John Meir Astbury
Encyclopedia
Sir John Meir Astbury was a British
judge and politician.
Astbury was born at Grove House, Broughton
near Manchester
, the son of Frederick James Astbury and Margaret née Munn. His father was a chartered accountant
from Hilton Park, Prestwich
, and John was educated at Manchester Grammar School
before entering the University of Oxford
.
where he studied jurisprudence
. He graduated with a second class degree in 1882, in the following year achieving a first class in the Bachelor of Civil Law
examination. In 1884 he was awarded the University's Vinerian Scholarship
. This enabled him to enter the Middle Temple
as a law student. He was called to the bar
in the same year, and became a bencher in 1903.
Astbury established a legal practice in Manchester, principally dealing with cases at the Palatine Chancery Court
and at the Lancashire
Assizes
. In 1895 he "took silk" to become a Queen's Counsel
. He moved to London, where he was attached to the courts of Sir Edmund Widdrington Byrne
and Sir Henry Buckley successively.
In 1905 he became a Chancery "special", charging an additional fee for his expertise in patent law. The choice proved wise, and he conducted a very profitable practice until 1913.
Astbury was chosen by the Liberal Party
to contest the Lancashire constituency of Southport
. There was a large swing to the Liberals, and Astbury unseated the Conservative
member of parliament
, Edward Marshall Hall, a fellow barrister. However, he had little interest in politics, and retired from the Commons at the next general election in January 1910.
, Viscount Haldane
. He accepted the position and was knighted
. He held the post for sixteen years, in what was generally considered an undistinguished manner. He did, however, come to the notice of the public during the General Strike
of 1926. His injunction on 11 May in favour of the National Sailors' and Firemen's Union of Great Britain was arguably instrumental in ending the strike on the following day.
He resigned his seat on the bench in October 1929 and was made a Privy Councillor
in the same year. Astbury had been made an honorary fellow of Trinty College in 1923 and on his retirement donated a large collection of legal textbooks and judgements to his alma mater
.
in August 1939 aged 79.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
judge and politician.
Astbury was born at Grove House, Broughton
Broughton, Greater Manchester
Broughton is an inner city area of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the east bank of the River Irwell and A56 road, in the northeastern part of the City of Salford, north-northwest of Manchester city centre and south of Prestwich. Broughton consists of Broughton Park, Higher...
near Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, the son of Frederick James Astbury and Margaret née Munn. His father was a chartered accountant
Chartered Accountant
Chartered Accountants were the first accountants to form a professional body, initially established in Britain in 1854. The Edinburgh Society of Accountants , the Glasgow Institute of Accountants and Actuaries and the Aberdeen Society of Accountants were each granted a royal charter almost from...
from Hilton Park, Prestwich
Prestwich
Prestwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies close to the River Irwell, north of Manchester city centre, north of Salford and south of Bury....
, and John was educated at Manchester Grammar School
Manchester Grammar School
The Manchester Grammar School is the largest independent day school for boys in the UK . It is based in Manchester, England...
before entering the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
.
Legal practice
He attended Trinity College, OxfordTrinity College, Oxford
The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope , or Trinity College for short, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It stands on Broad Street, next door to Balliol College and Blackwells bookshop,...
where he studied jurisprudence
Jurisprudence
Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. Scholars of jurisprudence, or legal theorists , hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, of legal reasoning, legal systems and of legal institutions...
. He graduated with a second class degree in 1882, in the following year achieving a first class in the Bachelor of Civil Law
Bachelor of Civil Law
Bachelor of Civil Law is the name of various degrees in law conferred by English-language universities. Historically, it originated as a postgraduate degree in the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, but many universities now offer the BCL as an undergraduate degree...
examination. In 1884 he was awarded the University's Vinerian Scholarship
Vinerian Scholarship
The Vinerian Scholarship is a scholarship given to the University of Oxford student that "gives the best performance in the examination for the Degree of Bachelor of Civil Law." Currently, £2,400 is given to the winner of the scholarship, with an additional £950 awarded to a proxime accessit...
. This enabled him to enter the Middle Temple
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...
as a law student. He was called to the bar
Call 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 a "call to the bar"...
in the same year, and became a bencher in 1903.
Astbury established a legal practice in Manchester, principally dealing with cases at the Palatine Chancery Court
Duchy of Lancaster
The Duchy of Lancaster is one of the two royal duchies in England, the other being the Duchy of Cornwall. It is held in trust for the Sovereign, and is used to provide income for the use of the British monarch...
and at the Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
Assizes
Assizes
Assize or Assizes may refer to:Assize or Assizes may refer to:Assize or Assizes may refer to::;in common law countries :::*assizes , an obsolete judicial inquest...
. In 1895 he "took silk" to become a 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...
. He moved to London, where he was attached to the courts of Sir Edmund Widdrington Byrne
Edmund Widdrington Byrne
Sir Edmund Widdrington Byrne was a British judge and Conservative Party politician.Byrne was born in Islington, London, and was the son of Edmund Byrne, solicitor, and his wife Mary Elizabeth, née Cowell. He was educated at King's College, London and was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1867...
and Sir Henry Buckley successively.
In 1905 he became a Chancery "special", charging an additional fee for his expertise in patent law. The choice proved wise, and he conducted a very profitable practice until 1913.
Member of parliament
At the 1906 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
Astbury was chosen by the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
to contest the Lancashire constituency of Southport
Southport (UK Parliament constituency)
Southport is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
. There was a large swing to the Liberals, and Astbury unseated the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
member of parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, Edward Marshall Hall, a fellow barrister. However, he had little interest in politics, and retired from the Commons at the next general election in January 1910.
Judge
In 1913 Astbury was offered a vacant judgeship in the Chancery Division by the Lord ChancellorLord Chancellor
The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom. He is the second highest ranking of the Great Officers of State, ranking only after the Lord High Steward. The Lord Chancellor is appointed by the Sovereign...
, Viscount Haldane
Richard Haldane, 1st Viscount Haldane
Richard Burdon Haldane, 1st Viscount Haldane KT, OM, PC, KC, FRS, FBA, FSA , was an influential British Liberal Imperialist and later Labour politician, lawyer and philosopher. He was Secretary of State for War between 1905 and 1912 during which time the "Haldane Reforms" were implemented...
. He accepted the position and was knighted
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
. He held the post for sixteen years, in what was generally considered an undistinguished manner. He did, however, come to the notice of the public during the General Strike
1926 United Kingdom general strike
The 1926 general strike in the United Kingdom was a general strike that lasted nine days, from 4 May 1926 to 13 May 1926. It was called by the general council of the Trades Union Congress in an unsuccessful attempt to force the British government to act to prevent wage reduction and worsening...
of 1926. His injunction on 11 May in favour of the National Sailors' and Firemen's Union of Great Britain was arguably instrumental in ending the strike on the following day.
He resigned his seat on the bench in October 1929 and was made a Privy Councillor
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...
in the same year. Astbury had been made an honorary fellow of Trinty College in 1923 and on his retirement donated a large collection of legal textbooks and judgements to his alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
.
Family
Astbury was twice married. In 1888 he wed Evelyn Susmann, daughter of a Manchester merchant. Following her death in 1923 he married Harriet, widow of Captain Morrell Andrew Girdlestone and daughter of George Holmes of Philadelphia, USA. He had one child, a daughter from his first marriage, who died in a motor accident.Death
The last ten years of Astbury's life saw him struggling with blindness and the loss of his only child. He died at a hotel in Sandwich, KentSandwich, Kent
Sandwich is a historic town and civil parish on the River Stour in the Non-metropolitan district of Dover, within the ceremonial county of Kent, south-east England. It has a population of 6,800....
in August 1939 aged 79.