Vinerian Professor of English Law
Encyclopedia
The Vinerian Professorship of English Law, formerly Vinerian Professorship of Common Law, was established by Charles Viner who by his will, dated 29 December 1755, left about £12,000 to the Chancellor, Masters and Scholars of the University of Oxford
, to establish a Professorship of the Common Law
in that University, as well as a number of Vinerian scholarships and readerships.
Until the establishment of the Vinerian Chair, only Canon Law
and Roman (Civil) Law had been taught at Oxford and Cambridge. Therefore, only the Inns of Court
provided any instruction in the Common Law, which was of most practical use to practitioners. Upon Blackstone's appointment to the Vinerian Professorship, his lectures were the first to be given on the English Common Law in any university in the world.
The holders of the Chair since its foundation are the following:
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...
, to establish a Professorship of the Common Law
Common law
Common law is law developed by judges through decisions of courts and similar tribunals rather than through legislative statutes or executive branch action...
in that University, as well as a number of Vinerian scholarships and readerships.
Until the establishment of the Vinerian Chair, only Canon Law
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
and Roman (Civil) Law had been taught at Oxford and Cambridge. Therefore, only the Inns of Court
Inns of Court
The Inns of Court in London are the professional associations for barristers in England and Wales. All such barristers must belong to one such association. They have supervisory and disciplinary functions over their members. The Inns also provide libraries, dining facilities and professional...
provided any instruction in the Common Law, which was of most practical use to practitioners. Upon Blackstone's appointment to the Vinerian Professorship, his lectures were the first to be given on the English Common Law in any university in the world.
The holders of the Chair since its foundation are the following:
- 1758 – 1766 Sir William BlackstoneWilliam BlackstoneSir 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...
(1723–1780) - 1766 – 1777 Sir Robert ChambersRobert Chambers (judge)Sir Robert Chambers , was a jurist, Vinerian Professor of English Law, and Chief Justice of Bengal.-Biography:...
(1737–1803) - 1777 – 1793 Richard Wooddeson (1745–1822)
- 1793 – 1824 James Blackstone (c1765-1831) (son of William Blackstone above)
- 1824 – 1843 Philip WilliamsPhilip Williams (lawyer)Philip Williams was an English lawyer and academic in the University of Oxford.He was the son of the Rev. Philip Williams of Winchester. On 24 April 1798 he matriculated at New College, Oxford, of which he was also a Fellow until 1818. He was awarded his BCL in 1805 and his DCL in 1825...
(1780–1843) - 1844 – 1880 John Robert KenyonJohn Robert KenyonJohn Robert Kenyon was a British lawyer and academic.He was born the third son of Hon. Thomas Kenyon of Pradoe in Shropshire, gentleman. He attended Charterhouse School and then matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford, on 24 January 1825, aged 18...
(1807–1880) - 1882 – 1909 Albert Venn Dicey (1835–1922)
- 1909 – 1922 William Martin GeldartWilliam Martin GeldartWilliam Martin Geldart was a British jurist. A classical scholar of Balliol College, Oxford, he went on to become Vinerian Professor of English Law at Oxford and a leading jurist of his day.-Early life:Son of the Rev...
(1870–1922) - 1922 – 1944 William Searle HoldsworthWilliam Searle HoldsworthSir William Searle Holdsworth, OM, KC, DCL, LL.D, FBA, was Vinerian Professor of English Law at Oxford University and a legal historian, amongst whose works is the 17 volume History of English Law.-Early life:...
(1871–1944) - 1944 – 1949 Geoffrey Chevalier CheshireGeoffrey Chevalier CheshireGeoffrey Chevalier Cheshire, DCL, LLD, FBA was an English barrister, scholar and influential writer on law. He was the father of Leonard Cheshire, VC, the English war hero and founder of the Cheshire Foundation Homes for the Sick.-Biography:Born in 1886 to Walter Christopher Cheshire, a solicitor...
(1886–1978) - 1949 – 1964 Harold Greville Hanbury (1898–1993)
- 1964 – 1979 Rupert (A.R.N.) CrossRupert CrossSir Alfred Rupert Neale Cross was a prominent English lawyer and academic...
(1912–1980) - 1979 – 2010 Guenter TreitelGuenter TreitelSir Guenter Heinz Treitel, QC, FBA, is a German-born English academic and retired Vinerian Professor of English Law.Treitel is the son of a leading Berlin lawyer and came to England on the Kindertransport...
- 2011 – Andrew AshworthAndrew AshworthAndrew Ashworth CBE QC LLB PhD was the lead patent law examiner at St Johns Chambers Manchester and is a Vinerian Professor of English Law 2011-present at the University of Oxford, a Fellow of All Souls College, and Chairman of the Sentencing Advisory Panel...
(b. 1947)
Sources
- Hanbury, Harold Grenville, 1958: The Vinerian Chair and Legal Education. Oxford: OUP
- Windeyer, W. V. J., 1957: Lectures on Legal History. Sydney: Law Book Company.
- Oxford University calendars passim