Sir James Parker was a British barrister who became Vice Chancellor of the High Court.

Parker was born in Glasgow, the son of Charles Stuart Parker and his wife Mary Rainey. He was educated at Glasgow Grammar School and Trinity College, Cambridge

Trinity College, Cambridge

Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...

. In 1829, he was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn

Lincoln'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 was an equity draftsman and conveyancer. He practiced on the Northern circuit and became 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...

 in 1844. Parker purchased the estate of Rothley Temple from his father-in-law Thomas Babington

Thomas Babington

Thomas Babington was an English philanthropist and politician. He was a member of the Clapham Sect, alongside more famous abolitionists such as William Wilberforce and Hannah More...

 in 1845.

Parker became Vice-Chancellor

Chancellor of the High Court

The Chancellor of the High Court is the head of the Chancery Division of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales. Before October 2005, when certain provisions of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 took effect, the office was known as the Vice-Chancellor...

 of the High Court

High Court

The term High Court usually refers to the superior court of a country or state. In some countries, it is the highest court . In others, it is positioned lower in the hierarchy of courts The term High Court usually refers to the superior court (or supreme court) of a country or state. In some...

 in 1851 and received a knighthood. However he died the following year at the age of 49 from angina pectoris and was buried in the chapel at Rothley.

Parker married Mary Babington, third daughter of Thomas Babington in 1829. Their daughter Susan Emma Parker married Archibald Smith

Archibald Smith

Archibald Smith FRS FRSE was a Scottish mathematician and lawyer.He was the only son of James Smith FRS , a wealthy merchant and antiquary of Jordanhill, Glasgow, and his wife Mary, daughter of Alexander Wilson, professor of astronomy in Glasgow University...

 and their son James Parker

James Parker (rower)

James Edward Parker was an English rower who won several events at Henley Royal Regatta and won the Wingfield Sculls, the amateur sculling championship of the River Thames....

 was a successful rower. Parker was the uncle of Charles Stuart Parker

Charles Stuart Parker

Charles Stuart Parker was a British academic, writer and Liberal politician.Parker was the eldest son of the Charles Stuart Parker, merchant, of Aigburth, Liverpool, and Fairlie, Ayrshire, and his wife Anne Sandbach. He was educated at Eton and at University College, Oxford. After obtaining a...

MP.