author
Baron Henry Hawkins Brampton
1817–1907
A sharp-tongued Victorian judge and memoirist, he built a formidable reputation at the English bar before rising to the High Court and later the peerage. His recollections of courtroom life are full of confidence, controversy, and vivid legal anecdotes.
1 Audiobook
The Reminiscences of Sir Henry Hawkins (Baron Brampton)
by Baron Henry Hawkins Brampton
About the author
Born at Hitchin in 1817, Henry Hawkins was educated at Bedford School and trained for the law at the Middle Temple. He was called to the bar in 1843 and went on to build a successful practice, especially in criminal cases and on the old Home Circuit.
His career reached its height when he became a judge of the High Court in 1876. Known first as Sir Henry Hawkins and later as Baron Brampton, he earned a reputation as a forceful and highly individual figure on the bench. Accounts of his career often note both his courtroom brilliance and the strong opinions he inspired.
He also wrote about his life in the law, leaving behind memoirs that give a lively picture of Victorian legal culture. He died in 1907, remembered as one of the more colorful and debated judges of his time.