James William Freshfield
Encyclopedia
James William Freshfield (8 April 1774 – 27 June 1864) was an English lawyer and founder of the international law firm of Freshfields
. He was also a Conservative
politician and Member of Parliament
, representing the seats of Penryn and Boston.
, the eldest son of James Freshfield a clockmaker of Holborn
and later of Chertsey
Surrey. He was initially apprenticed to a watchmaker, but instead became a solicitor, being articled to Thomas Tompson in July 1790 and sworn in as attorney at the Kings Bench on the 8th June 1795 and in the Court of Common Pleas on the 14th June 1795. He set up in practice on his own at first at Smithfield, London
, but later joined Winter & Kaye, a well established law firm as a partner. Freshfield had close connections with the Clapham Sect
a group of leading Evangelicals who held influential positions in the City and the legal profession, and this may have helped his career. William Wilberforce
was one of the leading members of the sect. Freshfield was an active member of the Church Missionary Society which was dedicated to the abolition of slavery and later became one of its trustees.
Freshfield’s home was the Manor House, Stoke Newington
, then north of London. The dwelling, otherwise known as Abney House
, was surrounded by parkland of the same name
laid out by Lady Mary Abney
and Dr Isaac Watts
. One side of the estate ran along Church Street
. The house was demolished in the last century (?) but its gates remain as the main entrance to the cemetery there
. Freshfield lived next to Fleetwood House, where his neighbour and associate William Allen set up the Newington Academy for Girls
in 1824.
He was an active member of the Lowtonian Society, standing for election to posts in the society in 1816 and giving a dinner for them when he was appointed joint solicitor to the Bank of England
in 1819. This was a time of change in the banking system, and Freshfields were involved in a considerable amount of litigation. Freshfield was in correspondence with the Prime Minister, Lord Liverpool
and more distressingly involved in litigation relating to misappropriation of Bank funds by the firm's partner Charles Kaye, which led to the resignation of the latter. Other important clients for whom he acted included Lord Carrington
and Earl Stanhope.
Inevitably prior to the abolition of slavery in 1833 several of Freshfield's wealthier clients owned estates in the Caribbean and so conflicts arose with his anti-slavery convictions. Marriage settlements could be administered by solicitors over more than one generation, and it was as a trustee of one such settlement that Freshfield and his fellow trustee Alexander Baillie found themselves in 1827 temporarily the owners of fifteen slaves from an estate on Union Island. In one instance the firm tried to claim unpaid legal fees through the government scheme set up to compensate owners after abolition. Such situations have led to allegations that Freshfield profited from slavery in spite of his principles.
In 1829 the firm was involved in handling the divorce case concerning Lady Ellenborough, a society scandal of the time.
in 1825, and 1826 and was elected Member of Parliament for Penryn in 1830, but lost his seat in the `Reform' election of 1832. After the Reform Act he was elected Conservative member for the new constituency of Penryn and Falmouth
. After losing the seat in 1840 he contested Wycombe unsuccessfully in 1841, and was out of Parliament for 10 years.
In 1842, he was called to the bar at Gray's Inn
. In 1847 he contested the City of London unsuccessfully and in 1848 he stood at Derby. He was eventually returned for Boston
, which he represented in 1851 and 1852. He then sat for Penryn and Falmouth again until he retired in 1857 at the age of 85 years. One of his most significant roles was as Chairman of the Divorce Committee in 1856 and 1857. Two reforming measures were credited to James Freshfield in the Law Times Obituary.
"While practising as a solicitor, he was the main instrument in the alteration of the law, so important to the commercial interests of London, by which the dealings of merchants and factors entrusted with goods by foreigners were legalised and made valid. While in Parliament, he originated and carried through the measure for reforming and equalising the principle of assessment of the parishes in the metropolitan counties. "
Freshfield was a JP
for Sussex, Middlesex, the City of London and Surrey, and he became High Sheriff of Surrey
for 1850. He was Deputy Lieutenant
for Middlesex and Surrey and Chairman of the East Quarter sessions in Surrey. In 1852, he chaired a dinner at the Spread Eagle, Epsom
on the foundation of Epsom College
, and was described as a firm friend of the school. He was also sometime Joint Treasurer of the Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy
. As well as being Solicitor to the Bank of England for 20 years from 1820 to 1840, he also acted for many of the great dock and other commercial companies in London. He was connected with mining and agricultural interests in South America He died at the age of 90 years.
Freshfield married Mary Blacket, the third child of John Blacket, a slopseller
of Smithfield and his wife Abigail Luccock, at St Clement Danes in 1799. Mary's nephew Edmund Blacket
became a celebrated architect in Australia. The Freshfield's sons James William Freshfield, Henry Ray Freshfield
and Charles Kaye Freshfield
all became solicitors in the Freshfield practice. Mary Freshfield died in 1819 and Freshfield married again in 1821, to Frances Jane Sims, eldest daughter of John Sims of Walthamstow Essex. The firm of Freshfields is still operating in Fleet Street, London, but the last member of the Freshfield family retired from the firm in 1927
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a global law firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom and a member of the 'Magic Circle' of leading English law firms. It is the second-largest law firm in the world measured by revenues. In 2010-11 it achieved total revenues of £1.14 billion and profits...
. He was also a Conservative
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...
politician and 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,...
, representing the seats of Penryn and Boston.
Early life
Freshfield was born at Windsor, BerkshireWindsor, Berkshire
Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....
, the eldest son of James Freshfield a clockmaker of Holborn
Holborn
Holborn is an area of Central London. Holborn is also the name of the area's principal east-west street, running as High Holborn from St Giles's High Street to Gray's Inn Road and then on to Holborn Viaduct...
and later of Chertsey
Chertsey
Chertsey is a town in Surrey, England, on the River Thames and its tributary rivers such as the River Bourne. It can be accessed by road from junction 11 of the M25 London orbital motorway. It shares borders with Staines, Laleham, Shepperton, Addlestone, Woking, Thorpe and Egham...
Surrey. He was initially apprenticed to a watchmaker, but instead became a solicitor, being articled to Thomas Tompson in July 1790 and sworn in as attorney at the Kings Bench on the 8th June 1795 and in the Court of Common Pleas on the 14th June 1795. He set up in practice on his own at first at Smithfield, London
Smithfield, London
Smithfield is an area of the City of London, in the ward of Farringdon Without. It is located in the north-west part of the City, and is mostly known for its centuries-old meat market, today the last surviving historical wholesale market in Central London...
, but later joined Winter & Kaye, a well established law firm as a partner. Freshfield had close connections with the Clapham Sect
Clapham Sect
The Clapham Sect or Clapham Saints were a group of influential like-minded Church of England social reformers based in Clapham, London at the beginning of the 19th century...
a group of leading Evangelicals who held influential positions in the City and the legal profession, and this may have helped his career. William Wilberforce
William Wilberforce
William Wilberforce was a British politician, a philanthropist and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780, eventually becoming the independent Member of Parliament for Yorkshire...
was one of the leading members of the sect. Freshfield was an active member of the Church Missionary Society which was dedicated to the abolition of slavery and later became one of its trustees.
Legal career
By 1811 the firm of Kaye & Freshfield had moved to New Bank Buildings.Freshfield’s home was the Manor House, Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington is a district in the London Borough of Hackney. It is north-east of Charing Cross.-Boundaries:In modern terms, Stoke Newington can be roughly defined by the N16 postcode area . Its southern boundary with Dalston is quite ill-defined too...
, then north of London. The dwelling, otherwise known as Abney House
Abney Park
The historic grounds of Abney Park are situated in Stoke Newington, London, England. It is a 13ha park dating from just before 1700, named after Lady Mary Abney and associated with Dr Isaac Watts. In the early 18th century, the park was accessed via the frontages and gardens of two large mansions...
, was surrounded by parkland of the same name
Abney Park
The historic grounds of Abney Park are situated in Stoke Newington, London, England. It is a 13ha park dating from just before 1700, named after Lady Mary Abney and associated with Dr Isaac Watts. In the early 18th century, the park was accessed via the frontages and gardens of two large mansions...
laid out by Lady Mary Abney
Lady Mary Abney
Mary, Lady Abney inherited the Manor of Stoke Newington in the early 18th century, which lies about five miles north of St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London...
and Dr Isaac Watts
Isaac Watts
Isaac Watts was an English hymnwriter, theologian and logician. A prolific and popular hymnwriter, he was recognised as the "Father of English Hymnody", credited with some 750 hymns...
. One side of the estate ran along Church Street
Stoke Newington Church Street
Stoke Newington Church Street is a road in north London of the borough of Hackney. The road links Green Lanes in the west to Stoke Newington High Street , in the east...
. The house was demolished in the last century (?) but its gates remain as the main entrance to the cemetery there
Abney Park Cemetery
Abney Park in Stoke Newington, in the London Borough of Hackney, is a historic parkland originally laid out in the early 18th century by Lady Mary Abney and Dr. Isaac Watts, and the neighbouring Hartopp family. In 1840 it became a non-denominational garden cemetery, semi-public park arboretum, and...
. Freshfield lived next to Fleetwood House, where his neighbour and associate William Allen set up the Newington Academy for Girls
Newington Academy for Girls
The Newington Academy for Girls, also known as Newington College for Girls, was a Quaker school established in 1824 in Stoke Newington, then north of London. In a time when girls' educational opportunities were limited, it offered a wide range of subjects "on a plan in degree differing from any...
in 1824.
He was an active member of the Lowtonian Society, standing for election to posts in the society in 1816 and giving a dinner for them when he was appointed joint solicitor to the Bank of England
Bank of England
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world...
in 1819. This was a time of change in the banking system, and Freshfields were involved in a considerable amount of litigation. Freshfield was in correspondence with the Prime Minister, Lord Liverpool
Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool
Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool KG PC was a British politician and the longest-serving Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since the Union with Ireland in 1801. He was 42 years old when he became premier in 1812 which made him younger than all of his successors to date...
and more distressingly involved in litigation relating to misappropriation of Bank funds by the firm's partner Charles Kaye, which led to the resignation of the latter. Other important clients for whom he acted included Lord Carrington
Robert Smith, 1st Baron Carrington
Robert Smith, 1st Baron Carrington FRS was a British Member of Parliament and banker.Smith was the third son of Abel Smith and his wife Mary . His grandfather Abel Smith was the third son of Thomas Smith, the founder of Smith's Bank of Nottingham. Smith was elected to the House of Commons for...
and Earl Stanhope.
Inevitably prior to the abolition of slavery in 1833 several of Freshfield's wealthier clients owned estates in the Caribbean and so conflicts arose with his anti-slavery convictions. Marriage settlements could be administered by solicitors over more than one generation, and it was as a trustee of one such settlement that Freshfield and his fellow trustee Alexander Baillie found themselves in 1827 temporarily the owners of fifteen slaves from an estate on Union Island. In one instance the firm tried to claim unpaid legal fees through the government scheme set up to compensate owners after abolition. Such situations have led to allegations that Freshfield profited from slavery in spite of his principles.
In 1829 the firm was involved in handling the divorce case concerning Lady Ellenborough, a society scandal of the time.
Political activities
Freshfield was invited to stand for Parliament in PenrynPenryn (UK Parliament constituency)
Penryn was a parliamentary borough in Cornwall, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of England from 1553 until 1707, to the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and finally to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to until 1832...
in 1825, and 1826 and was elected Member of Parliament for Penryn in 1830, but lost his seat in the `Reform' election of 1832. After the Reform Act he was elected Conservative member for the new constituency of Penryn and Falmouth
Penryn and Falmouth (UK Parliament constituency)
Penryn and Falmouth was the name of a constituency in Cornwall represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 until 1950. From 1832 to 1885 it was a parliamentary borough returning two Members of Parliament , elected by the bloc vote system...
. After losing the seat in 1840 he contested Wycombe unsuccessfully in 1841, and was out of Parliament for 10 years.
In 1842, he was called to the bar at Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, 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...
. In 1847 he contested the City of London unsuccessfully and in 1848 he stood at Derby. He was eventually returned for Boston
Boston (UK Parliament constituency)
Boston was a parliamentary borough in Lincolnshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1547 until 1885, and then one member from 1885 until 1918, when the constituency was abolished.-History:...
, which he represented in 1851 and 1852. He then sat for Penryn and Falmouth again until he retired in 1857 at the age of 85 years. One of his most significant roles was as Chairman of the Divorce Committee in 1856 and 1857. Two reforming measures were credited to James Freshfield in the Law Times Obituary.
"While practising as a solicitor, he was the main instrument in the alteration of the law, so important to the commercial interests of London, by which the dealings of merchants and factors entrusted with goods by foreigners were legalised and made valid. While in Parliament, he originated and carried through the measure for reforming and equalising the principle of assessment of the parishes in the metropolitan counties. "
Freshfield was a JP
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
for Sussex, Middlesex, the City of London and Surrey, and he became High Sheriff of Surrey
High Sheriff of Surrey
-List of High Sheriffs of Surrey:The list of known High Sheriffs of Surrey extends back to 1066 At various times the High Sheriff of Surrey was also High Sheriff of Sussex -1066-1228:...
for 1850. He was Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
for Middlesex and Surrey and Chairman of the East Quarter sessions in Surrey. In 1852, he chaired a dinner at the Spread Eagle, Epsom
Epsom
Epsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England. Small parts of Epsom are in the Borough of Reigate and Banstead. The town is located south-south-west of Charing Cross, within the Greater London Urban Area. The town lies on the chalk downland of Epsom Downs.-History:Epsom lies...
on the foundation of Epsom College
Epsom College
Epsom College is an independent co-educational public school in Epsom, Surrey, England, for pupils aged 13 to 18. Founded in 1853 to provide support for poor members of the medical profession such as pensioners and orphans , Epsom's long-standing association with medicine was estimated in 1980 as...
, and was described as a firm friend of the school. He was also sometime Joint Treasurer of the Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy
Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy
The Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy is a charity founded in 1655 which provides financial support to clergy of the Church of England.The Corporation was established in 1655 in response to the distress of the large number of clergymen who were dispossessed of their livings under the regime of...
. As well as being Solicitor to the Bank of England for 20 years from 1820 to 1840, he also acted for many of the great dock and other commercial companies in London. He was connected with mining and agricultural interests in South America He died at the age of 90 years.
Family
Freshfield married Mary Blacket, the third child of John Blacket, a slopseller
Slopseller
A slopseller was an English merchant who sold slops or rough working dress. Typically these would be butchers' aprons or similar clothing. The term slop was applied to an early form of hose....
of Smithfield and his wife Abigail Luccock, at St Clement Danes in 1799. Mary's nephew Edmund Blacket
Edmund Blacket
Edmund Thomas Blacket was an Australian architect, best known for his designs for the University of Sydney, St. Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney and St...
became a celebrated architect in Australia. The Freshfield's sons James William Freshfield, Henry Ray Freshfield
Henry Ray Freshfield
Henry Ray Freshfield was an English lawyer and conservationist.Freshfield was the fourth and youngest son of James William Freshfield and his wife Mary Blacket and was born at Lothbury. His father was a lawyer who established the firm of Freshfields...
and Charles Kaye Freshfield
Charles Freshfield
Charles Kaye Freshfield was a 19th century lawyer and Conservative Party Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons....
all became solicitors in the Freshfield practice. Mary Freshfield died in 1819 and Freshfield married again in 1821, to Frances Jane Sims, eldest daughter of John Sims of Walthamstow Essex. The firm of Freshfields is still operating in Fleet Street, London, but the last member of the Freshfield family retired from the firm in 1927