Joseph Chitty
(1775-1841) of London (continued)

6. Thomas, born 1802 Sep 29, St Martin in the Fields, died 1878 Feb 1. Of the Inner Temple, special pleader 1820-77; died at 47 Lancaster Gate, buried at Kensal Green. Author of CHITTY'S FORMS and editor of ARCHBOLD; of 3 Inner Temple Lane, 1827-38 and 1844, of The Temple 1840, of 9 Upper Gower Street 1851, of 1 King's Bench Walk 1844-71 (and for 57 years according to one writer). A great preceptor of lawyers. TIDD trained three Chancellors and one Chief Justice (Lyndhurst, Cottenham, Campbell and Denman) but CHITTY's chambers at 1 King's Bench Walk sent out two Chancellors (Cairns and Herschell), a Lord of Appeal (O'Hagan), a President of the Divorce Court (Hannen), a Home Secretary (Henry Matthews, Q.C.) three Lords Justices (A.S. Smith, Mathew and CHITTY's own son Joseph William) and two High Court Judges (Willes and Quain). Sjt BUCKRAM adds: 'It is greatly to the credit of Thomas CHITTY, as it is characteristic of the whole dynasty, that for all his profundity of technical learning no man was freer from the taint of pettifogger. He was one of the pioneers of the reform of pleading and practice and took an active part in the drafting of the Common Law Procedure Acts, and in the last years of his life his advice was sought when the Judicature Act was in hand. Altogether he was a noteworthy character. It was perhaps quite in the picture of a great special pleader that he should have played an uncanny hand at whist, but Thomas CHITTY had other diversions. He was an ardent and accomplished musician, who played the 'cello almost as well as he could draft a Declaration; and, though the opportunity came to him rather late in life, an enthusiastic Volunteer. When in the fifties the Inns of Court Volunteers were formed (reviving the honourable title of the 'Devil's Own') Thomas CHITTY officiated as bandmaster, wearing on parade his civilian black, which gained for him in the corps the nickname of 'the Crow'. He had the satisfaction latterly in this capacity of marching out three generations of CHITTYs - himself, his son Major T.E. CHITTY, and his grandson (a very young recruit), --- (Sir) Willes CHITTY.' He married 1826 Mch 6 at Shimpling, Norfolk, Eliza CAWSTON, 4th daughter of A. CAWSTON of Shimpling Hall, born 1804/5, died 1885 Jan 21, buried 24 at Kensal Green. The 1851 Census, 9 Upper Gower St, St Pancras, shows Thomas, special pleader, born at St Martin in the Fields, his wife Eliza, born Shimpling, and children Thomas, 24, undergraduate of Oriel College, Oxford and Louisa Ann Ellen, both born at St Pancras. The younger son Joseph William was doubtless at Oxford at that date. The three children were:

continued ...

Origins  Introduction  Pedigree  Family History  Feedback  Search the Site
Previous page
  Next page  Home Page

Page created 29 Sept 2001 by Mike Chitty, based on the late Erik Chitty's 1975 text