Dodgson Hamilton Madden
Encyclopedia
Dodgson Hamilton Madden was an Irish Unionist Party
Member of Parliament
(MP) in the United Kingdom Parliament and subsequently a Judge. The Irish Unionists were the Irish wing of the Conservative Party
. He was the only son of the Reverend Hugh Hamilton Madden of Templemore, County Tipperary. He married twice.
He attended Trinity College, Dublin
, before being called to the Irish Bar in 1864. He became a Queen's Counsel
(QC) in 1880 and Third Serjeant
in 1887.
Madden wrote books on legal topics as well as The Diary of Master William Silence; a Study of Shakespeare and of Elizabethan Sport. His scholarship led Maurice Healy
to describe him as " a don who had strayed into the Courts" Of his legal works the best known was Madden on Deeds, the standard work for many years.
Madden was Solicitor-General for Ireland
1888-1890, and Attorney-General for Ireland
in 1890-1892. He was made a member of the Privy Council of Ireland
9 December 1889.
He was MP for Dublin University 1887-1892. He was subsequently Vice-Chancellor of Dublin University 1895-1919.
Madden left the House of Commons
when he was appointed to the office of Justice of the Queen's Bench Division of the Irish High Court in 1892, an office which he held until 1919 when he retired and moved to England. Maurice Healy in his memoir The Old Munster Circuit described him with respect and affection: " one of the most charming judges I ever met".
Irish Unionist Party
The Irish Unionist Alliance was a Unionist party founded in Ireland in 1891 to oppose plans for Gladstonian and Parnellite Home Rule for Ireland. The party was led for much of its life by Colonel Edward James Saunderson and later by the William St John Brodrick, Earl of Midleton...
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) in the United Kingdom Parliament and subsequently a Judge. The Irish Unionists were the Irish wing of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
. He was the only son of the Reverend Hugh Hamilton Madden of Templemore, County Tipperary. He married twice.
He attended Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
, before being called to the Irish Bar in 1864. He 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...
(QC) in 1880 and Third Serjeant
Serjeant-at-law
The Serjeants-at-Law was an order of barristers at the English bar. The position of Serjeant-at-Law , or Sergeant-Counter, was centuries old; there are writs dating to 1300 which identify them as descended from figures in France prior to the Norman Conquest...
in 1887.
Madden wrote books on legal topics as well as The Diary of Master William Silence; a Study of Shakespeare and of Elizabethan Sport. His scholarship led Maurice Healy
Maurice Healy
Maurice Healy was an Irish nationalist politician, lawyer and Member of Parliament . As a member of the Irish Parliamentary Party, he was returned to in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland four times between 1885 and 1918.He was one of twins, the third son born...
to describe him as " a don who had strayed into the Courts" Of his legal works the best known was Madden on Deeds, the standard work for many years.
Madden was Solicitor-General for Ireland
Solicitor-General for Ireland
The Solicitor-General for Ireland was the holder of an Irish and then United Kingdom government office. The holder was a deputy to the Attorney-General for Ireland, and advised the Crown on Irish legal matters. At least one holder of the office, Patrick Barnewall played a significant role in...
1888-1890, and Attorney-General for Ireland
Attorney-General for Ireland
The Attorney-General for Ireland was an Irish and then United Kingdom government office. The holder was senior to the Solicitor-General for Ireland, and advised the Crown on Irish legal matters...
in 1890-1892. He was made a member of the Privy Council of Ireland
Privy Council of Ireland
The Privy Council of Ireland was an institution of the Kingdom of Ireland until 31 December 1800 and of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 1801-1922...
9 December 1889.
He was MP for Dublin University 1887-1892. He was subsequently Vice-Chancellor of Dublin University 1895-1919.
Madden left the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
when he was appointed to the office of Justice of the Queen's Bench Division of the Irish High Court in 1892, an office which he held until 1919 when he retired and moved to England. Maurice Healy in his memoir The Old Munster Circuit described him with respect and affection: " one of the most charming judges I ever met".