Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden (1714 – 18 April 1794), Lord Chancellor of Great Britain, was a leading proponent of civil liberties in eighteenth century England. // Events August 1 - George, elector of Hanover becomes King George I of Great Britain. ... April 18 is the 108th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (109th in leap years). ... 1794 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor and in former times the Chancellor of England and the Lord Chancellor of Scotland, is one of the most senior and important functionaries in the government of the United Kingdom, and its predecessor states. ... This article is in need of attention. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the British Isles Languages None official English de facto Capital None official London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001...

Early life

Born in Kensington in 1714, he was a descendant of an old Devon family of high standing, the third son of Sir John Prat, Chief Justice of the King's Bench in the reign of George I. He received his early education at Eton and Kings College, Cambridge. In 1734 he became a fellow of his college, and in the following year obtained his degree of BA. Having adopted his father's profession, he had entered the Middle Temple in 1728, and ten years later he was called to the bar. Kensington is an area to the west of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. ... // Events August 1 - George, elector of Hanover becomes King George I of Great Britain. ... The inner harbour, Brixham, south Devon, at low tide Devon is a large county in South West England, bordering on Cornwall to the west, Dorset and Somerset to the east. ... The Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales is the second-highest judge of the Courts of England and Wales, after the Lord Chancellor, and the presiding judge of Criminal Division of the Court of Appeal, and of the Queens Bench Division of the High Court. ... George I (Georg Ludwig) (28 May 1660 – 11 June 1727) was Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Hanover) from 23 January 1698, and King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 1 August 1714, until his death. ... The Kings College of Our Lady of Eton beside Windsor, commonly known as Eton College or just Eton, is a prestigious and internationally known independent school for boys, which is often described as the most famous school in the world. ... Full name The Kings College of Our Lady and St Nicholas Motto Veritas et utilitas Truth and usefulness Named after Henry VI Previous names - Established 1441 Sister College New College Provost Dame Judith Mayhew-Jonas Location Kings Parade Undergraduates 397 Graduates 239 Homepage Boatclub Kings College, Cambridge... Events January 8 - Premiere of George Frideric Handels opera Ariodante at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. ... A Bachelor of Arts (B.A. or A.B., from the Latin Artium Baccalaureus) is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or program in the arts and/or sciences. ... Part of Middle Temple c. ... Events Astronomical aberration discovered by the astronomer James Bradley Swedish academy of sciences founded at Uppsala The founding of the University of Havana (Universidad de la Habana), Cubas most well-established university. ...

Early years at the bar

He practised at first in the courts of common law, travelling also the western circuit. For some years his practice was so limited, and he became so much discourared that he seriously thought of turning his back on the law and entering the church. He listened, however, to the advice of his friend Sir Robert Henley, a brother barrister, and persevered, working on and waiting for success. The first case which brought him prominently into notice and gave him assurance of ultimate success was the government prosecution, in 1752, of a bookseller, William Owen, for a libel on the House of Commons. His speech for the defence contributed much to the verdict for the defendant. This article concerns the common-law legal system, as contrasted with the civil law legal system; for other meanings of the term, within the field of law, see common law (disambiguation). ... Robert Henley, 1st Earl of Northington (c. ... 1752 was a leap year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ...

Political career

In 1757, through the influence of William Pitt, with whom he had formed a close friendship while at Eton, he received the appointment of Attorney-General. The same year he entered the House of Commons as member for the borough of Downton in Wiltshire. He sat in parliament four years, but did not distinguish himself as a debater. His professional practice now largely increased. One of the most noticeable incidents of his tenure of office as Attorney-General was the prosecution of Dr. J. Shebbeare (1709-1788), a violent party writer of the day, for a libel against the government contained in his Letters to the People of England, which were published in the years 1756-1758. As a proof of Pratt's moderation in a period of passionate party warfare and frequent state trials, it is noted that this was the only official prosecution for libel which he set on foot. 1757 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The Right Honourable William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham (15 November 1708–11 May 1778) was a British Whig statesman who achieved his greatest fame as war minister during the Seven Years War (aka French and Indian War) and who was later Prime Minister of Great Britain. ... Her Majestys Attorney General for England and Wales, usually known as the Attorney General, is the chief legal adviser of the Crown in England and Wales. ... Wiltshire (abbreviated Wilts) is a large southern English county. ... 1756 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1758 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

Entick and Wilkes

In January 1762 Pratt was raised to the bench as Chief Justice of the Common Pleas. He was at the same time knighted. Soon after his elevation he presided over two cases of fundamental constitutional importance in English law. In 1762, the home of John Entick had been raided by officers of the Crown, searching for evidence of sedition. In the case of Entick v. Carrington, Pratt held that the raids were unlawful as they were without authority in statute or in common law. In 1769, the nation was thrown into great excitement about the prosecution of John Wilkes, and the question involved in it of the legality of general warrants. Chief-Justice Pratt pronounced, with decisive and almost passionate energy, against their legality, thus giving voice to the strong feeling of the nation and winning for himself an extraordinary degree of popularity as one of the maintainers of English civil liberties. Honors fell thick upon him in the form of addresses from the City of London and many large towns, and of presentations of freedom from various corporate bodies. 1762 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Prior to 1880, the Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas was one of the highest judicial officials in England, behind only the Lord High Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice of the Kings (or Queens) Bench. ... English law is a formal term of art that describes the law for the time being in force in England and Wales. ... Sedition is a deprecated term of law to refer to non-overt conduct such as speech and organization that is deemed by the legal authority as tending toward insurrection against the established order. ... Entick v. ... A statute is a formal, written law of a country or state, written and enacted by its legislative authority, perhaps to then be ratified by the highest executive in the government, and finally published. ... 1769 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Coat of arms The City of London is a small area in Greater London. ...

Lord Chancellor

In July 1765 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Camden, of Camden Place, in the county of Kent and in the following year he was removed from the court of common pleas to take his seat as Lord Chancellor (July 30, 1766). This seat he retained less than four years. Although he discharged its duties in so efficient a manner that, with one exception, his decisions were never reversed on appeal, he took up a position of such uncompromising hostility to the governments of the day, the Grafton and North administrations, on the greatest and most exciting matters, the treatment of the American colonies and the proceedings against John Wilkes, that the government had no choice but to require of him the surrender of the great seal. He retired from the court of chancery in January 1770, but he continued to take a warm interest in the political affairs and discussions of the time. 1765 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Kent is a county in England, south-east of London. ... The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor and in former times the Chancellor of England and the Lord Chancellor of Scotland, is one of the most senior and important functionaries in the government of the United Kingdom, and its predecessor states. ... July 30 is the 211th day (212th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 154 days remaining. ... 1766 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Augustus Henry FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton (October 1, 1735 - March 14, 1811), was a British politician of the Georgian era. ... Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford, KG , PC (April 13, 1732–August 5, 1792), more often known by his earlier title, Lord North, was Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1770 to 1782, and a major actor in the American Revolution. ... 1770 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

Later years

He continued steadfastly to oppose the taxation of the American colonists, and signed, in 1778, the protest of the Lords in favour of an address to the King on the subject of the manifesto of the commissioners to America. In 1782 he was appointed Lord President of the Council under the Rockingham administration, but retired in the following year. Within a few months he was reinstated in this office under the Pitt administration, and held it till his death. 1778 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... This article is about the British House of Lords. ... George III (George William Frederick) (4 June 1738 – 29 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until 1 January 1801, and thereafter King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death. ... 1782 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Office of Lord President of the Council is a British cabinet position, the holder of which acts as presiding officer of the Privy Council. ... Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham (May 13, 1730 – July 1, 1782) was a British Whig statesman, most notable for his two terms as Whig Prime Minister of Great Britain. ... The Right Honourable William Pitt, the Younger (28 May 1759–23 January 1806) was a British politician during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. ...

Lord Camden was a strenuous opponent of Fox's India Bill, took an animated part in the debates on important public matters till within two years of his death, introduced in 1786 the scheme of a regency on occasion of the king's insanity, and to the last zealously defended his early views on the functions of juries, especially of their right to decide on all questions of libel. He was raised to the dignity of Earl Camden in May 1786, and was at the same time created Viscount Bayham. In 1788 he obtained an Act of Parliament granting permission to develop some fields he owned just to the north of London. This was the beginning of Camden Town. The Right Honourable Charles James Fox (13 January 1749–13 September 1806) was a British Whig politician. ... 1786 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1786 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Camden Town is a place in the London Borough of Camden, England. ...

The Earl Camden died in London on 18 April 1794. His remains were interred in Seal [[1]] church in Kent. This article is about the British city. ... April 18 is the 108th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (109th in leap years). ... 1794 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

Robert Henley, 1st Earl of Northington (c. ... The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor and in former times the Chancellor of England and the Lord Chancellor of Scotland, is one of the most senior and important functionaries in the government of the United Kingdom, and its predecessor states. ... Charles Yorke (30 December 1722_20 January 1770) was Lord Chancellor of Great Britain. ... Henry Bathurst, 2nd Earl Bathurst (1714-6 August 1794), was the eldest surviving son of the 1st Earl. ... The Office of Lord President of the Council is a British cabinet position, the holder of which acts as presiding officer of the Privy Council. ... David Murray, 2nd Earl of Mansfield, 7th Viscount Stormont (1727-1796), known before 1793 as Viscount Stormont was a British politician who served as the last Secretary of State for the Northern Department. ... Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford, 2nd Earl Gower (4 August 1721 - 26 October 1803) was a British politician. ... The Office of Lord President of the Council is a British cabinet position, the holder of which acts as presiding officer of the Privy Council. ... William Wentworth Fitzwilliam, 4th Earl Fitzwilliam in Ireland, 2nd Earl Fitzwilliam in Great Britain (30 May 1748 - 8 February 1833) was a British politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. ... The title of Marquess Camden was created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1812 for John Jeffreys Pratt, 2nd Earl Camden. ... John Jeffreys Pratt, 2nd Earl and 1st Marquess Camden (11 February 1759-8 October 1840), only son of the 1st Earl, was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge. ...

References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.