Montagu Williams
Encyclopedia
Montagu Stephen Williams Q.C. (30 September 1835 – 23 December 1892) was an English
teacher, army officer, actor, playwright, barrister and magistrate.
Williams was educated at Eton College
and started his career as a schoolmaster at Ipswich School
. On the outbreak of the Crimean War
he joined the Royal South Lincoln Militia and fought at Sevastopol
. He later went onto the stage and was called to the bar in 1862. In 1879 we was appointed junior Treasury counsel, retiring from the post in 1886 due to a growth on the larynx
which seriously affected his voice and succeeded by Sir Charles Willie Mathews, 1st Baronet. Williams was appointed Queen's Counsel
and took up a post as metropolitan magistrate.
His clients included Catherine Wilson
, whom he defended twice on murder charges; George Henry Lamson
, hanged in 1882 for poisoning his brother-in-law; Percy Lefroy Mapleton
, the "railway murderer", hanged in 1881; John Young, acquitted of manslaughter after his opponent in a boxing match died, establishing a legal precedent.
He married Louise Keeley, daughter of Robert Keeley
in 1858: she died in 1877. He died at Ramsgate
in 1892 of uraemia.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
teacher, army officer, actor, playwright, barrister and magistrate.
Williams was educated at Eton College
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"....
and started his career as a schoolmaster at Ipswich School
Ipswich School
Ipswich School is a co-educational public school for girls and boys aged 3 to 18. Situated in Suffolk, England in the town of Ipswich, it was founded in its current form as The King's School, Ipswich by Thomas Wolsey in 1528....
. On the outbreak of the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
he joined the Royal South Lincoln Militia and fought at Sevastopol
Sevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
. He later went onto the stage and was called to the bar in 1862. In 1879 we was appointed junior Treasury counsel, retiring from the post in 1886 due to a growth on the larynx
Larynx
The larynx , commonly called the voice box, is an organ in the neck of amphibians, reptiles and mammals involved in breathing, sound production, and protecting the trachea against food aspiration. It manipulates pitch and volume...
which seriously affected his voice and succeeded by Sir Charles Willie Mathews, 1st Baronet. Williams 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...
and took up a post as metropolitan magistrate.
His clients included Catherine Wilson
Catherine Wilson
Catherine Wilson was a British woman who was hanged for one murder, but was generally thought at the time to have committed six others. She worked as a nurse and poisoned her victims after encouraging them to leave her money in their wills...
, whom he defended twice on murder charges; George Henry Lamson
George Henry Lamson
George Henry Lamson was an American doctor and murderer.In his early career he had been a volunteer surgeon in Romania and Serbia, and decorated for his work. He returned to England and practised in Bournemouth...
, hanged in 1882 for poisoning his brother-in-law; Percy Lefroy Mapleton
Percy Lefroy Mapleton
Percy Lefroy Mapleton , a journalist, was the British "railway murderer" of 1881...
, the "railway murderer", hanged in 1881; John Young, acquitted of manslaughter after his opponent in a boxing match died, establishing a legal precedent.
He married Louise Keeley, daughter of Robert Keeley
Robert Keeley (comedian)
Robert Keeley was an actor-manager, comedian and female impersonator of the nineteenth century. In 1823 he originated the role of 'Fritz' in Presumption; or, the Fate of Frankenstein, a stage adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein.-Early life:Robert Keeley was born in London as one of...
in 1858: she died in 1877. He died at Ramsgate
Ramsgate
Ramsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century and is a member of the ancient confederation of Cinque Ports. It has a population of around 40,000. Ramsgate's main attraction is its coastline and its main...
in 1892 of uraemia.