishing with the Heathrow airport Terminal 5 expansion inquiry. Between the two he appeared in those for Heathrow Terminal 4, Gatwick North Terminal and Sizewell B and Hinkley Point C nuclear power stations. Silsoe never used a computer, typewriter or even a calculator, writing all communications longhand and making calculations the same way, often over many sheets of paper. He was renowned as a tireless worker, regularly working through the night on cases.
His self-effacing nature and boyish demeanour served to defuse passions in many of these hotly disputed cases. He appeared to have no ego, although the consensus is that he was both highly intelligent and very persuasive.
In his youth he was an excellent skier, preferring to ski off-piste on powder snow. There are stories of visitors to his chambers being treated to the sight of him hopping up the stairs as part of his training for his next skiing trip. His other passions were Russia - he was a champion of Lyra, a Russian chamber choir, and supported the family of a scientist working on the Chernobyl cleanup - and singing. Although he claimed never to have had a music lesson he was a good singer with a clear bass voice.
Silsoe lived near Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
and was an active member of the congregation at All Saints Church, Rotherfield Peppard
Rotherfield Peppard
Rotherfield Peppard is a village and civil parish in the Chiltern Hills in South Oxfordshire. It is just over west of Henley-on-Thames, about north of Reading, Berkshire and just over west of the village of Rotherfield Greys.-History:Rotherfield derives from the Old English redrefeld meaning...
, acting as volunteer "taxi driver" for a number of infirm or learning disabled parishioners and serving for some years on the Parochial Church Council. He was instrumental in shaping the revised Henley deanery in the late 1990s.
Lord Silsoe died in Reading, aged 75; he was succeeded by Simon Rupert Trustram Eve, 3rd Baron Silsoe.
External links
- obituary in The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
- Photos and other material