George Mellish
Encyclopedia
Sir
George Mellish (19 December 1814 - 15 June 1877) was an English barrister
, judge of the Court of Appeal in Chancery
, and member of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
.
, Norfolk
, Mellish was the second son of the Very Rev. Edward Mellish, D.D.
, Rector of the parish, who afterwards became Dean of Hereford, by his marriage to Elizabeth Jane Leigh, the daughter of the Rev. William Leigh, an earlier Dean of Hereford. His mother was a cousin of George Canning
, who stood as godfather to Mellish. His paternal grandfather was William Mellish, of Blyth Hall and Hodsock Priory
, Nottinghamshire.
Mellish attended Eton
, where he fagged
for William Gladstone, participated in the Debating Society and was a "wet bob", a sculler on the river. He then went up to University College, Oxford
, where he was a debater in the Oxford Union
. In 1836, he earned a B.A.
with a second class in classical honours
.
and served his pupillage
to a variety of notable lawyers. He practised as a special pleader
for several years. In 1848, he was called to the bar and began practising on the Northern Circuit
. In 1860 he was appointed Queen's Counsel
.
On 4 August 1870, Mellish was appointed as Lord Justice of the Court of Appeal in Chancery
. The appointment was recommended by Prime Minister Gladstone, who had been Mellish's fag-master at Eton, although Gladstone had apparently forgotten the connection by the time of the appointment. Mellish's appointment to the Chancery Court of Appeal was somewhat unusual, as he had practised almost entirely in the common law courts, not in equity. On 12 August 1870, he was sworn of the Privy Council
and was afterwards knighted. His appointment to the Privy Council entitled him to sit as a member of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, at that time the court of last resort
for the British Empire beyond the seas.
. One of the judges before whom he appeared later wrote "I have seen him arguing a difficult case before us while he was absolutely writhing with pain". The illness compelled him on occasion to take absences from the bench.
Mellish died at his residence in Lowndes Square
, Westminster
, on June 15, 1877, aged 63. There is a memorial to him in the parish chuch of St Mary and St Martin, Blyth, Nottinghamshire
.
He had outlived his elder brother, William Leigh Mellish (1813–1864), who became a British Army
officer and retired as Lieutenant Colonel
of the Sherwood Foresters
, having married Margaret Ann, a daughter of Sir Samuel Cunard, Bart.
.
Sir
Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
George Mellish (19 December 1814 - 15 June 1877) was an English barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
, judge of the Court of Appeal in Chancery
Court of Appeal in Chancery
England’s Court of Appeal in Chancery was created in 1851 to hear appeals of decisions made by the Vice Chancellors and the Master of the Rolls in Chancery Court. The appeals in the court were heard by the Lord Chancellor and two Lords Justices of Appeal. Cases from the Court of Appeal in...
, and member of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is one of the highest courts in the United Kingdom. Established by the Judicial Committee Act 1833 to hear appeals formerly heard by the King in Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is one of the highest courts in the United...
.
Early life
Born at East TuddenhamEast Tuddenham
East Tuddenham is a village in the Breckland district of mid-Norfolk, East Anglia, England in the United Kingdom. It is around from the city of Norwich, and is close to the town of East Dereham...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, Mellish was the second son of the Very Rev. Edward Mellish, D.D.
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
, Rector of the parish, who afterwards became Dean of Hereford, by his marriage to Elizabeth Jane Leigh, the daughter of the Rev. William Leigh, an earlier Dean of Hereford. His mother was a cousin of George Canning
George Canning
George Canning PC, FRS was a British statesman and politician who served as Foreign Secretary and briefly Prime Minister.-Early life: 1770–1793:...
, who stood as godfather to Mellish. His paternal grandfather was William Mellish, of Blyth Hall and Hodsock Priory
Hodsock Priory
Hodsock Priory is an English country house in Nottinghamshire, north of Worksop, England and south of Blyth. Despite its name, it is not and never has been a priory. Hodsock is renowned for its snowdrops in early spring.-History:...
, Nottinghamshire.
Mellish attended Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, where he fagged
Fagging
Fagging was a traditional educational practice in British boarding private schools and also many other boarding schools, whereby younger pupils were required to act as personal servants to the most senior boys...
for William Gladstone, participated in the Debating Society and was a "wet bob", a sculler on the river. He then went up to University College, Oxford
University College, Oxford
.University College , is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2009 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £110m...
, where he was a debater in the Oxford Union
Oxford Union
The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, Britain, whose membership is drawn primarily but not exclusively from the University of Oxford...
. In 1836, he earned a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
with a second class in classical honours
Literae Humaniores
Literae Humaniores is the name given to an undergraduate course focused on Classics at Oxford and some other universities.The Latin name means literally "more humane letters", but is perhaps better rendered as "Advanced Studies", since humaniores has the sense of "more refined" or "more learned",...
.
Legal career
After Oxford, Mellish joined Lincoln's InnLincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
and served his pupillage
Pupillage
A pupillage, in England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland, is the barrister's equivalent of the training contract that a solicitor undertakes...
to a variety of notable lawyers. He practised as a special pleader
Special pleader
A special pleader was a historial legal occupation. The practitioner, or "special pleader" in English law specialised in drafting "pleadings", in modern terminology statements of case.-History:...
for several years. In 1848, he was called to the bar and began practising on the Northern Circuit
Northern Circuit
The Northern Circuit dates from 1176 when Henry II sent his judges on circuit to do justice in his name. The Circuit encompassed the whole of the North of England but in 1876 it was divided. That part to the west of the Pennines retained the old name. The land to the east became the territory of...
. In 1860 he was appointed Queen's Counsel
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...
.
On 4 August 1870, Mellish was appointed as Lord Justice of the Court of Appeal in Chancery
Court of Appeal in Chancery
England’s Court of Appeal in Chancery was created in 1851 to hear appeals of decisions made by the Vice Chancellors and the Master of the Rolls in Chancery Court. The appeals in the court were heard by the Lord Chancellor and two Lords Justices of Appeal. Cases from the Court of Appeal in...
. The appointment was recommended by Prime Minister Gladstone, who had been Mellish's fag-master at Eton, although Gladstone had apparently forgotten the connection by the time of the appointment. Mellish's appointment to the Chancery Court of Appeal was somewhat unusual, as he had practised almost entirely in the common law courts, not in equity. On 12 August 1870, he was sworn of the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
and was afterwards knighted. His appointment to the Privy Council entitled him to sit as a member of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, at that time the court of last resort
Supreme court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of many legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, instance court, judgment court, high court, or apex court...
for the British Empire beyond the seas.
Illness and death
Mellish was a life-long sufferer from serious goutGout
Gout is a medical condition usually characterized by recurrent attacks of acute inflammatory arthritis—a red, tender, hot, swollen joint. The metatarsal-phalangeal joint at the base of the big toe is the most commonly affected . However, it may also present as tophi, kidney stones, or urate...
. One of the judges before whom he appeared later wrote "I have seen him arguing a difficult case before us while he was absolutely writhing with pain". The illness compelled him on occasion to take absences from the bench.
Mellish died at his residence in Lowndes Square
Lowndes Square
Lowndes Square is an upmarket residential community in Belgravia, London. Like much of Belgravia it is characterised by grand terraces with white stucco houses. The square runs parallel with Sloane Street to the east, east of the Harvey Nichols store and Knightsbridge tube station. It is home to...
, Westminster
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
, on June 15, 1877, aged 63. There is a memorial to him in the parish chuch of St Mary and St Martin, Blyth, Nottinghamshire
Blyth, Nottinghamshire
Blyth is a village in the Bassetlaw district of the county of Nottinghamshire, in the East Midlands, north west of East Retford, on the River Ryton.-Geography:...
.
He had outlived his elder brother, William Leigh Mellish (1813–1864), who became a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer and retired as Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
of the Sherwood Foresters
Sherwood Foresters
The Sherwood Foresters was formed during the Childers Reforms in 1881 from the amalgamation of the 45th Regiment of Foot and the 95th Regiment of Foot...
, having married Margaret Ann, a daughter of Sir Samuel Cunard, Bart.
Samuel Cunard
Sir Samuel Cunard, 1st Baronet was a British shipping magnate, born at Halifax, Nova Scotia, who founded the Cunard Line...
.