Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon (5 October 1732 to 4 April 1802) was a British barrister and politician who rose from a modest background in Gredington, Flintshire, without a university education, to become Attorney General in 1782 to 1784, Master of the Rolls from 1784 to 1788, and Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales from 1788 to 1802. His career advanced through friendships with figures such as John Dunning and Lord Thurlow, and as a judge he pressed for a return to what he saw as the simplicity and rigor of the common law. He was known for his weak grounding in classical learning, reportedly telling others that the sun goes around the earth and drawing criticism from George III over his Latin, and he effectively ended his own career as a Member of Parliament in 1784 after challenging a ballot result contested by Charles James Fox. He died in Bath in 1802 at the age of 69.
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Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon,, was a British politician and barrister, who served as Attorney General, Master of the Rolls and Lord Chief Justice. Born to a country gentleman, he was initially educated in Hanmer before moving to Ruthin School aged 12. Rather than going to university he instead worked as a clerk to an attorney, joining the Middle Temple in 1750 and being called to the Bar in 1756. Initially almost unemployed due to the lack of education and contacts which a university education would have provided, his business increased thanks to his friendships with John Dunning, who, overwhelmed with cases, allowed Kenyon to work many, and Lord Thurlow who secured for him the Chief Justiceship of Chester in 1780. He was returned as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hindon the same year, serving repeatedly as Attorney General under William Pitt the Younger. He effectively sacrificed his political career in 1784 to challenge the ballot of Charles James Fox, and was rewarded with a baronetcy; from then on he did not speak in the House of Commons, despite remaining an MP.
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