Life

Sewell, eldest son of Thomas Sewell of Newport, Isle of Wight, brother of James Edwards Sewell

James Edwards Sewell

James Edwards Sewell , Warden of New College, Oxford, was educated at Winchester College and New College.In 1830, he became a Fellow of New College, and practically passed the rest of his life there, being elected to the headship in 1860 The first University Commission had just released the...

, warden of New College, Oxford, Henry Sewell

Henry Sewell

Henry Sewell was a prominent 19th century New Zealand politician. He was a notable campaigner for New Zealand self-government, and is generally regarded as having been the country's first Premier, having led the Sewell Ministry in 1856.-Early life:Sewell was born on 7 September 1807 in the town of...

, premier of New Zealand, and of William Sewell

William Sewell

William Sewell , English divine and author, was born at Newport, Isle of Wight, the son of a solicitor.He was educated at Winchester and Merton College, Oxford, was elected a fellow of Exeter College in 1827, and from 1831-1853 was a tutor there. From 1836-1841 he was White's Professor of Moral...

, a Church of England clergyman, and the novelist Elizabeth Missing Sewell

Elizabeth Missing Sewell

Elizabeth Missing Sewell was an English author of religious and educational texts notable in the 19th century.-Biography:Elizabeth Missing Sewell was born at High Street, Newport, Isle of Wight, on 19 February 1815, was third daughter in a family of seven sons and five daughters of Thomas Sewell ,...

.

He was baptised at Newport on 6 Feb. 1803, and entered Winchester College

Winchester College

Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...

 in 1818. He matriculated from Magdalen College, Oxford

Magdalen College, Oxford

Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...

, on 26 July 1821, was a demy of his college from 1821 until 1837, and a fellow from 1837 to 1856. He served as senior dean of arts in 1838, as bursar 1840, and was vice-president and prælector of natural philosophy in 1843. He graduated with a second-class in lit. hum., B.A. 1826, M.A. 1829, and D.C.L. 1840. He was awarded the Newdigate prize in 1825 for an English poem on ‘The Temple of Vesta at Tivoli.’

On 25 June 1830 he was called to the bar at the Middle Temple, became known as a special pleader, and took business on the western circuit and at the Hampshire sessions. Later in life he went to Australia, where he practised in the criminal law courts, and was in 1857 appointed reader in law to the university of Melbourne. He died at Melbourne on 9 Nov. 1864.

Works

Sewell was a man of varied learning. He published: 1. ‘Collectanea Parliamentaria,’ 1831. 2. ‘A Digest of the New Statutes and Rules, with the Cases decided at Banc and at Nisi Prius,’ 1835. 3. ‘The Municipal Corporation Act, 5 and 6 Will. IV, c. 76,’ 1835. 4. ‘Vindiciæ Ecclesiasticæ, or a Legal and Historical Argument against the Abolition of the Bishops' Courts in Cases of Correction, as proposed by the Church Discipline Act,’ 1839. 4. ‘A Manual of the Law and Practice of Registration of Voters in England and Wales,’ 1835; 2nd ed. 1844. 5. ‘A Treatise on the Law of Sheriffs with practical Forms and Precedents,’ 1842. 6. ‘A Treatise on the Law of Coroner, with Precedents and Forms,’ 1843. 7. ‘A Letter to the Members of the Venerable House of Convocation [on the subject of the Proceedings against W. G. Ward],’ 1845. 8. ‘Sacro-Politica: the Rights of the Anglican Church examined with, and tested by, the Laws of England and the Principles of the British Constitution,’ 1848. 9. ‘Legal Education: an Inaugural Lecture,’ Melbourne, 1857. 10. ‘The Speech of R. C. Sewell in defence of G. Chamberlain and W. Armstrong, charged with intent to murder W. Green,’ Melbourne, 1859.

For the English Historical Society Sewell edited ‘Gesta Stephani,’ 1846, and contributed to the ‘Field’ ‘The Papers of a Hampshire Fisherman.’