The Life of Richard Lord Westbury, Formerly Lord High Chancellor
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This is a reproduction of a library book that was digitized by Google as part of an ongoing effort to preserve the information in books and make it universally accessible. https://books.google.com HARVARD COLLEGE LIBRARY FROM THE BEQUEST OF CHARLES SUMNER CLASS OF I83O Senator from Massachusetts FOB BOOKS RELATING TO POLITICS AND FINE ARTS THE LIFE OF LORD CHANCELLOR WESTBURY THE LIFE OF RICHARD LORD WESTBURY, jFormerlp JLorD fyizb Chancellor WITH SELECTIONS FROM HIS CORRESPONDENCE BY THOMAS ARTHUR NASH, B.A. BARRISTER- AT-LAW WITH TWO PORTRAITS IN TWO VOLUMES— VOL. I - LONDON RICHARD BENTLEY AND SON iJublisfjtrs m ©rtinatg to $?et fflajcstg tfje ©ttrm 1888 ? RI C- ;n- ■ lor be by in- riter. taken > which it which >ns of the subject of a :n Macmillaris evident to those i with Lord West- unperfect knowledge of ade his sketch incomplete. ■ death the Memoir upon which *^ed was placed in my hands by Mr. trH-U,. 32. JAN l9 1 .59 i/ERA^ £> .l 'in// '/. T- Printed by R. & R. Clakk, Edml-urgk PREFACE In the autumn of 1883 there appeared an an nouncement that a Life of the late Lord Chancellor Westbury, by Mr. R. N. Kennard, was about to be published. The work was, however, delayed by various causes, and its completion was finally in terrupted by the illness and death of the writer. That Memoir consisted principally of materials taken from public documents ; and the only part to which this observation does not apply was that which professed to give the personal recollections of the writer. These recollections formed the subject of a biographical sketch which appeared in Macmillari s Magazine for April 1883. It was evident to those who were intimately acquainted with Lord West- bury that the writer had an imperfect knowledge of his subject, and this made his sketch incomplete. After Mr. Kennard's death the Memoir upon which he had been engaged was placed in my hands by Mr. vi PREFACE Bentley, and subsequently, with the concurrence of Lord Westbury's family, I began an entirely new biography. I am, however, indebted to Mr. Kennard's Memoir for the insertion of a few anecdotes and for the occasional use of a refer ence to professional matters on which he may have had good opportunities for information. The lapse of fifteen years since Lord Westbury's death has made the task of preparing his biography in some respects difficult. Except for a few weeks late in life, he kept no diary or record of personal events, and a valuable portion of his correspond ence was soon after his death accidentally destroyed. Much also of the material which might have been collected from the personal recollections of con temporaries and other sources is no longer avail able. Under these circumstances the work would have presented still more formidable difficulties, had not Lord Westbury's family afforded me the advantage of the most unreserved communication, and placed at my disposal the whole of the corre spondence and other documents in their possession which were material to my purpose, without impos ing any restraint whatever as to the treatment of the life. To the Hon. Mrs. Adamson Parker, whose PREFACE vii knowledge of her father's life was from their long companionship the most complete, I am under great obligations. Mrs. Parker has allowed me to make use of a monograph from her own pen, which is incorporated in the chapters in which the earlier years of Lord Westbury's life are described, and she has supplied numerous and valuable notes of personal recollections. I have also to thank the Hon. Slingsby Bethell, C.B., for the loan of several letters and papers, and the Hon. Walter Bethell for many interesting details of his father's country pursuits. To Eleanor, Lady Westbury, I am indebted for much important information and for access to some private letters. My warm thanks are due to Mr. Augustus B. Abraham, brother-in-law of Lord Westbury, whose recollections have furnished much of the material for the early life, and who has rendered most valuable information, advice, and assistance with respect to other portions of the work. To other members of the family and to many of their friends who have given me much kind aid, I tender my grateful acknowledgment. For the privilege of being permitted to publish some of the correspondence, I am indebted to the I. .il .1 it. .'t. ■ i £tr*.l*,£V ^ 0 THE LIFE OF RICHARD LORD WESTBURY, jFormerlp LorD 5>ig& Chancellor WITH SELECTIONS FROM HIS CORRESPONDENCE BY / THOMAS ARTHUR NASHUA BARRISTER-AT-LAW WITH TWO PORTRAITS IN TWO VOLUMES— VOL. I LONDON RICHARD BENTLEY AND SON JPublisljtrs m ©rtinarg to J)er fftajtstg tfjt ©turn 1888 n trHSto. 32 ^ JAN 19 ) '.59 •- y.l'y^i// ws, ^n£ ,' Printed by R. & R. Clark. Edinburgh \ PREFACE In the autumn of 1883 there appeared an an nouncement that a Life of the late Lord Chancellor Westbury, by Mr. R. N. Kennard, was about to be published. The work was, however, delayed by various causes, and its completion was finally in terrupted by the illness and death of the writer. That Memoir consisted principally of materials taken from public documents ; and the only part to which this observation does not apply was that which professed to give the personal recollections of the writer. These recollections formed the subject of a biographical sketch which appeared in Macmillan s Magazine for April 1883. It was evident to those who were intimately acquainted with Lord West- bury that the writer had an imperfect knowledge of his subject, and this made his sketch incomplete. After Mr. Kennard's death the Memoir upon which he had been engaged was placed in my hands by Mr. vi PREFACE Bentley, and subsequently, with the concurrence of Lord Westbury's family, I began an entirely new biography. I am, however, indebted to Mr. Kennard's Memoir for the insertion of a few anecdotes and for the occasional use of a refer ence to professional matters on which he may have had good opportunities for information. The lapse of fifteen years since Lord Westbury's death has made the task of preparing his biography in some respects difficult. Except for a few weeks late in life, he kept no diary or record of personal events, and a valuable portion of his correspond ence was soon after his death accidentally destroyed. Much also of the material which might have been collected from the personal recollections of con temporaries and other sources is no longer avail able. Under these circumstances the work would have presented still more formidable difficulties, had not Lord Westbury's family afforded me the advantage of the most unreserved communication, and placed at my disposal the whole of the corre spondence and other documents in their possession which were material to my purpose, without impos ing any restraint whatever as to the treatment of the life. To the Hon. Mrs. Adamson Parker, whose PREFACE knowledge of her father's life was from their long companionship the most complete, I am under great obligations. Mrs. Parker has allowed me to make use of a monograph from her own pen, which is incorporated in the chapters in which the earlier years of Lord Westbury's life are described, and she has supplied numerous and valuable notes of personal recollections. I have also to thank the Hon. Slingsby Bethell, C.B., for the loan of several letters and papers, and the Hon. Walter Bethell for many interesting details of his father's country pursuits. To Eleanor, Lady Westbury, I am indebted for much important information and for access to some private letters. My warm thanks are due to Mr. Augustus B. Abraham, brother-in-law of Lord Westbury, whose recollections have furnished much of the material for the early life, and who has rendered most valuable information, advice, and assistance with respect to other portions of the work. To other members of the family and to many of their friends who have given me much kind aid, I tender my grateful acknowledgment. For the privilege of being permitted to publish some of the correspondence, I am indebted to the viii PREFACE Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, Earl Granville, Lord Moncreiff, the Hon. Evelyn Ashley, Mr. Henry Reeve, C.B., Mr. Jeune, Q.C., and to several others. To Lord Moncreiff, Mr. Frederic Harrison, Professor Jowett, and the Rev. C. J. Hume, I must express my grateful thanks for the interesting sketches of various portions of Lord Westbury's life which they have contributed. I have also to acknowledge the kindness of Mrs. Harvey, of Ickwell Bury, Lord Thring, and Mr. A. W. Kinglake, in communicating their recollections. Much useful information with regard to Lord Westbury's professional career has been received from Mr. Napier Higgins, Q.C., Mr. Cookson- Crackanthorpe, Q.C., Mr. Vaughan Johnson, Mr. B. B. Rogers, Mr. Percy Gye, Mr. Charles Skirrow, Mr. Charles Harrison, Mr. W. W. Aldridge, and others. Finally, I must heartily thank my friend, Mr. Patrick F. Evans, of the Inner Temple, for his valuable aid in revision, and for many excellent suggestions. The biography has been mainly treated as that of a public man whose career is inseparably con nected with the legal history of his time. In dealing with Lord Westbury's resignation, an effort has been made to spare the susceptibilities of persons PREFACE ix still living, as far as was possible, without any sacrifice of the truth. The public events which led to the resignation are matters of record, and I have therefore confined the narrative to the bare facts upon which the motions of censure were based, purposely avoiding subjects which might provoke needless controversy.