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Charles Abbott, 1st Baron Tenterden

Common Law Founders and Commentators

Charles Abbott, 1st Baron Tenterden (7 October 1762 to 4 November 1832) was a British barrister and judge who served as Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1818 to 1832, having earlier sat as a justice of the Court of Common Pleas from 1816 and briefly served as interim Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1827, the year he was created Baron Tenterden. Born in Canterbury to a barber and his wife, he rose from humble origins through Corpus Christi College, Oxford, where he won academic prizes, was called to the bar in 1796, and became one of the highest earning barristers of his generation, publishing a legal tract on merchants and shipping in 1802. Under his leadership the Court of King's Bench was said to have flourished, and he was a strong opponent of the Reform Act 1832, declaring after its passage that he would never again enter the House of Lords. He died in 1832 during the course of a trial, having suffered from an undiagnosed illness, his final recorded words concerning the deliberations of a jury. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Role
Barrister and judge 1
Nationality / Jurisdiction
British 1
Born
1762 2
Birth Date
1762-10-07 2
Birthplace
Canterbury 2
Died
1832 2
Death Date
1832-11-04 2
Place of Death
London 2
Classification
Field of Law
Common Law 1
Gender
Male 1
Role
Role (category)
Judge 1
Role (category)
Barrister 1
FAQs

Why is Charles Abbott known as Lord Tenterden rather than Lord Abbott?

He feared that "Lord Abbott" would invite ridicule, so he took the name of a Kentish town instead.

When Charles Abbott was raised to the peerage on 30 April 1827 as Baron Tenterden, of Hendon in the County of Middlesex, he did not take his own surname as the title. He feared that "Lord Abbott" would leave him open to ridicule, so he instead picked the name of a Kentish town near his roots.
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Source Charles Abbott, 1st Baron Tenterden (Wikipedia)

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Source Charles Abbott, 1st Baron Tenterden (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Charles Abbott, 1st Baron Tenterden (Wikipedia)
  • Lead section
    Charles Abbott, 1st Baron Tenterden, was a British barrister and judge who served as Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench between 1818 and 1832. Born in obscure circumstances to a barber and his wife in Canterbury, Abbott was educated initially at a dame school before moving to The King's School, Canterbury in 1769. He was noted as an excellent student, receiving an exhibition scholarship from the school in March 1781, when he matriculated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. Here he was elected a fellow, and also served as a tutor to the son of Sir Francis Buller, which first made him consider becoming a barrister. He joined the Middle Temple in 1787, transferring to the Inner Temple in 1793, and was called to the Bar by the Inner Temple in 1796. Abbott was noted as an excellent barrister, earning more than any other during his time at the Bar, despite being considered unimaginative and a poor speaker. He was offered a position as a Justice of the Court of Common Pleas in 1808, which he turned down; he accepted the same offer in 1816, receiving the customary knighthood and being appointed a Serjeant-at-Law.
  • Introduction
    Charles Abbott, 1st Baron Tenterden (7 October 1762 - 4 November 1832), was a British barrister and judge who served as Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench between 1818 and 1832.
  • In Legal System: Law of the United Kingdom, Wikipedia lead sentence
    was a British barrister and judge who served as Lord
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2. Wikidata: Charles Abbott, 1st Baron Tenterden
  • Wikidata Q336138, P569 date of birth claim (year)
    P569 (date of birth): 1762
  • Wikidata Q336138, P569 date of birth claim (full date)
    P569 (date of birth): 1762-10-07
  • Wikidata Q336138, P570 date of death claim (year)
    P570 (date of death): 1832
  • Wikidata Q336138, P570 date of death claim (full date)
    P570 (date of death): 1832-11-04
  • Wikidata Q336138, P19 place of birth claim
    P19 (place of birth): Canterbury
  • Wikidata Q336138, P20 place of death claim
    P20 (place of death): London
View the Source
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