Joseph Chitty (the elder)
Encyclopedia
Joseph Chitty was an English
lawyer
and legal writer
, author of some of the earliest practitioners' texts and founder of an important dynasty of lawyers.
before being called to the bar by the Middle Temple
in 1816. He never became a KC but built a huge junior practice at 1 Pump Court and published many books.
Chitty was also pupil master
to a generation of lawyers, including:
In fact, at the time, the Inns of Court
were in decline and Chitty organised lectures and moot
s, in 1810 being given permission to use the hall of Lincoln's Inn
.
.
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 legal writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, author of some of the earliest practitioners' texts and founder of an important dynasty of lawyers.
Life and practice
He was himself the son of a Joseph Chitty (1729–1795), and his wife, Sarah née Cartwright. He initially practised as a special pleaderSpecial pleader
A special pleader was a historial legal occupation. The practitioner, or "special pleader" in English law specialised in drafting "pleadings", in modern terminology statements of case.-History:...
before being called to the bar by the Middle Temple
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...
in 1816. He never became a KC but built a huge junior practice at 1 Pump Court and published many books.
Chitty was also pupil master
Pupillage
A pupillage, in England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland, is the barrister's equivalent of the training contract that a solicitor undertakes...
to a generation of lawyers, including:
- Thomas StarkieThomas StarkieThomas Starkie was an English lawyer and jurist. A talented mathematician in his youth, he especially contributed to the unsuccessful attempts to codify the English criminal law in the nineteenth century.-Early life:...
; - Edward Hall AldersonEdward Hall AldersonSir Edward Hall Alderson was an English lawyer and judge whose many judgments on commercial law helped to shape the emerging British capitalism of the Victorian era....
; - Thomas Noon TalfourdThomas Noon TalfourdSir Thomas Noon Talfourd, SL , was an English judge and author.The son of a well-to-do brewer, he was born at Reading, Berkshire ....
; and - Henry HavelockHenry HavelockMajor-General Sir Henry Havelock, KCB was a British general who is particularly associated with India. He was noted for his recapture of Cawnpore from rebels during Indian Rebellion of 1857.-Early life:...
.
In fact, at the time, the Inns of Court
Inns of Court
The Inns of Court in London are the professional associations for barristers in England and Wales. All such barristers must belong to one such association. They have supervisory and disciplinary functions over their members. The Inns also provide libraries, dining facilities and professional...
were in decline and Chitty organised lectures and moot
Moot
Moot may refer to:* from Moot as an Old English language term for meeting:**Folkmoot**Jamtamót, the old assembly of Jämtland**Witenagemot, the High Council of Anglo-Saxon England...
s, in 1810 being given permission to use the hall of 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...
.
Personality and later life
Despite his successful practice, by 1831, Chitty had amassed extensive debts that were costing almost GBP2,000 per year to service. Further, Chitty's health was in decline and he was becoming increasingly anxious about his parlous state. Much of his energy became taken up in avoiding the attentions of his creditors. He retired from practice in 1833 but continued to publish. He died in LondonLondon
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...
.
By Chitty
- Chitty, T. (1799) Treatise on Bills of Exchange
- — (1808) Precedents of Pleading
- — (1811a) Treatise on the Law of Apprentices
- — (1811b) Treatise on the Game Laws
- — (1812) Treatise on the Law of Nations
- — (1818) Treatise on Commercial Law
- — (1820) Treatise on the Law of the Legal Prerogatives of the Crown
- — (1829–37) Statutes of Practical Utility
- — (1833) The Practice of the Law in All its Principal Departments
About Chitty
- Lobban, M., Mount, Michael et al. (2004) "Chitty, Joseph, the elder (1775–1841)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, accessed 9 Aug 2007