Search -
The Lives of the Chief Justices of England (1878)
The Lives of the Chief Justices of England - 1878 Author:John Campbell Campbell Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER XLIII. CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF LORD KENYON TILL HE WAS APPOINTED CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE KING'S BENCH. IN the spring of 1784 died Sir Thomas... more » Sewell, who had been many yars Master of the Rolls, and Mr. Kenyon claimed the vacant office, which was conceded to him. He rather wished to have withdrawn from Parliament altogether, feeling that he was unfit for it; but, luckily for him, the Secretary for the Treasury insisted upon his finding himself a seat, that he might swell the ministerial majority expected in the new House of Commons. As yet Mr. Pitt had no high opinion of him, and had reluctantly agreed to his being restored to his office of Attorney General, and to his promotion to be Master of the Rolls. But he was endeared to the Premier by his services connected with the Westminster election. Kenyon fulfilled his engagement with the Government by purchasing his return for the borough of Tre- ' gony, and he could not have been blamed if, thinking little more of politics, he had simply attended to vote when he received the treasury circular ; but being compelled to disburse a large sum for his seat, he declared (in American phrase) that " he was resolved to go the whole hog." He therefore became a most zealous partisan, and strove to make himself conspicuous as a supporter of the government. His influence was now great among his countrymen in Wales, and was able to procure votes for the ministerial candidate in several counties and boroughs within the limits of his jurisdiction as Chief Justice of Chester. These services, however, were little noticed, compared with those which he rendered in the election for the city of Westminster. The grand object was that Mr. Fox mijht appear to berejected by his former constituents, and that the disgrace should be heaped...« less