James William Freshfield

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James William Freshfield (8th April 1774-27 June 1864) was an English lawyer and founder of the international law firm of Freshfields. He was also a Conservative politician and Member of Parliament, representing the seats of Penryn and Boston.

Contents 1 Early Life 2 Legal career 3 Political activities 4 Family 5 References

[edit] Early Life

Freshfield was born at Windsor, Berkshire, the eldest son of James Freshfield a clockmaker of Holborn and later of Chertsey Surrey. He was initially apprenticed to a watchmaker, but instead became a solicitor, being articled to Thomas Tompson in July 1790 and sworn in as attorney at the Kings Bench on the 8th June 1795 and in the Court of Common Pleas on the 14th June 1795. He set up in practice on his own at first at Smithfield, London, but later joined Winter & Kaye, a well established law firm as a partner. Freshfield had close connections with the Clapham Sect a group of leading Evangelicals who held influential positions in the City and the legal profession, and this may have helped his career. William Wilberforce was one of the leading members of the sect.

[edit] Legal career

By 1811 the firm of Kaye & Freshfield had moved to New Bank Buildings. Freshfield’s home was The Manor House, Stoke Newington otherwise known as Abney House. Abney House was demolished in the last century but the gates of the house remain as gates of the cemetery there. He was an active member of the Lowtonian Society, standing for election to posts in the society in 1816 and giving a dinner for them when he was appointed joint solicitor to the Bank of England in 1819. This was a time of change in the banking system, and Freshfields were involved in a considerable amount of litigation. Freshfield was in correspondence with the Prime Minister, Lord Liverpool and more distressingly involved in litigation relating to misappropriation of Bank funds by the firm's partner Charles Kaye, which led to the resignation of the latter. Other important clients for whom he acted included Lord Carrington and Earl Stanhope. In 1829 the firm was involved in handling the divorce case concerning Lady Ellenborough, a society scandal of the time.

[edit] Political activities

Freshfield was invited to stand for Parliament in Penryn in 1825, and 1826 and was elected Member of Parliament for Penryn in 1830, but lost his seat in the `Reform' election of 1832. After the Reform Act he was elected Conservative member for the new constituency of Penryn and Falmouth. After losing the seat in 1840 he contested Wycombe unsuccessfully in 1841, and was out of Parliament for 10 years.

In 1842, he was called to the bar at Gray's Inn. In 1847 he contested the City of London unsuccessfully and in 1848 he stood at Derby. He was eventually returned for Boston, which he represented in 1851 and 1852. He then sat for Penryn and Falmouth again until he retired in 1857 at the age of 85 years. One of his most significant roles was as Chairman of the Divorce Committee in 1856 and 1857. Two reforming measures were credited to James Freshfield in the Law Times Obituary.^[1]

"While practising as a solicitor, he was the main instrument in the alteration of the law, so important to the commercial interests of London, by which the dealings of merchants and factors entrusted with goods by foreigners were legalised and made valid. While in Parliament, he originated and carried through the measure for reforming and equalising the principle of assessment of the parishes in the metropolitan counties. "

Freshfield was a JP for Sussex, Middlesex, the City of London and Surrey, and he became High Sheriff of Surrey in 1849 and 1850. He was Deputy Lieutenant for Middlesex and Surrey and Chairman of the East Quarter sessions in Surrey. In 1852, he chaired a dinner at the Spread Eagle, Epsom on the foundation of Epsom College, and was described as a firm friend of the school. He was also sometime Joint Treasurer of the Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy. As well as being Solicitor to the Bank of England for 20 years from 1820 to 1840, he also acted for many of the great dock and other commercial companies in London. He was connected with mining and agricultural interests in South America He died at the age of 90 years.

[edit] Family

Freshfield married Mary Blacket, the third child of John Blacket, a slopseller of Smithfield and his wife Abigail Luccock, at St Clement Danes in 1799. Mary's nephew Edmund Blacket became a celebrated architect in Australia. The Freshfield's sons James William Freshfield, Henry Ray Freshfield and Charles Kaye Freshfield all became solicitors in the Freshfield practice. Mary Freshfield died in 1819 and Freshfield married again in 1821, to Frances Jane Sims, eldest daughter of John Sims of Walthamstow Essex. The firm of Freshfields is still operating in Fleet Street, London, but the last member of the Freshfield family retired from the firm in 1927

[edit] References

• Judy Slinn A History of Freshfields, (1984) Freshfields

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by William Manning David Barclay	Member of Parliament for Penryn with Sir Charles Lemon 1830–1832	Succeeded by Constituency abolished
Preceded by Robert Monsey Rolfe Charles William Bury	Member of Parliament for Penryn and Falmouth with Sir Robert Monsey Rolfe 1835-1840v Edward John Hutchins 1849-1841 1835–1841	Succeeded by John Cranch Walker Vivian James Hanway Plumridge
Preceded by Benjamin Bond Cabbell Dudley Worsley Anderson-Pelham	Member of Parliament for Boston with Benjamin Bond Cabbell 1851–1852	Succeeded by Benjamin Bond Cabbell Gilbert Henry Heathcote
Preceded by Howel Gwyn Francis Mowatt	Member of Parliament for Penryn and Falmouth with Howel Gwyn 1852–1857	Succeeded by Thomas George Baring Samuel Gurney