Richard Richards (MP)
Encyclopedia
Sir Richard Richards SL
(5 November 1752 – 11 November 1823) was a Welsh
politician and judge. He was Member of Parliament
for Helston
on two occasions, but only made one speech in Parliament. He was later a successful chancery barrister, eventually becoming Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer
.
, near Dolgellau
in Merionethshire
. He was the eldest son of Thomas Richards and his wife, Catherine, whose brother (William Parry) was warden of Ruthin
, Denbighshire
. His grandfather, also called William Parry, was headmaster of Ruthin School
and Richards was educated there. Richards then progressed to Oxford University, matriculating
as a member of Jesus College, Oxford
on 19 March 1771. He transferred to Wadham College, Oxford
on 7 May 1773 and obtained his Bachelor of Arts
degree on 10 October 1774. He then became a scholar at The Queen's College, Oxford
, and after being appointed to a fellowship at Queen's on 17 December 1774, he was awarded his Master of Arts degree on 15 July 1777. In the meantime, Richards had become a member of the Inner Temple
(being admitted on 10 May 1775) and he was called to the bar on 12 February 1780.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in February 1793 as a "Gentleman studious in Natural History".
, Richards was elected as one of the Members of Parliament for the constituency of Helston
, Cornwall
. He held the seat until March 1799, when he resigned in favour of Lord Francis Osborne
, son of the Duke of Leeds
who controlled the seat. He was re-elected at the May 1807 general election
, resigning on 29 July 1807 in favour of Sir James Blackwood. During his parliamentary career, he supported the ministry of William Pitt the Younger
but made only one reported speech, opposing the Quakers' Relief Bill on 24 February 1797 as unnecessary and inconvenient.
. He was one of the three registrars to the Prerogative Court
of the Province of Canterbury
from 1788 to 1800, and was appointed counsel to Queen Anne's Bounty
in 1789. He became solicitor-general to Queen Charlotte
(the wife of King George III
) in 1794, becoming attorney-general to the queen in 1801 in succession to William Grant. He was appointed as a Bencher
of Inner Temple in 1799, and held the positions of Reader (1804) and Treasurer (1806).
He was a potential appointee to the newly-created position of Vice-Chancellor of the Court of Chancery
in 1812, since he was the senior chancery barrister who was not an MP, earning £7,000 per year. He was led to believe by his friend Lord Eldon
, the Lord Chancellor
, that he would be appointed. However, Eldon instead bowed to party-political pressure and appointed the Attorney General
, Thomas Plumer
, to the new post. Richards was indignant, although he was appeased by his appointment as chief justice of the county palatine
of Chester
. He resigned that position when he was offered a position of Baron of the Exchequer
in February 1814. He had refused this appointment in 1807, but he was now given to understand that he would in due course succeed as Chief Baron
. The offer was apparently made when Lord Eldon tossed a note into court addressed to "Taffy
". Richards was appointed a Serjeant-at-law
on 26 February 1814 and was knighted by the Prince Regent
at Carlton House on 11 May 1814. On the death of Sir Alexander Thomson, Richards became Chief Baron on 21 April 1817 and became a Privy Counsellor five days later. He helped clear the backlog of equity appeals and was regarded as a sound and capable judge. He presided over the trials of Jeremiah Brandreth
, convicted of treason, and two of the Cato Street conspirators
. He also acted as Lord Speaker
when Lord Eldon was ill in January 1819.
of Merionethshire. He had eight sons and two daughters, and was known as "Stumpy Dick". His eldest son Richard Richards (known as "Double Dick") was MP for the constituency of Merioneth
from 1836 to 1852. Robert Richards and Griffith Richards (the third and sixth sons) were both appointed Queen's Counsel
and both, like their father, became benchers of Inner Temple, as did a grandson and a great-grandson of Sir Richard Richards. Richards died on 11 November 1823 and was buried in the Inner Temple vault; his wife was buried there also on 12 October 1825.
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...
(5 November 1752 – 11 November 1823) was a Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
politician and judge. He was 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,...
for Helston
Helston (UK Parliament constituency)
Helston, sometimes known as Helleston, was a parliamentary borough centred on the small town of Helston in Cornwall.Using the bloc vote system of election, it returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of England until 1707, then to House of Commons of Great Britain until 1800, and...
on two occasions, but only made one speech in Parliament. He was later a successful chancery barrister, eventually becoming Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer
Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer
The Chief Baron of the Exchequer was the first "baron" of the English Exchequer of pleas. "In the absence of both the Treasurer of the Exchequer or First Lord of the Treasury, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, it was he who presided in the equity court and answered the bar i.e...
.
Life
Richards was born on 5 November 1752 at Coed, BrithdirBrithdir, Gwynedd
Brithdir is a small hamlet on the outskirts of Dolgellau, Gwynedd. The Arts and Crafts Movement St Mark's Church is a grade I listed building. Brithdir also includes a village hall, a phone box and a children's nursery....
, near Dolgellau
Dolgellau
Dolgellau is a market town in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on the River Wnion, a tributary of the River Mawddach. It was the county town of the former county of Merionethshire .-History and economy:...
in Merionethshire
Merionethshire
Merionethshire is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, a vice county and a former administrative county.The administrative county of Merioneth, created under the Local Government Act 1888, was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972 on April 1, 1974...
. He was the eldest son of Thomas Richards and his wife, Catherine, whose brother (William Parry) was warden of Ruthin
Ruthin
Ruthin is a community and the county town of Denbighshire in north Wales. Located around a hill in the southern part of the Vale of Clwyd - the older part of the town, the castle and Saint Peter's Square are located on top of the hill, while many newer parts of the town are on the floodplain of...
, Denbighshire
Denbighshire
Denbighshire is a county in north-east Wales. It is named after the historic county of Denbighshire, but has substantially different borders. Denbighshire has the distinction of being the oldest inhabited part of Wales. Pontnewydd Palaeolithic site has remains of Neanderthals from 225,000 years...
. His grandfather, also called William Parry, was headmaster of Ruthin School
Ruthin School
Ruthin School is one of the oldest public schools in the United Kingdom. Located on the outskirts of Ruthin, the county town of Denbighshire in North Wales, the school is over seven hundred years old and has been co-educational since 1990.- Beginnings :...
and Richards was educated there. Richards then progressed to Oxford University, matriculating
Matriculation
Matriculation, in the broadest sense, means to be registered or added to a list, from the Latin matricula – little list. In Scottish heraldry, for instance, a matriculation is a registration of armorial bearings...
as a member of Jesus College, Oxford
Jesus College, Oxford
Jesus College is one of the colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship Street, Cornmarket Street and Market Street...
on 19 March 1771. He transferred to Wadham College, Oxford
Wadham College, Oxford
Wadham College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, located at the southern end of Parks Road in central Oxford. It was founded by Nicholas and Dorothy Wadham, wealthy Somerset landowners, during the reign of King James I...
on 7 May 1773 and obtained his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree on 10 October 1774. He then became a scholar at The Queen's College, Oxford
The Queen's College, Oxford
The Queen's College, founded 1341, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Queen's is centrally situated on the High Street, and is renowned for its 18th-century architecture...
, and after being appointed to a fellowship at Queen's on 17 December 1774, he was awarded his Master of Arts degree on 15 July 1777. In the meantime, Richards had become a member of the Inner Temple
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, 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...
(being admitted on 10 May 1775) and he was called to the bar on 12 February 1780.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in February 1793 as a "Gentleman studious in Natural History".
Political career
In the 1796 general electionBritish general election, 1796
The British general election, 1796 returned members to serve in the 18th and last House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain to be held before the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on 1 January 1801...
, Richards was elected as one of the Members of Parliament for the constituency of Helston
Helston (UK Parliament constituency)
Helston, sometimes known as Helleston, was a parliamentary borough centred on the small town of Helston in Cornwall.Using the bloc vote system of election, it returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of England until 1707, then to House of Commons of Great Britain until 1800, and...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
. He held the seat until March 1799, when he resigned in favour of Lord Francis Osborne
Francis Osborne, 1st Baron Godolphin
Francis Godolphin Osborne, 1st Baron Godolphin , styled Lord Francis Osborne from 1789 to 1832, was a British politician.-Background:...
, son of the Duke of Leeds
Francis Osborne, 5th Duke of Leeds
Francis Godolphin Osborne, 5th Duke of Leeds KG, PC , styled Marquess of Carmarthen until 1789, was a British politician...
who controlled the seat. He was re-elected at the May 1807 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1807
The election to the 4th Parliament of the United Kingdom in 1807 was the third general election to be held after the Union of Great Britain and Ireland....
, resigning on 29 July 1807 in favour of Sir James Blackwood. During his parliamentary career, he supported the ministry of William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger was a British politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He became the youngest Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24 . He left office in 1801, but was Prime Minister again from 1804 until his death in 1806...
but made only one reported speech, opposing the Quakers' Relief Bill on 24 February 1797 as unnecessary and inconvenient.
Legal career
Richards' main area of practice was in the Court of ChanceryCourt 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...
. He was one of the three registrars to the Prerogative Court
Prerogative court
A prerogative court is a court through which the discretionary powers, privileges, and legal immunities reserved to the sovereign were exercised. In England in the 17th century a clash developed between these courts, representing the crown's authority, and common law courts. Prerogative courts...
of the Province of Canterbury
Province of Canterbury
The Province of Canterbury, also called the Southern Province, is one of two ecclesiastical provinces making up the Church of England...
from 1788 to 1800, and was appointed counsel to Queen Anne's Bounty
Queen Anne's Bounty
Queen Anne's Bounty was a fund established in 1704 to augment the incomes of the poorer clergy of the Church of England. The bounty was funded by the tax on the incomes of all Church of England clergy, which was paid to the Pope until the Reformation, and thereafter to the Crown.In 1890, the total...
in 1789. He became solicitor-general to Queen Charlotte
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was the Queen consort of the United Kingdom as the wife of King George III...
(the wife of King George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
) in 1794, becoming attorney-general to the queen in 1801 in succession to William Grant. He was appointed as a Bencher
Bencher
A 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 Inner Temple in 1799, and held the positions of Reader (1804) and Treasurer (1806).
He was a potential appointee to the newly-created position of Vice-Chancellor of the Court of Chancery
Chancellor of the High Court
The Chancellor of the High Court is the head of the Chancery Division of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales. Before October 2005, when certain provisions of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 took effect, the office was known as the Vice-Chancellor...
in 1812, since he was the senior chancery barrister who was not an MP, earning £7,000 per year. He was led to believe by his friend Lord Eldon
John Scott, 1st Earl of Eldon
John Scott, 1st Earl of Eldon PC KC FRS FSA was a British barrister and politician. He served as Lord Chancellor of Great Britain between 1801 and 1806 and again between 1807 and 1827.- Background and education :...
, the Lord Chancellor
Lord Chancellor
The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom. He is the second highest ranking of the Great Officers of State, ranking only after the Lord High Steward. The Lord Chancellor is appointed by the Sovereign...
, that he would be appointed. However, Eldon instead bowed to party-political pressure and appointed the Attorney General
Attorney General for England and Wales
Her Majesty's Attorney General for England and Wales, usually known simply as the Attorney General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown. Along with the subordinate Solicitor General for England and Wales, the Attorney General serves as the chief legal adviser of the Crown and its government in...
, Thomas Plumer
Thomas Plumer
Sir Thomas Plumer MR was a British judge and politician , the first Vice Chancellor of England and later Master of the Rolls....
, to the new post. Richards was indignant, although he was appeased by his appointment as chief justice of the county palatine
County palatine
A county palatine or palatinate is an area ruled by an hereditary nobleman possessing special authority and autonomy from the rest of a kingdom or empire. The name derives from the Latin adjective palatinus, "relating to the palace", from the noun palatium, "palace"...
of Chester
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
. He resigned that position when he was offered a position of Baron of the Exchequer
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...
in February 1814. He had refused this appointment in 1807, but he was now given to understand that he would in due course succeed as Chief Baron
Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer
The Chief Baron of the Exchequer was the first "baron" of the English Exchequer of pleas. "In the absence of both the Treasurer of the Exchequer or First Lord of the Treasury, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, it was he who presided in the equity court and answered the bar i.e...
. The offer was apparently made when Lord Eldon tossed a note into court addressed to "Taffy
Taffy was a Welshman
"Taffy was a Welshman" is an English language nursery rhyme with anti-Welsh lyrics, which was popular in England between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 19237.-Lyrics:Versions of this rhyme vary...
". Richards was appointed a Serjeant-at-law
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...
on 26 February 1814 and was knighted by the Prince Regent
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
at Carlton House on 11 May 1814. On the death of Sir Alexander Thomson, Richards became Chief Baron on 21 April 1817 and became a Privy Counsellor five days later. He helped clear the backlog of equity appeals and was regarded as a sound and capable judge. He presided over the trials of Jeremiah Brandreth
Jeremiah Brandreth
Jeremiah Brandreth was an out-of-work stocking maker who lived in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, who was hanged for treason. He was known as "The Nottingham Captain"...
, convicted of treason, and two of the Cato Street conspirators
Cato Street Conspiracy
The Cato Street Conspiracy was an attempt to murder all the British cabinet ministers and Prime Minister Lord Liverpool in 1820. The name comes from the meeting place near Edgware Road in London. The Cato Street Conspiracy is notable due to dissenting public opinions regarding the punishment of the...
. He also acted as Lord Speaker
Lord Speaker
The Lord Speaker is the speaker of the House of Lords in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The office is analogous to the Speaker of the House of Commons: the Lord Speaker is elected by the members of the House of Lords and is expected to be politically impartial.Until July 2006, the role of...
when Lord Eldon was ill in January 1819.
Family
Richards married Catherine Humphreys, through whom Richards acquired an estate in Caerynwch, Merionethshire; he later became a Deputy LieutenantDeputy 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....
of Merionethshire. He had eight sons and two daughters, and was known as "Stumpy Dick". His eldest son Richard Richards (known as "Double Dick") was MP for the constituency of Merioneth
Merioneth (UK Parliament constituency)
Merioneth, sometimes called Merionethshire, was a constituency in North Wales established in 1542, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the English Parliament, and later to the Parliament of Great Britain and of the United Kingdom...
from 1836 to 1852. Robert Richards and Griffith Richards (the third and sixth sons) were both appointed 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...
and both, like their father, became benchers of Inner Temple, as did a grandson and a great-grandson of Sir Richard Richards. Richards died on 11 November 1823 and was buried in the Inner Temple vault; his wife was buried there also on 12 October 1825.