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Edward Law, first Baron Ellenborough (1750–1818)

Description

Edward Law, the first Baron Ellenborough, was born on 16 November 1750 in Great Salkeld, Cumberland, England. One of his brothers was Thomas Law (1756–1834), husband of Martha Washington's granddaughter Elizabeth Parke Custis (1776–1831). Educated at Cambridge, Edward was called to the bar in 1780 and made a king's counsel seven years later. In 1802 he rose to chief justice of the king's bench, a position he held until 1818. As a judge and lawyer, Law was known for his conservatism and opposition to any reform in criminal law.

Citations

David Lemmings, "Ellenborough, Earl," An Oxford Companion to the Romantic Age (Oxford University Press, 2009).

Michael Lobban, "Law, Edward, First Baron Ellenborough (1750–1818)," Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press, 2013).

Sir Edward Law at Find a Grave.