Matthew Baillie Begbie
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Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie (9 May 1819 – 11 June 1894) was a British-born British Columbian judge.
Begbie served as a Judge of the Supreme Court, Colony of British Columbia 1858 to 1866 and then, in the same capacity in the Supreme Court, United Colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia from 1866 to 1870. He was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Colonies from 1870 to 1871 and, following British Columbia joining confederation in 1871, he served as the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the new Province of British Columbia until his death on June 11, 1894.
In the years after his death, Begbie came to be known as the Hanging Judge. However, it appears that he does not deserve this reputation. The death penalty was mandatory in murder cases in those days, unless the government approved a judge's recommendation for clemency. Indeed, Begbie successfully argued for clemency in several cases.
Begbie spent the first thirty-nine years of his life in Great Britain. During these years his life was filled with social and intellectual activities. He received his first degree from Peterhouse at the University of Cambridge, where he studied mathematics and the classics. He was involved in a great number of extracurricular activities, including singing and acting in amateur productions, dining societies, playing chess, rowing, and tennis. After Cambridge Begbie went on to study law at Lincoln's Inn. He established a successful law practice in London before heading to British Columbia.
Begbie reached Fort Victoria on November 16, 1858, and was sworn into office in Fort Langley on November 19, as the new Colony of British Columbia was proclaimed. Considering the influx of prospectors and others during Fraser Canyon Gold Rush and the following Cariboo Gold Rush of 1861, Begbie played a crucial role in the establishment of law and order throughout the new colony.
He was admitted to the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle by Queen Victoria at Balmoral Castle, Scotland, in 1875.
During his years on the bench, Begbie traveled throughout British Columbia, on foot and later on horseback administering justice in sometimes informal circumstances but he is said to have always worn his judicial robes and wig when court was in session. During his early years, he played a role in government including drafting legislation. He spoke several languages and is said to have been able to conduct trials in several aboriginal languages without the use of an interpreter. He was also an active naturalist, recording observations during his travel, including drawing maps and bridge construction drawings. He sang opera.
He continued his judicial duties well into his last illness dying in Victoria, British Columbia on June 11, 1894. The funeral procession marking his death is said to have been unprecedented and intended to mark the passing of a man regarded as British Columbia's first citizen. Begbie is interred at Ross Bay Cemetery in Victoria, British Columbia.
A Vancouver school, Sir Matthew Begbie Elementary School, was also named in his honour.
Mount Begbie, the most prominent mountain seen from Revelstoke, was named in his honour. There are two other Mount Begbies in British Columbia; they are little more than hills although the one in the marshlands south of 100 Mile House has also given its name to the Begbie Summit, the highest point on the Cariboo Highway. There are also two lakes and a creek also named for Judge Begbie.
(The family name Begbie originates in Scotland, where it is most common in the Edinburgh and East Lothian areas. Begbie is derived from the Old Norse personal name Baggi + Old Norse býr 'settlement'. The small hamlet of Begbie, [55° 55'42.00"N 2°48'55.00"W], can be found adjacent to the larger hamlet of Samuelston, near to the town of Haddington, East Lothian).
[edit] Image gallery
 Tombstone at Ross Bay Cemetery |
 Epitaph |
 Historical Marker at Bastion Square |
 Statue at Law Society of British Columbia Building, Hornby Street, Vancouver BC, by Ralph Sketch. |
