Archibald Bodkin

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Sir Archibald Henry Bodkin KCB (1862 - 1957) was a British lawyer and the Director of Public Prosecutions from 1920 to 1930[1]. He particularly took a stand against the publication of what he saw as 'obscene' literature.

Contents

[edit] Early years

Bodkin was educated at Highgate School in London, England.[2] After completing his schooling, it was originally intended that he should join his brother on a South African farm, to this end, he spent a year working on a farm near Barnsley. However, he had already expressed a wish to become a barrister, and so when the South African idea could not be organised, he entered Inner Temple, and was called to the Bar in 1885.[3]

[edit] Career

Bodkin soon established a reputation as a hard and meticulous worker, and was particularly noted for his preparation of indictments—prior to the Indictments Act 1915 this was a highly specialised field. He disdained the theatrical devices popular amongst other barristers of the day, his style was built on a solid appreciation of the facts of the case. He virtually always appeared for the prosecution, and whilst determined to secure convictions, did not over-press a weak case. He rarely took holidays, in addition to his prosecuting work, he built up a reputation in licensing law, these cases were usually held in a separate legal term, in August, so this did not interfere with his regular work.[3]

On 8 July 1891 he married Maud Beatrice Bush, whose father, Robert Wheler Bush was vicar of St Alphage London Wall. The following year he was appointed a "Treasury devil" at the Old Bailey and rapidly established a reputation as a leading prosecutor. On 1 July 1901 he was also appointed Recorder of the Borough of Dover (a part-time judge) (succeeding his uncle, Sir Harry Bodkin Poland).[3][4]

During the First World War he undertook many prosecutions of spies, in particular that of Carl Hans Lody, and was also heavily involved in building the case against Roger Casement. The wartime period also included his leading role in prosecuting the "Brides in the bath", which saw him calling 112 witnesses for the Crown. He was knighted in 1917.[3][5]

In 1920, he replaced Sir Charles Mathews as Director of Public Prosecutions. In the 1920s he tried to ban Ulysses by James Joyce and even threatened in 1922 to prosecute the academic F. R. Leavis if he mentioned it in his lectures at Cambridge University since it contained "a great deal of unmitigated filth and obscenity".[6][7] On December 29, 1922 he banned the book, saying "As might be supposed I have not had the time, nor may I add the inclination to read through this book. I have, however, read pages 690 to 732."[8] He also stated he could not make "head nor tail" of the book. The British ban remained until 1936.[9] In the 1924 King's Birthday Honours he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB).[10]

He also successfully opposed the 1928 lesbian novel by Radclyffe Hall, The Well of Loneliness, and attempted to find an expert who would tell a court of:

"the results to those unfortunate women (as I deem them) who have proclivities towards lesbianism, or those wicked women (as I deem them) who voluntarily indulge in these practices—results destructive morally, physically and even perhaps mentally."[11]

Eventually, Sir William Henry Willcox gave evidence for the government and the book was not released until 1949. He also opposed the publication of D. H. Lawrence's Pansies[12].

He was succeeded as DPP in 1930 by Sir Edward Tindal Atkinson.[13] Bodkin was then re-appointed Recorder of Dover on February 9, 1931.[14]

[edit] Notable Trials

[edit] In popular culture

He was played by Stephen Murray in one episode of the 1981 series "Lady Killers".[19] In 2003 he was played by James Woolley in The Brides in the Bath[20].

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATID=8105880&CATLN=6&accessmethod=5&j=1
  2. ^ http://www.ocs.org.uk/famous.asp
  3. ^ a b c d Humphreys, Christmas, ‘Bodkin, Sir Archibald Henry (1862–1957)’], rev. Mark Pottle, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/31942 . Retrieved 9 June 2008
  4. ^ London Gazette: no. 27329, page 4399, 2 July 1901. Retrieved on 2008-06-08.
  5. ^ London Gazette: no. 30022, page 3596, 17 April 1917. Retrieved on 2008-06-08.
  6. ^ http://www.secularism.org.uk/uploads/3543216b2ccd2e5738717582.pdf
  7. ^ http://www.melonfarmers.co.uk/pdfs/libdem04.pdf
  8. ^ Quotes on Censorship
  9. ^ Independent
  10. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 32941, page 4409, 30 May 1924. Retrieved on 2008-06-08.
  11. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2005/jan/02/books.gayrights
  12. ^ Christopher Pollnitz (2005), The Censorship and Transmission of D. H. Lawrence's Pansies: The Home Office and the “Foul-Mouthed Fellow”
  13. ^ http://www.cps.gov.uk/about/history.html
  14. ^ London Gazette: no. 33689, page 1003, 13 February 1931. Retrieved on 2008-06-08.
  15. ^ a b c http://www.real-crime.co.uk/Murder1/JUDGE.HTML
  16. ^ http://www.parmaq.com/truecrime/HowTo.htm
  17. ^ http://www.btp.police.uk/History%20Society/Publications/History%20Society/Crime%20on%20line/Rex%20v.%20Starchfleld,%201914.htm
  18. ^ http://www.real-crime.co.uk/Murder1/docd.htm#Dhingra,%20Madar%20Lal
  19. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0272992/
  20. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0395481/
Preceded by
Sir Charles Mathews		 Director of Public Prosecutions
1920–1930		 Succeeded by
Sir Edward Tindal Atkinson