John Williams (barrister)
Encyclopedia
John Williams was a Welsh
lawyer and writer on legal topics.
Williams was born near Carmarthen
and educated at Carmarthen Grammar School before matriculating
at Jesus College, Oxford
in 1773. He moved to Wadham College, Oxford
later the same year, and graduated with degrees of BA
(1776) and MA (1781). He became a Fellow of Wadham in 1780, acting as librarian (1781–82) and humanity lecturer (1782), resigning his fellowship in 1792. In the meantime he had joined Middle Temple
and was called to the bar in 1784. He was appointed a serjeant-at-law
in 1794, and a king's serjeant in 1804. His writings included the tenth and eleventh editions (with Richard Burn) of Blackstone's
Commentaries on the Laws of England
(1787 and 1791) and the third edition of Sir Edmund Saunders's Reports of Cases and Pleadings in the Court of King's Bench in the Reign of Charles II, with additional notes and references. These notes were retained in later editions and were eventually issued on their own in an edition by his son, the judge Sir Edward Vaughan Williams. He died in London and was buried in the Temple Church
.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
lawyer and writer on legal topics.
Williams was born near Carmarthen
Carmarthen
Carmarthen is a community in, and the county town of, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is sited on the River Towy north of its mouth at Carmarthen Bay. In 2001, the population was 14,648....
and educated at Carmarthen Grammar School before matriculating
Matriculation
Matriculation, in the broadest sense, means to be registered or added to a list, from the Latin matricula – little list. In Scottish heraldry, for instance, a matriculation is a registration of armorial bearings...
at Jesus College, Oxford
Jesus College, Oxford
Jesus College is one of the colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship Street, Cornmarket Street and Market Street...
in 1773. He moved to Wadham College, Oxford
Wadham College, Oxford
Wadham College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, located at the southern end of Parks Road in central Oxford. It was founded by Nicholas and Dorothy Wadham, wealthy Somerset landowners, during the reign of King James I...
later the same year, and graduated with degrees of BA
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...
(1776) and MA (1781). He became a Fellow of Wadham in 1780, acting as librarian (1781–82) and humanity lecturer (1782), resigning his fellowship in 1792. In the meantime he had joined 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...
and was called to the bar in 1784. He was appointed a serjeant-at-law
Serjeant-at-law
The Serjeants-at-Law was an order of barristers at the English bar. The position of Serjeant-at-Law , or Sergeant-Counter, was centuries old; there are writs dating to 1300 which identify them as descended from figures in France prior to the Norman Conquest...
in 1794, and a king's serjeant in 1804. His writings included the tenth and eleventh editions (with Richard Burn) of Blackstone's
William Blackstone
Sir William Blackstone KC SL was an English jurist, judge and Tory politician of the eighteenth century. He is most noted for writing the Commentaries on the Laws of England. Born into a middle class family in London, Blackstone was educated at Charterhouse School before matriculating at Pembroke...
Commentaries on the Laws of England
Commentaries on the Laws of England
The Commentaries on the Laws of England are an influential 18th-century treatise on the common law of England by Sir William Blackstone, originally published by the Clarendon Press at Oxford, 1765–1769...
(1787 and 1791) and the third edition of Sir Edmund Saunders's Reports of Cases and Pleadings in the Court of King's Bench in the Reign of Charles II, with additional notes and references. These notes were retained in later editions and were eventually issued on their own in an edition by his son, the judge Sir Edward Vaughan Williams. He died in London and was buried in the Temple Church
Temple Church
The Temple Church is a late-12th-century church in London located between Fleet Street and the River Thames, built for and by the Knights Templar as their English headquarters. In modern times, two Inns of Court both use the church. It is famous for its effigy tombs and for being a round church...
.