author
Philip Vernon Smith
1845–1929
A Victorian and Edwardian legal writer, he explained how England’s institutions and the Church’s law worked in clear, practical books. His career joined scholarship with public service, from Cambridge and the bar to senior posts in church administration.
1 Audiobook
The Legal Position of the Clergy
by Philip Vernon Smith
About the author
Born on January 14, 1845, Philip Vernon Smith was the eldest son of G. J. P. Smith, a Master of the Supreme Court. He was educated at Eton and then at King’s College, Cambridge, where he became a fellow. He was later called to the bar at the Inner Temple, building a career that combined legal learning, writing, and church administration.
Smith wrote on English constitutional history and ecclesiastical law. His books include History of the English Institutions, The House of Lords and the Nation, and The Legal Position of the Clergy. These works show his interest in explaining how legal and religious institutions actually functioned, especially within the Church of England.
He also served in important ecclesiastical legal roles, including as chancellor of several dioceses, and was remembered as an authority on church law. Smith died on January 10, 1929. His writing remains useful for readers interested in the workings of English public life, law, and the established church.