William Burge was a British

British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

 lawyer

Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

 and Privy Councillor.

Biography

William Burge matriculated at Oxford University in 1803 and was admitted to the Inner Temple

Inner Temple

The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...

 being called to the bar in 1808. He then joined the Colonial Service

Colonial Service

The Colonial Service was the British government service which administered Britain's colonies and protectorates, under the authority of the Secretary of State for the Colonies and the Colonial Office in London....

, being stationed to Jamaica

Jamaica

Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...

, where he served for 12 years as Attorney General

Attorney General of Jamaica

Attorney General of Jamaica is the chief law officer in Jamaica.Section 79 of the Constitution of Jamaica states that "there shall be an Attorney General who shall be the principal legal adviser to the Government of Jamaica" and pursuant to the Crown Proceedings Act all civil proceedings by or...

.

He was involved in a case that was to be overturned by the British Government. Louis Celeste Lecesne

Louis Celeste Lecesne

Louis Celeste Lecesne , also known as Lewis Celeste Lecesne, was an anti-slavery activist from the Caribbean islands....

 and John Escoffery were arrested on 7 October 1823 under the Alien Act by a warrant of the Duke of Manchester

William Montagu, 5th Duke of Manchester

Colonel William Montagu, 5th Duke of Manchester , styled Viscount Mandeville until 1783, was a British peer, soldier, colonial administrator and politician.-Background and education:...

, the Governor of Jamaica. They were considered by Burge to be of a dangerous character and to be aliens as they were thought to be Haitians. They had time to raise a writ of Habeas Corpus

Habeas corpus

is a writ, or legal action, through which a prisoner can be released from unlawful detention. The remedy can be sought by the prisoner or by another person coming to his aid. Habeas corpus originated in the English legal system, but it is now available in many nations...

 in the Supreme Court of Jamaica

The two were later rearrested and exiled. They travelled to London and had the case overturned. In the course of this action Burge wrote a letter (more like a book) which put forward his view and the facts to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, George Murray.

Subsequently Burge was in practice in London and served as Agent for Jamaica.

He became an influential in jurisprudence

Jurisprudence

Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. Scholars of jurisprudence, or legal theorists , hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, of legal reasoning, legal systems and of legal institutions...

 through his book Commentaries on Colonial and Foreign Laws which went through many editions between 1838 and 1907.

He was Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 (MP) for Eye

Eye (UK Parliament constituency)

Eye was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected two Members of Parliament by the bloc vote system of election...

 from 1831 to 1832. After that borough was reduced to one seat under the Reform Act 1832

Reform Act 1832

The Representation of the People Act 1832 was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of England and Wales...

, he stood at the 1832 general election

United Kingdom general election, 1832

-Seats summary:-Parties and leaders at the general election:The Earl Grey had been Prime Minister since 22 November 1830. His was the first predominantly Whig administration since the Ministry of all the Talents in 1806-1807....

 in Oldham

Oldham (UK Parliament constituency)

Oldham was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Oldham, England. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...

, but did not win a seat.

Works

• Letter to the Right Honorable Sir George Murray Relative to the Deportation of Lecesne and Escoffery from Jamaica], William Burge, 1829
• Commentaries on Colonial and Foreign Laws, 1838 (and new editions to 1907)

External links