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He was himself the son of a Joseph Chitty (1729—1795), and his wife, Sarah née Cartwright. He initially practised as a special pleader before being called to the bar by the Middle Temple in 1816. He never became a KC but built a huge junior practice at 1 Pump Court and published many books.

Chitty was also pupil master to a generation of lawyers, including:

• Thomas Starkie;
• Edward Hall Alderson;
• Thomas Noon Talfourd; and
• Henry Havelock.

In fact, at the time, the Inns of Court were in decline and Chitty organised lectures and moots, in 1810 being given permission to use the hall of Lincoln's Inn.

Despite his successful practice, by 1831, Chitty had amassed extensive debts that were costing almost GBP2,000 per year to service. Further, Chitty's health was in decline and he was becoming increasingly anxious about his parlous state. Much of his energy became taken up in avoiding the attentions of his creditors. He retired from practice in 1833 but continued to publish. He died in London.

By Chitty

• Chitty, T. (1799) Treatise on Bills of Exchange
• ... (1808) Precedents of Pleading
• ... (1811a) Treatise on the Law of Apprentices
• ... (1811b) Treatise on the Game Laws
• ... (1812) Treatise on the Law of Nations
• ... (1818) Treatise on Commercial Law
• ... (1829-37) Statutes of Practical Utility
• ... (1833) The Practice of the Law in All its Principal Departments

About Chitty

• Lobban, M. (2004) " Chitty, Joseph, the elder (1775—1841)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, accessed 9 Aug 2007