Edward Ryan
Encyclopedia
Sir Edward Ryan PC FRS (28 August 1793 – 22 August 1875) was an English
lawyer
, judge
, reformer of the British Civil Service
and patron of science
.
from Trinity College, Cambridge
in 1814 and while at Cambridge, he became friends with John Herschel
, Charles Babbage
, and George Peacock
. Ryan took his MA
in 1817 and was called to the bar by Lincoln's Inn
in the same year. It was Herchel's sharing of his scientific interests and enthusiasms that encouraged Ryan to join the Royal Astronomical Society
in 1820.
He practised on the Oxford circuit and published a volume of law report
s jointly with William Oldnall Russell titled "Crown cases reserved for consideration; and decided by the Twelve judges of England, from the year 1799 to the year 1824" before being appointed a puisne judge in the supreme court
Calcutta India
, then an English colony
(see: Company Rule in India, 1757-1857: Policies). The appointment carried the customary knighthood. However, he would complete another book, this time with William Moody, titled "Reports of cases determined at Nisi Prius, in the Courts of King's Bench and Common Pleas: and on the Oxford and Western circuits from the sittings after Michaelmas term, 4 Geo. IV. 1823 to the sittings after Trinity term, 7 Geo. IV. 1826, inclusive" before he left for India.
. Victor Jacquemont
was a visitor in 1829. Ryan was a keen patron of science, presiding over agricultural
and horticultural
societies, and a supporter of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge
.
Secretary to the Board of Control
Thomas Babington Macaulay had drafted a criminal code for India and Ryam's support won him Macaulay's affection. Governor-General
Lord William Bentinck
was also well-disposed and when Russell, his old law-report collaborator, died in 1833, Ryan was appointed Chief Justice of India
.
He took sides with Macaulay and Charles Trevelyan
in their campaign that education in India should be improved by the widespread teaching of English to give the population access to the educational and instructional materials of the English-speaking world. From 1835, the three served together on the general committee of public education until Macaulay and Trevelyan left for England in 1838 when Ryan took over as president of the committee.
to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
on appeals from the Indian courts. Consequently, he was sworn a Privy Councillor.
He went on to hold offices including:
In 1850, Trevelyan campaigned along with Charles Hay Cameron
for the opening of the Indian Civil Service to the native population and championed the appointment of Soorjo Coomar Goodeve Chuckerbutty
to the Bengal medical service.
in 1854 had characterised the British Civil Service
as riddled with cronyism
and hampered by the inefficiencies of patronage
. The report had recommended access to the higher ranks of the service by open competition and public examination. Ryan became the inaugural First Civil Service Commissioner
in 1855 with the task of implementing the reforms, and immediately faced the establishment backlash. However, Ryan was both intelligent and tactful and managed to supervise the trialling, evaluation and gradual introduction of universal tests by 1870. The commission also supervised exams for admission to the Indian Civil Service and the British Army
.
Ryan died on the 22nd of August 1875 at Dover
. and is buried at Kensal Green Cemetery London
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
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...
, judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
, reformer of the British Civil Service
British Civil Service
Her Majesty's Home Civil Service, also known as the Home Civil Service, is the permanent bureaucracy of Crown employees that supports Her Majesty's Government - the government of the United Kingdom, composed of a Cabinet of ministers chosen by the prime minister, as well as the devolved...
and patron of science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
.
Early life
Ryan was the son of John Burke Ryan. He graduatedGraduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
from Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
in 1814 and while at Cambridge, he became friends with John Herschel
John Herschel
Sir John Frederick William Herschel, 1st Baronet KH, FRS ,was an English mathematician, astronomer, chemist, and experimental photographer/inventor, who in some years also did valuable botanical work...
, Charles Babbage
Charles Babbage
Charles Babbage, FRS was an English mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer who originated the concept of a programmable computer...
, and George Peacock
George Peacock
George Peacock was an English mathematician.-Life:Peacock was born on 9 April 1791 at Thornton Hall, Denton, near Darlington, County Durham. His father, the Rev. Thomas Peacock, was a clergyman of the Church of England, incumbent and for 50 years curate of the parish of Denton, where he also kept...
. Ryan took his MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in 1817 and was called to the bar by Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
in the same year. It was Herchel's sharing of his scientific interests and enthusiasms that encouraged Ryan to join the Royal Astronomical Society
Royal Astronomical Society
The Royal Astronomical Society is a learned society that began as the Astronomical Society of London in 1820 to support astronomical research . It became the Royal Astronomical Society in 1831 on receiving its Royal Charter from William IV...
in 1820.
He practised on the Oxford circuit and published a volume of law report
Law report
Law reports or reporters are series of books that contain judicial opinions from a selection of case law decided by courts. When a particular judicial opinion is referenced, the law report series in which the opinion is printed will determine the case citation format.The term reporter was...
s jointly with William Oldnall Russell titled "Crown cases reserved for consideration; and decided by the Twelve judges of England, from the year 1799 to the year 1824" before being appointed a puisne judge in the supreme court
Supreme court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of many legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, instance court, judgment court, high court, or apex court...
Calcutta India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, then an English colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
(see: Company Rule in India, 1757-1857: Policies). The appointment carried the customary knighthood. However, he would complete another book, this time with William Moody, titled "Reports of cases determined at Nisi Prius, in the Courts of King's Bench and Common Pleas: and on the Oxford and Western circuits from the sittings after Michaelmas term, 4 Geo. IV. 1823 to the sittings after Trinity term, 7 Geo. IV. 1826, inclusive" before he left for India.
India
Ryan arrived in India in 1827 and soon established something of a salonSalon (gathering)
A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine taste and increase their knowledge of the participants through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "either to...
. Victor Jacquemont
Victor Jacquemont
Victor Jacquemont was a French botanist and geologist.Born in Paris on August 8, 1801, Victor Jacquemont was the youngest of four sons of Venceslas Jacquemont and Rose Laisné....
was a visitor in 1829. Ryan was a keen patron of science, presiding over agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and horticultural
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
societies, and a supporter of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge
Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge
The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge , founded in 1826, and wound up in 1848, was a Whiggish London organisation that published inexpensive texts intended to adapt scientific and similarly high-minded material for the rapidly expanding reading public...
.
Secretary to the Board of Control
Secretary to the Board of Control
The Secretary to the Board of Control was a British government office in the late 18th and early 19th century, supporting the President of the Board of Control, who was responsible for overseeing the British East India Company and generally serving as the chief official in London responsible for...
Thomas Babington Macaulay had drafted a criminal code for India and Ryam's support won him Macaulay's affection. Governor-General
Governor-General of India
The Governor-General of India was the head of the British administration in India, and later, after Indian independence, the representative of the monarch and de facto head of state. The office was created in 1773, with the title of Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William...
Lord William Bentinck
Lord William Bentinck
Lieutenant-General Lord William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck GCB, GCH, PC , known as Lord William Bentinck, was a British soldier and statesman...
was also well-disposed and when Russell, his old law-report collaborator, died in 1833, Ryan was appointed Chief Justice of India
Chief Justice of India
The Chief Justice of India is the highest-ranking judge in the Supreme Court of India, and thus holds the highest judicial position in India. As well as presiding in the Supreme Court, the Chief Justice also head its administrative functions....
.
He took sides with Macaulay and Charles Trevelyan
Sir Charles Trevelyan, 1st Baronet
Sir Charles Edward Trevelyan, 1st Baronet, KCB was a British civil servant and colonial administrator. As a young man, he worked with the colonial government in Calcutta, India; in the late 1850s and 1860s he served there in senior-level appointments...
in their campaign that education in India should be improved by the widespread teaching of English to give the population access to the educational and instructional materials of the English-speaking world. From 1835, the three served together on the general committee of public education until Macaulay and Trevelyan left for England in 1838 when Ryan took over as president of the committee.
Back in England
Ryan resigned as Chief Justice and returned to England in January 1843 with the intention of acting as assessorAssessor (law)
In some jurisdictions, an assessor is a judge's or magistrate's assistant. This is in fact the historical meaning of this word.-By country:In Denmark, it was the former title given to Supreme Court judges. Today the title is given to Deputy Judges...
to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is one of the highest courts in the United Kingdom. Established by the Judicial Committee Act 1833 to hear appeals formerly heard by the King in Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is one of the highest courts in the United...
on appeals from the Indian courts. Consequently, he was sworn a Privy Councillor.
He went on to hold offices including:
- Permanent member of the Judicial Committee (1850–1865);
- Member of a Royal CommissionRoyal CommissionIn Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
on English criminal lawCriminal lawCriminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...
(1845); - Railway Commissioner (1846-?);
- Assistant Controller of the Exchequer (1851–1862).
In 1850, Trevelyan campaigned along with Charles Hay Cameron
Charles Hay Cameron
Charles Hay Cameron , was a jurist. He was married to the photographer Julia Margaret Cameron.-Early life:He was the son of Charles Cameron, governor of the Bahama Islands, by Lady Margaret Hay, daughter of the fourteenth Earl of Erroll. His grandfather, Donald Cameron, was the younger son of Dr....
for the opening of the Indian Civil Service to the native population and championed the appointment of Soorjo Coomar Goodeve Chuckerbutty
Soorjo Coomar Goodeve Chuckerbutty
Surjo Kumar Chakraborty was one of the earliest Indians to practice modern medicine.He studied in Medical College,Bengal and went to England for further studies.He was an M.R.C.S. and M.D.He was the first Indian to join the Indian Medical Service....
to the Bengal medical service.
Civil Service Commission
The Northcote-Trevelyan ReportNorthcote-Trevelyan Report
The Northcote-Trevelyan Report was a document prepared by Stafford H. Northcote and C.E. Trevelyan in 1853 that catalyzed the development of Her Majesty's Civil Service in the United Kingdom due to the influence of the ancient Chinese Imperial Examination....
in 1854 had characterised the British Civil Service
British Civil Service
Her Majesty's Home Civil Service, also known as the Home Civil Service, is the permanent bureaucracy of Crown employees that supports Her Majesty's Government - the government of the United Kingdom, composed of a Cabinet of ministers chosen by the prime minister, as well as the devolved...
as riddled with cronyism
Cronyism
Cronyism is partiality to long-standing friends, especially by appointing them to positions of authority, regardless of their qualifications. Hence, cronyism is contrary in practice and principle to meritocracy....
and hampered by the inefficiencies of patronage
Patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...
. The report had recommended access to the higher ranks of the service by open competition and public examination. Ryan became the inaugural First Civil Service Commissioner
First Civil Service Commissioner
The First Civil Service Commissioner heads the Office of Civil Service Commissioners, which ensures that the Civil Service in the United Kingdom is effective and impartial and that appointments are made on merit, and hears appeals under the Civil Service Code....
in 1855 with the task of implementing the reforms, and immediately faced the establishment backlash. However, Ryan was both intelligent and tactful and managed to supervise the trialling, evaluation and gradual introduction of universal tests by 1870. The commission also supervised exams for admission to the Indian Civil Service and the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
.
Family
On the 13th of December 1814 Ryan married Louisa Whitmore (1789–1866) the daughter of William Whitmore and Frances Barbara Lyster. His friend Babbage married her sister, Georgiana (1792–1827), in the same year. The Ryans had eight sons and three daughters:- Edmund Burke Ryan (1815–1850)
- Frances Hanway Ryan (1817-)
- Lousia Ryan (1818–1906)
- John Cavendish Ryan (1819–1822)
- Wolryche Whitmore Ryan (1821–1867)
- Mary Ann Ryan (1822-)
- Colonel Edward Moody Ryan (1824-), of the BengalBengalBengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
army; - Robert Henry Ryan (1825-)
- Fredrick York Ryan (1827–1829)
- Sir Charles Lister Ryan (1831–1920), comptroller and auditor-general.
- Colonel William Cavendish Bentinck Ryan (1833–1894) also of the Bengal army, named for the Governor-General of India;
Ryan died on the 22nd of August 1875 at Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
. and is buried at Kensal Green Cemetery London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Honours and offices
- Fellow of the Royal Astronomical SocietyRoyal Astronomical SocietyThe Royal Astronomical Society is a learned society that began as the Astronomical Society of London in 1820 to support astronomical research . It became the Royal Astronomical Society in 1831 on receiving its Royal Charter from William IV...
, (1820); - BencherBencherA bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher can be elected while still a barrister , in recognition of the contribution that the barrister has made to the life of the Inn or to the law...
of Lincoln's Inn, (1844); - Fellow of the Geographical Society, (1846);
- Member of the senateSenateA senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a legislature or parliament. There have been many such bodies in history, since senate means the assembly of the eldest and wiser members of the society and ruling class...
of the University of LondonUniversity of London-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, (1846–1875);- Vice-chancellor, (1871–1874);
- Member of the council of University College, London;
- Member of the Council of Legal EducationCouncil of Legal EducationThe Council of Legal Education was an English supervisory body established by the four Inns of Court to regulate and improve the legal education of barristers within England and Wales.-History:...
, (1852); - Fellow of the Royal Society, (1860).