List of members of Gray's Inn

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Part of Gray's Inn, showing some of the Inn’s buildings
Part of Gray's Inn Square

The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known simply as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns. The Inn has existed for over 600 years. Its members have included many noted lawyers and judges, such as Francis Bacon,[1] Lord Slynn, Lord Bingham of Cornhill, Lord Hoffmann, Lord Pannick and others. Outside the Bar and judiciary of England and Wales, members have included the clergy (including five Archbishops of Canterbury),[2] the industrialist John Wynne, the astronomer John Lee, media figures, such as Huw Thomas,[3] and members of the Bar and judiciary of other nations, such as Yang Ti-liang (former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Hong Kong) and Aitzaz Ahsan (former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan).[4][5] As well as full members, the Inn also offers honorary membership to particularly distinguished members of society. During the Second World War, for example, both Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill became honorary Benchers, and therefore members.[6] Other than honorary members, this list only contains those individuals who were called to the Bar, not those who simply joined but left before qualifying.

Call Name Noted for Notes
1540Nicholas BarhamSerjeant-at-Law who investigated and prosecuted the Ridolfi plot[7]
1583Thomas Ashelegal writer and qualified barrister, although he never practised the law[8]
1585Henry Finchlegal writer[9]
1674William AtwoodLawyer and writer[10]
1792John BellConsidered the best equity barrister of his age, even though he could "neither read, write, walk, nor talk"[11]
1918 Dhirendra Mohan Dhar Indian barrister, lawyer practiced at High Court of Calcutta. [12]
1922B. R. AmbedkarIndian polymath, jurist, economist, politician and social reformer and the father of the Indian Constitution[13]
1937Jack Hamsonlegal writer and jurist of comparative and common law, President of the International Academy of Comparative Law[14]
1940 V.T.

Thomas

 Indian advocate, jurist and philanthropist.
1959Christopher BathurstEnglish barrister with a successful practice who became a Queen's Counsel in 1978 before inheriting a hereditary peerage and joining the House of Lords[15]
1961Samuel Eson Johnson Ecomaformer Chief Judge of Cross River State, Nigeria.
1967Aitzaz AhsanPakistani advocate, President of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan[4]
1967 Michael Mansfield King's Counsel and head of chambers at Nexus Chambers
1977 Francis Chang-Sam Seychelles advocate, former Registrar General of Seychelles and Attorney-General of Seychelles. He also headed the secretariat of the Constitution of the Third Republic of Seychelles.
1980Noor DeanFiji Indian lawyer and politician[16]
1988Roger Tan Kor MeeMalaysian advocate & solicitor, former member of the Malaysian Bar Council and now a Water Commissioner of Malaysia.

Judiciary

Call Name Noted for Notes
1342William SkipwithChief Baron of the Exchequer[17]
1374William GascoigneChief Justice of the King's Bench[18]
1420William YelvertonJustice of the Court of King's Bench[19]
1430Thomas BillingChief Justice of the King's Bench[20]
1438John MarkhamChief Justice of the King's Bench[21]
1448Thomas BryanChief Justice of the Common Pleas[22]
1455William HusseyChief Justice of the King's Bench[23]
1461John FineuxChief Justice of the King's Bench[24]
1535John BirchBaron of the Exchequer[25]
1581James AlthamBaron of the Exchequer[25]
1611Timothy TurnerChief Justice of Chester[26]
1614John BankesChief Justice of the Common Pleas and of the King's Bench[27]
1616Thomas BedingfieldJustice of the Court of Common Pleas[28]
1625Thomas WiddringtonChief Baron of the Exchequer[29]
1627John BradshawPresident of the High Court of Justice for the trial of King Charles I and first Lord President of the Council of State[30]
1627John ArcherJustice of the Court of Common Pleas[31]
1657John PowellJustice of the Court of Common Pleas and the Court of King's Bench[32]
1651Robert BaldockJustice of the Court of King's Bench[33]
1663John HoltLord Chief Justice[34]
1670Richard AlliboneJustice of the Court of King's Bench[32]
1676Thomas BuryChief Baron of the Exchequer[32]
1729Thomas ClarkeMaster of the Rolls[35]
1792John BayleyJustice of the Court of King's Bench and Baron of the Exhequer[36]
1827James BaconVice Chancellor in Bankruptcy and later, by custom, Judge of the High Court of Justice[37]
1879John RomillyMaster of the Rolls[38]
1879John RossLord Chancellor of Ireland[39]
1891James AtkinLaw Lord[40]
1904Maas Thajoon AkbarJustice of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka, Solicitor General of Sri Lanka[41]
1904Augustus UthwattLord Justice of Appeal[42]
1907Malcolm HilberyJudge of the King's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice[43]
1919Gilbert Walter KingJudge of the British Supreme Court for China[44]
1928Humphrey WaldockJustice of the International Court of Justice[45]
1937Colin SleemanAssistant Judge Advocate General and circuit judge[46]
1946Elwyn JonesLord Chancellor[45]
1946John VinelottHigh Court Judge Chancery Division[47]
1954Yang Ti-liangformer Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Hong Kong
1956John Geoffrey Jonesformer president of the Mental Health Review Tribunal for England and Wales[48]
1959Gordon SlynnLord of Appeal in Ordinary[49]
1959Robin AuldLord Justice of Appeal[50]
1960Anthony CampbellLord Justice of Appeal in Northern Ireland[51]
1961Mark PotterPresident of the Family Division[52][53]
1966Richard BandaChief Justice of the Malawi High Court, Chief Justice of the Swaziland High Court[54]
1967Robin JacobLord Justice of Appeal[55]
1969 Brenda Hale President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom [56]
1970Michael HartJudge of the Chancery Division[57]
1972Falak SherChief Justice of the Lahore High Court, Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan[58]
1973Dame Joan SawyerFirst female Chief Justice of The Bahamas Supreme Court and then first female President of the Court of Appeal of The Bahamas (retired 2010)
1974John SheilLord Justice of Appeal in Northern Ireland[59]

Politicians

Call Name Noted for Notes
1355Robert AshtonLord Chancellor of Ireland, Lord High Treasurer[60]
1515Robert AskePolitician and rebel who led the Pilgrimage of Grace[61]
1524Thomas CromwellChief minister to King Henry VIII of England from 1532 to 1540[62]
1533Nicholas BaconLord Keeper of the Great Seal[63]
1552Christopher YelvertonSpeaker of the House of Commons[64]
1554Thomas SnaggeSpeaker of the British House of Commons and Attorney-General for Ireland[65]
1560John BrograveMember of Parliament for Preston, Attorney General of the Duchy of Lancaster[66]
1565Edward BaconMember of Parliament for Great Yarmouth and Tavistock[67]
1582Francis BaconPolitician and statesman who served as Lord Chancellor and Attorney General[68]
1617Nathaniel BaconMember of Parliament for Ipswich[69]
1631John CookeSolicitor General[70]
1644Levinus BennetMember of Parliament for Cambridgeshire[71]
1648William BrodrickMember of the Sealed Knot, Surveyor General of Ireland, Member of Parliament for Dungarvan in the Irish House of Commons[72]
1658William WilliamsSolicitor General and Speaker of the House of Commons[73]
1673Thomas AllenLord Mayor of the City of London[74]
1682Alexander PendarvesMember of Parliament for Penryn, Saltash, Helston, and Launceston[75]
1718Hugh WilliamsMember of Parliament for Anglesey[76]
1839George Hammond WhalleyMember of Parliament for Peterborough[77]
1871William Bowen RowlandsMember of Parliament for Ceredigion
1885 Sidney Webb Member of Parliament for Seaham, President of the Board of Trade, Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs, Secretary of State for the Colonies, Co-founder London School of Economics
1894F.E. SmithLord Chancellor, Secretary of State for India[78]
1910Khabeeruddin AhmedMember Bengal Legislative Council[79]
1922David Maxwell FyfeSolicitor General, Attorney General, Lord Chancellor and Home Secretary[45]
1922Hartley ShawcrossAttorney General[80]
1923Grantley Herbert AdamsPremier of Barbados[81]
1924Ba MawPrime Minister of Burma[82]
1933Leslie GoonewardeneSri Lankan independence activist and founder of the nation's first political party, the Lanka Sama Samaja Party. Also served in cabinet post.[83]
1935Elwyn JonesAttorney General, Lord Chancellor[45]
1944Emrys RobertsMember of Parliament for Merioneth[84]
1948Noor HassanaliThe first Indo-Trinidadian to hold the office of President of Trinidad and Tobago and was the first Muslim Head of State in the Americas[85]
1950Glafcos CleridesFourth President of the Republic of Cyprus[86]
1954Spyros KyprianouSecond President of the Republic of Cyprus[86]
1954Tassos PapadopoulosFifth President of the Republic of Cyprus[86]
1959John "Tom" AdamsPremier of Barbados[87]
1959Lalith AthulathmudaliSri Lankan Member of Parliament and Minister of Education[88]
1974Roy RoebuckMember of Parliament
1975Vera BairdSolicitor General for England and Wales[89]
? Stuart Young Prime Minister-designate of Trinidad and Tobago [90]

Clergy

Call Name Noted for Notes
1520William AtwaterBishop of Lincoln[2]
1555Stephen GardinerBishop of Winchester[2]
1588Richard BancroftArchbishop of Canterbury[91]
1589Lancelot AndrewesBishop of Winchester[2]
1592John WhitgiftArchbishop of Canterbury[91]
1615William LaudArchbishop of Canterbury[91]
1615Joseph HallBishop of Exeter[2]
1622Thomas MortonBishop of Lichfield[2]
1623James UssherArchbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland[2]
1635William JuxonArchbishop of Canterbury[91]
1663Gilbert SheldonArchbishop of Canterbury[91]

Other

Call Name Noted for Notes
1599Eubule ThelwallPrincipal of Jesus College, Oxford[92]
1602Simon Archerantiquary[93]
1639Bartholomew BealeAuditor of the imprests[94]
1669John Wynneindustrialist[95]
1841Gilbert Abbott à BeckettHumorist and police magistrate[96]
1863John LeeAstronomer[97]
1882Arthur William à BeckettJournalist and humorist for Punch[98]
1905Gurusaday DuttCivilian
1913Joseph BallIntelligence officer with MI5 and first Chairman of the Conservative Research Department[99]
1913Thomas Williams PhillipsPermanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour[100]
1929Sophy Sangerlabour law reformer and internationalist
1951Huw Thomaspresenter for ITN News[3]
?John Finnislegal academic and philosopher

Honorary members

Call Name Noted for Notes
1590John AmyCivil lawyer[101]
1606Francis BarringtonMember of Parliament for Essex[2]
1942Winston ChurchillPrime Minister of the United Kingdom[6][102]
1943Franklin D. RooseveltPresident of the United States[6][102]
2004Geoffrey MaChief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong[6]

See also

References

Further reading

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