Sir William Garrow: His Life, Times and Fight for Justice Paperback - 17 January 2011

by John Hostettler and Richard Braby. With a Foreword by Geoffrey Robertson QC.

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Book description

A comprehensive account of lawyer William Garrow’s life, career, family and connections. Sir William Garrow was born in Middlesex in 1760 and called to the Bar in 1783. He was the dominant figure at the Old Bailey from 1783 to 1793, later becoming an MP, Solicitor-General, Attorney-General and finally a judge and lawmaker within the Common Law Tradition. Sir William Garrow is a generous work in which well-known legal historian and biographer John Hostettler and family story-teller Richard Braby (a descendant of Garrow) combine their skills and experience to produce a gem of a book.

‘Without the pioneering work of William Garrow, the legal system would be stuck in the Middle Ages’: Radio Times

‘Right – hands up all those who have heard of William Garrow. Hmm, thought so – me neither. That will all change ….’ Frances Gibb's Law Section, The Times

Aside from BBC1 TV’s prime-time drama series ‘Garrow’s Law’, the story of Sir William Garrow’s unique contribution to the development of English law and Parliamentary affairs is so far little known by the general public. This book tells the real story of the man behind the drama. Garrow is now in the public-eye for daring to challenge entrenched legal ways and means. His ‘gifts to the world’ include altering the relationship between judge and jury (the former had until then dominated over the latter in criminal trials), helping to forge the presumption of innocence and ensuring a general right to put forward a defence using a trained lawyer. He gave new meaning to the forensic art of cross-examination, later diverting skills honed as a radical to help the Crown when it was faced with plots, treason and revolution.The lost story of Sir William Garrow and its rediscovery will prove intriguing for professional and general readers alike and will be an invaluable ‘missing-link’ for legal and social historians. It is also a remarkable work of genealogical research which will register strongly with family historians.