Lewis Cave
Encyclopedia
Lewis William Cave was a British judge.
, Northamptonshire
, the eldest son of William Cave, a local landowner, and his wife, Elizabeth. After attending Rugby School
, he went to Lincoln College, Oxford
, from where he graduated in 1855 with a degree in humanities
.
Shortly after graduating, Cave started studying law, and married Julia Watkins, the daughter of the vicar of Brixworth
on 5 August 1856. Cave was called to the bar on 10 June 1859 and built up a large general practice in the English Midlands
.
In 1873, he was appointed recorder of Lincoln, Lincolnshire
, and two years later became a Queen's Counsel
. He edited several legal texts, including Stone's Practice of Petty Sessions (1861), Reports of the Court for the Consideration of Crown Cases Reserved, Addison's Treatise on the Law of Contracts (1869; 1875) and Addison's Law of Torts (1879).
Despite being well known in the Midlands, Cave was not well known in London. His appointment as a Justice of the Queen's Bench in 1881, and his coincident knighthood, came as something of a surprise.
As a judge, he gained a reputation as bluff and concise, often cutting short arguments which he considered too lengthy.
Biography
He was born at DesboroughDesborough
Desborough is a town in Northamptonshire, England. It is one of the founding 12 members of the Charter of European Rural Communities and through this has links with 26 other EU member towns and villages...
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, the eldest son of William Cave, a local landowner, and his wife, Elizabeth. After attending Rugby School
Rugby School
Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...
, he went to Lincoln College, Oxford
Lincoln College, Oxford
Lincoln College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is situated on Turl Street in central Oxford, backing onto Brasenose College and adjacent to Exeter College...
, from where he graduated in 1855 with a degree in humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
.
Shortly after graduating, Cave started studying law, and married Julia Watkins, the daughter of the vicar of Brixworth
Brixworth
Brixworth is a village and civil parish in the Daventry district of Northamptonshire, England. The 2001 census recorded a parish population of 5,162. The village is particularly notable for All Saints' Church, Brixworth, its historic Anglo-Saxon church....
on 5 August 1856. Cave was called to the bar on 10 June 1859 and built up a large general practice in the English Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
.
In 1873, he was appointed recorder of Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
, and two years later became 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 edited several legal texts, including Stone's Practice of Petty Sessions (1861), Reports of the Court for the Consideration of Crown Cases Reserved, Addison's Treatise on the Law of Contracts (1869; 1875) and Addison's Law of Torts (1879).
Despite being well known in the Midlands, Cave was not well known in London. His appointment as a Justice of the Queen's Bench in 1881, and his coincident knighthood, came as something of a surprise.
As a judge, he gained a reputation as bluff and concise, often cutting short arguments which he considered too lengthy.