Edwin Wilkins Field
Encyclopedia
Edwin Wilkins Field was an English
lawyer
and painter
who committed much of his life to law reform
.
, near Warwick
. He was educated at his father's school, and on 19 March 1821 was articled
to the firm of Taylor & Roscoe, solicitor
s, of King's Bench Walk, Temple
. For some years after arriving in London
he lived in the family of the junior partner, Robert Roscoe, to the influence of whose artistic tastes he attributed much of the pleasures of his later life. Edgar Taylor (died 1839), the senior partner, was not only an eminent solicitor, but a remarkably accomplished scholar. At Michaelmas term
, 1826, Field was admitted attorney
and solicitor. He had thoughts of beginning business in Warwick, but remained in London on the advice of James Booth
, joining his fellow-clerk, William Sharpe (1804–1870), to form the firm of Sharpe & Field, in Bread Street
, Cheapside
. Henry Ellwood was their first clerk. In 1835 Taylor, who was then alone, took Sharpe and Field into partnership with him. The office of the firm was long in Bedford Row, afterwards in Lincoln's Inn Fields
.
In 1840 Field came forward as an advocate of chancery reform. His Observations of a Solicitor attracted much attention. In 1841 two of his suggestions were carried out, by the abolition of the Exchequer of pleas
as a court of equity
, and the appointment of two additional Vice-Chancellors. The energy with which he continued to press his views had much to do with the passing of the Court of Chancery Act 1842, by which the Six Clerks
and Sworn Clerks were abolished, and the path was opened for further improvements in the efficiency and economy of chancery proceedings. In 1844 Field was in communication with the Board of Trade
on the subject of a winding-up act for joint-stock companies. The Joint Stock Companies Act 1848 substantially embodied the proposals contained in a draft bill
laid before the legal adviser of the Board of Trade on 27 April 1846, by Field and his friend Rigge, who had formerly been in his office.
As early as 1846 Field took up the question of reform in the system of legal remuneration, advocating an ad valorem system, with the option of special contract
. He had the support of Lord Langdale
, then Master of the Rolls
, and pressed the matter on various legal societies, giving evidence on the subject in July 1851 before a committee of the House of Lords
. Lord Westbury
's bill of 1865, on which Field was consulted, was not passed but the act of 1870 gave effect to his views so far as regards the option of contract. In 1861 he was appointed on a royal commission
to report on the Accountant General
's department of the Court of Chancery
. The Courts of Justice Building Act 1865 and Courts of Justice Concentration (Site) Act 1865 were largely promoted by his exertions. He was secretary to the royal commission appointed in that year to prepare a plan for the new Royal Courts of Justice
, and declined any remuneration for his services.
As a unitarian
dissenter
, Field was naturally interested in the decisions. in the Hewley Fund and other cases, which invalidated the title
of unitarians to any trust property created before 1813, the date of their legal toleration. Field suggested the remedy of an act of parliament
, and was the mainspring of the agitation which secured the passing of the Dissenters' Chapels Act 1844, making the legal toleration of unitarian opinion retrospective and, in the case of all dissenting trusts not in favour of specific doctrines, legalising the usage of twenty-five years. His co-religionists raised a sum of £530. in acknowledgment of Field's unpaid services. He applied it towards the rebuilding of his father's meeting-house at Kenilworth
. A further memorial of the passing of the act was the building of University Hall, Gordon Square (opened 16 October 1849), towards which Field himself collected much money. In 1847 he was consulted by Robert Hibbert
about a trust which he was proposing to create, with the aim of securing a higher culture in the ministry of his denomination. The provisions of the trust deed
(executed 19 July) were mainly due to Field's suggestions. He induced Hibbert to modify his original plan in favour of what has become practically an endowment
for research
, and which produced, since 1878, the annual series of Hibbert Lectures
.
Field's maxim was, Have one horse, and one hobby. The beginning of his love for art he traced to a Warwickshire artist, William Ryder. Early in his professional life he introduced a drawing class at the Harp Alley school, and taught it once a week. Forced to rusticate at Ventnor
by a broken leg, he spent a long vacation in sketching
. From this period art was the perpetual joy of his busy life. He taught it to working men, cultivated it in the "conversation society" founded at his residence, Squire's Mount, Hampstead
, and pursued it in successive long vacations on the Thames, at Mill House, Cleve, near Goring-on-Thames
, Oxfordshire
. His original sketches fill many folios. He greatly assisted Henry Crabb Robinson
in forming the Flaxman Gallery at University College, London. He was a member of the committee of the fine art section of the 1862 International Exhibition
. In 1868 he took a leading part in framing the scheme for the Slade School of Art (opened 1871) in connection with University College. Few things gratified him more than the token of regard presented to him in 1863 by his artist friends of the Old Water-colour Society, in the shape of a portfolio of their original drawings.
He was twice married:
Field was drowned in the Thames by the capsizing of a boat on 30 July 1871 while in company with Henry Ellwood, his old clerk. Both were good swimmers but their strength had been exhausted in supporting another clerk, who could not swim, and was saved. On 4 August he was buried at Highgate Cemetery
, in a vault next to that of his friend Robinson. A statue stands in the Royal Courts of Justice.
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...
and painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
who committed much of his life to law reform
Law reform
Law reform or Legal reform is the process of examining existing laws, and advocating and implementing changes in a legal system, usually with the aim of enhancing justice or efficiency....
.
Life
Edwin was the eldest son of William Field and was born at LeamLeam
Leam is a hamlet in the English county of Derbyshire. There are a number of buildings, which once formed a single estate.Leam is due south of Hathersage, close to Grindleford. There are several inhabitants....
, near Warwick
Warwick
Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England. The town lies upon the River Avon, south of Coventry and just west of Leamington Spa and Whitnash with which it is conjoined. As of the 2001 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 23,350...
. He was educated at his father's school, and on 19 March 1821 was articled
Articled clerk
An articled clerk, also known as an articling student, is an apprentice in a professional firm in Commonwealth countries. Generally the term arises in the accountancy profession and in the legal profession. The articled clerk signs a contract, known as "articles of clerkship", committing to a...
to the firm of Taylor & Roscoe, solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
s, of King's Bench Walk, Temple
The Temple
The Temple is an area of central London, in the vicinity of Temple Church, which is one of the main legal districts of the capital and a notable centre for English law, both historically and in the present day. Two of the four Inns of Court, the Inner Temple and the Middle Temple, are located here...
. For some years after arriving in 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...
he lived in the family of the junior partner, Robert Roscoe, to the influence of whose artistic tastes he attributed much of the pleasures of his later life. Edgar Taylor (died 1839), the senior partner, was not only an eminent solicitor, but a remarkably accomplished scholar. At Michaelmas term
Michaelmas term
Michaelmas term is the first academic term of the academic years of the following British and Irish universities:*University of Cambridge*University of Oxford*University of St...
, 1826, Field was admitted attorney
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 solicitor. He had thoughts of beginning business in Warwick, but remained in London on the advice of James Booth
James Booth
James Booth was an English film, stage and television actor and screenwriter. Though handsome enough to play leading roles, and versatile enough to play a wide variety of character parts, Booth naturally projected a shifty, wolfish, or unpredictable quality that led inevitably to villainous roles...
, joining his fellow-clerk, William Sharpe (1804–1870), to form the firm of Sharpe & Field, in Bread Street
Bread Street
Bread Street is a ward of the City of London and is named from its principal street, which was anciently the bread market; for by the records it appears that in 1302, the bakers of London were ordered to sell no bread at their houses but in the open market...
, Cheapside
Cheapside
Cheapside is a street in the City of London that links Newgate Street with the junction of Queen Victoria Street and Mansion House Street. To the east is Mansion House, the Bank of England, and the major road junction above Bank tube station. To the west is St. Paul's Cathedral, St...
. Henry Ellwood was their first clerk. In 1835 Taylor, who was then alone, took Sharpe and Field into partnership with him. The office of the firm was long in Bedford Row, afterwards in Lincoln's Inn Fields
Lincoln's Inn Fields
Lincoln's Inn Fields is the largest public square in London, UK. It was laid out in the 1630s under the initiative of the speculative builder and contractor William Newton, "the first in a long series of entrepreneurs who took a hand in developing London", as Sir Nikolaus Pevsner observes...
.
In 1840 Field came forward as an advocate of chancery reform. His Observations of a Solicitor attracted much attention. In 1841 two of his suggestions were carried out, by the abolition of the Exchequer of pleas
Exchequer of pleas
The Exchequer of Pleas or Court of Exchequer was a court that followed equity, a set of legal principles based on natural law, and common law, in England and Wales. Originally part of the curia regis, or King's Council, the Exchequer of Pleas split from the curia during the 1190s, to sit as an...
as a court of equity
Court of equity
A chancery court, equity court or court of equity is a court that is authorized to apply principles of equity, as opposed to law, to cases brought before it.These courts began with petitions to the Lord Chancellor of England...
, and the appointment of two additional Vice-Chancellors. The energy with which he continued to press his views had much to do with the passing of the Court of Chancery Act 1842, by which the Six Clerks
Six Clerks
The Six Clerks’ Office was a public legal office that served the equitable jurisdiction of the English Court of Chancery until the middle of the nineteenth century.-The Office:The Office was situated in Chancery Lane, London, near the Holborn end...
and Sworn Clerks were abolished, and the path was opened for further improvements in the efficiency and economy of chancery proceedings. In 1844 Field was in communication with the Board of Trade
Board of Trade
The Board of Trade is a committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, originating as a committee of inquiry in the 17th century and evolving gradually into a government department with a diverse range of functions...
on the subject of a winding-up act for joint-stock companies. The Joint Stock Companies Act 1848 substantially embodied the proposals contained in a draft bill
Bill (proposed law)
A bill is a proposed law under consideration by a legislature. A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act or a statute....
laid before the legal adviser of the Board of Trade on 27 April 1846, by Field and his friend Rigge, who had formerly been in his office.
As early as 1846 Field took up the question of reform in the system of legal remuneration, advocating an ad valorem system, with the option of special contract
Contract
A contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...
. He had the support of Lord Langdale
Henry Bickersteth, 1st Baron Langdale
Henry Bickersteth, 1st Baron Langdale KC, PC was an English law reformer and Master of the Rolls.He was born on 18 June 1783 at Kirkby Lonsdale, three years before his brother Edward Bickersteth...
, then Master of the Rolls
Master of the Rolls
The Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the second most senior judge in England and Wales, after the Lord Chief Justice. The Master of the Rolls is the presiding officer of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal...
, and pressed the matter on various legal societies, giving evidence on the subject in July 1851 before a committee of the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. Lord Westbury
Richard Bethell, 1st Baron Westbury
Richard Bethell, 1st Baron Westbury PC, QC , was a British lawyer, judge and Liberal politician. He served as Lord Chancellor of Great Britain between 1861 and 1865.-Background and education:...
's bill of 1865, on which Field was consulted, was not passed but the act of 1870 gave effect to his views so far as regards the option of contract. In 1861 he was appointed on a royal commission
Royal Commission
In 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...
to report on the Accountant General
Accountant General
The Accountant General or Accountant-General was formerly an officer in the English Court of Chancery who received all moneys lodged in court, deposited them in a bank, and disbursed them. The office was abolished by the Chancery Funds Act of 1872, with the duties transferred to the...
's department of the Court of Chancery
Court of Chancery
The Court of Chancery was a court of equity in England and Wales that followed a set of loose rules to avoid the slow pace of change and possible harshness of the common law. The Chancery had jurisdiction over all matters of equity, including trusts, land law, the administration of the estates of...
. The Courts of Justice Building Act 1865 and Courts of Justice Concentration (Site) Act 1865 were largely promoted by his exertions. He was secretary to the royal commission appointed in that year to prepare a plan for the new Royal Courts of Justice
Royal Courts of Justice
The Royal Courts of Justice, commonly called the Law Courts, is the building in London which houses the Court of Appeal of England and Wales and the High Court of Justice of England and Wales...
, and declined any remuneration for his services.
As a unitarian
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
dissenter
Dissenter
The term dissenter , labels one who disagrees in matters of opinion, belief, etc. In the social and religious history of England and Wales, however, it refers particularly to a member of a religious body who has, for one reason or another, separated from the Established Church.Originally, the term...
, Field was naturally interested in the decisions. in the Hewley Fund and other cases, which invalidated the title
Title (property)
Title is a legal term for a bundle of rights in a piece of property in which a party may own either a legal interest or an equitable interest. The rights in the bundle may be separated and held by different parties. It may also refer to a formal document that serves as evidence of ownership...
of unitarians to any trust property created before 1813, the date of their legal toleration. Field suggested the remedy of an act of parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
, and was the mainspring of the agitation which secured the passing of the Dissenters' Chapels Act 1844, making the legal toleration of unitarian opinion retrospective and, in the case of all dissenting trusts not in favour of specific doctrines, legalising the usage of twenty-five years. His co-religionists raised a sum of £530. in acknowledgment of Field's unpaid services. He applied it towards the rebuilding of his father's meeting-house at Kenilworth
Kenilworth
Kenilworth is a town in central Warwickshire, England. In 2001 the town had a population of 22,582 . It is situated south of Coventry, north of Warwick and northwest of London....
. A further memorial of the passing of the act was the building of University Hall, Gordon Square (opened 16 October 1849), towards which Field himself collected much money. In 1847 he was consulted by Robert Hibbert
Robert Hibbert
Robert Hibbert was the founder of the Hibbert Trust.-Biography:The third and posthumous son of John Hibbert , a Jamaica merchant, and Janet, daughter of Samuel Gordon, he was born in Jamaica; hence he spoke of himself as a Creole. His mother died early. Between 1784 and 1788, he was a pupil of...
about a trust which he was proposing to create, with the aim of securing a higher culture in the ministry of his denomination. The provisions of the trust deed
Trust deed
Deed of trust may refer to:* Trust deed * Trust instrument, a legal instrument in common law systems* Trust Deed , used in Scottish law* Deed of Trust , music album...
(executed 19 July) were mainly due to Field's suggestions. He induced Hibbert to modify his original plan in favour of what has become practically an endowment
Financial endowment
A financial endowment is a transfer of money or property donated to an institution. The total value of an institution's investments is often referred to as the institution's endowment and is typically organized as a public charity, private foundation, or trust....
for research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
, and which produced, since 1878, the annual series of Hibbert Lectures
Hibbert Lectures
The Hibbert Lectures are an annual series of non-sectarian lectures on theological issues. They are sponsored by the Hibbert Trust, which was founded in 1847 by the Unitarian Robert Hibbert with a goal to uphold "the unfettered exercise of private judgement in matters of religion."...
.
Art
From 1857 Field exerted himself in procuring a measure for establishing artistic copyright. He worked hard for the Fine Arts Copyright Act 1862, though it did not do all he desired. In reply to the thanks of the Society of Arts, he wrote that no labour he could ever give would repay his obligations to art and artists.Field's maxim was, Have one horse, and one hobby. The beginning of his love for art he traced to a Warwickshire artist, William Ryder. Early in his professional life he introduced a drawing class at the Harp Alley school, and taught it once a week. Forced to rusticate at Ventnor
Ventnor
Ventnor is a seaside resort and civil parish established in the Victorian era on the south coast of the Isle of Wight, England. It lies underneath St Boniface Down , and is built on steep slopes and cliffs leading down to the sea...
by a broken leg, he spent a long vacation in sketching
Sketch (drawing)
A sketch is a rapidly executed freehand drawing that is not usually intended as a finished work...
. From this period art was the perpetual joy of his busy life. He taught it to working men, cultivated it in the "conversation society" founded at his residence, Squire's Mount, Hampstead
Hampstead
Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
, and pursued it in successive long vacations on the Thames, at Mill House, Cleve, near Goring-on-Thames
Goring-On-Thames
Goring-on-Thames is a large village and civil parish on the River Thames in South Oxfordshire, about south of Wallingford.-Geography:...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
. His original sketches fill many folios. He greatly assisted Henry Crabb Robinson
Henry Crabb Robinson
Henry Crabb Robinson , diarist, was born in Bury St. Edmunds, England.He was articled to an attorney in Colchester. Between 1800 and 1805 he studied at various places in Germany, and became acquainted with nearly all the great men of letters there, including Goethe, Schiller, Johann Gottfried...
in forming the Flaxman Gallery at University College, London. He was a member of the committee of the fine art section of the 1862 International Exhibition
1862 International Exhibition
The International of 1862, or Great London Exposition, was a world's fair. It was held from 1 May to 1 November 1862, beside the gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society, South Kensington, London, England, on a site that now houses museums including the Natural History Museum and the Science...
. In 1868 he took a leading part in framing the scheme for the Slade School of Art (opened 1871) in connection with University College. Few things gratified him more than the token of regard presented to him in 1863 by his artist friends of the Old Water-colour Society, in the shape of a portfolio of their original drawings.
Personality, death and memorial
Writing in 1888, Gordon observed, "Field's character impressed even casual acquaintances, and accounted for the warmth and range of his friendships. All his ideals were high; and his pace and force were tremendous. His convictions were strong; equally strong was his love of independence in others. ‘Do you believe that heresy is the salt of the earth?’ was a characteristic question of his. A certain bluffness of manner expressed the rapidity of his mind, without veiling his robust goodness of heart."He was twice married:
- In 1830, to Mary, daughter of Sutton Sharpe and sister of Daniel SharpeDaniel SharpeDaniel Sharpe FRS was an English geologist. He was born at Nottingham Place, Marylebone, Middlesex. He studied a number of mountainous formations in Great Britain and Continental Europe and arrived at important conclusions about cleavage in rocks.-Life:Orphaned before his first birthday, he was...
. Mary died at Leamington in 1831, soon after the birth of her son Rogers, named after his great-uncle, the poet Samuel RogersSamuel RogersSamuel Rogers was an English poet, during his lifetime one of the most celebrated, although his fame has long since been eclipsed by his Romantic colleagues and friends Wordsworth, Coleridge and Byron...
; and - In 1833, to Letitia, daughter of Robert Kinder, by whom he had seven children. His sons Basil and Allen followed the legal profession, Walter Field devoted himself to art.
Field was drowned in the Thames by the capsizing of a boat on 30 July 1871 while in company with Henry Ellwood, his old clerk. Both were good swimmers but their strength had been exhausted in supporting another clerk, who could not swim, and was saved. On 4 August he was buried at Highgate Cemetery
Highgate Cemetery
Highgate Cemetery is a cemetery located in north London, England. It is designated Grade I on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England. It is divided into two parts, named the East and West cemetery....
, in a vault next to that of his friend Robinson. A statue stands in the Royal Courts of Justice.