Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon Quotes

Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon, , was a British politician and barrister, who served as Attorney General, Master of the Rolls and Lord Chief Justice. Born to a country gentleman, he was initially educated in Hanmer before moving to Ruthin School aged 12. Rather than going to university he instead worked as a clerk to an attorney, joining the Middle Temple in 1750 and being called to the Bar in 1756. Initially almost unemployed due to the lack of education and contacts which a university education would have provided, his business increased thanks to his friendships with John Dunning, who, overwhelmed with cases, allowed Kenyon to work many, and Lord Thurlow who secured for him the Chief Justiceship of Chester in 1780. He was returned as the Member of Parliament for Hindon the same year, serving repeatedly as Attorney General under William Pitt the Younger. He effectively sacrificed his political career in 1784 to challenge the ballot of Charles James Fox, and was rewarded with a baronetcy; from then on he did not speak in the House of Commons, despite remaining an MP.

On 27 March 1784, he was appointed Master of the Rolls, a job to which he dedicated himself once he ceased to act as an MP. He had previously practised in the Court of Chancery, and although unfamiliar with Roman law was highly efficient; Lord Eldon said "I am mistaken if, after I am gone, the Chancery Records do not prove that if I have decided more than any of my predecessors in the same period of time, Sir Lloyd Kenyon beat us all". On 9 June 1788, Kenyon succeeded Lord Mansfield as Lord Chief Justice, and was granted a barony. Although not rated as highly as his predecessor, his work "restored the simplicity and rigor of the common law". He remained Lord Chief Justice until his death in 1802. Wikipedia  

✵ 5. October 1732 – 4. April 1802
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Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon: 92 quotes0 likes

Famous Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon Quotes

“A Court of equity knows its own province.”

Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon

Mayor, &c. of Southampton v. Graves (1800), 8 T. R. 592.

“In the hurry of business, the most able Judges are liable to err.”

Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon

Cotton v. Thurland (1793), 5 T. R. 409.

Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon Quotes about laws

“He had no right to take the law into his own hands.”

Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon

Tarleton v. McGawley (1795), 2 Peake, N. P. Ca. 208

“The natural leaning of our minds is in favour of prisoners; and in the mild manner in which the laws of this country are executed, it has rather been a subject of complaint by some that the Judges have given way too easily to mere formal objections on behalf of prisoners, and have been too ready on slight grounds to make favourable representations of their cases. Lord Hale himself, one of the greatest and best men who ever sat in judgment, considered this extreme facility as a great blemish, owing to which more offenders escaped than by the manifestation of their innocence." We must, however, take care not to carry this disposition too far, lest we loosen the bands of society, which is kept together by the hope of reward, and the fear of punishment. It has been always considered, that the Judges in our foreign possessions abroad were not bound by the rules of proceeding in our Courts here. Their laws are often altogether distinct from our own. Such is the case in India and other places. On appeals to the Privy Council from our colonies, no formal objections are attended to, if the substance of the matter or the corpus delicti sufficiently appear to enable them to get at the truth and justice of the case.”

Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon

King v. Suddis (1800), 1 East, 314. Lord Kenyon is later reported to have written, "I once before had occasion to refer to the opinion of a most eminent Judge, who was a great Crown lawyer, upon the subject, I mean Lord Hale; who even in his time lamented the too great strictness which had been required in indictments, and which had grown to be a blemish and inconvenience in the law; and observed that more offenders escaped by the over easy ear given to exceptions in indictments than by their own innocence". King v. Airey (c. 1800), 2 East, 34.

“The practice of the Court forms the law of the Court.”

Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon

Wilson v. Rastall (1792), 4 T. R. 757.

Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon Quotes about justice

Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon: Trending quotes

“What a man does in his closet ought not to affect the rights of third persons.”

Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon

Outram v. Morewood (1793), 5 T. R. 123.

Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon Quotes

“Some modern cases have in my opinion gone too far.”

Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon

Walford v. Duchess de Pienne (1797), 2 Esp. 555.

“It is not for human judgment to dive into the heart of man, to know whether his intentions are good or evil.”

Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon

Case of John Lambert and others (1793), 22 How. St. Tr. 1018.

“Modus in rebus—there must be an end of things.”

Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon

Proceedings against the Dean of St. Asaph (1783), 21 How. St. Tr. 875.

“What is clear to one man may be doubtful to another.”

Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon

Godfrey v. Hudson (1788), 2 Esp. 500.

“I can't look to contingencies.”

Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon

Sikes v. Marshal (1799), 2 Esp. 707.

“We ought not to decide hastily against the words of an Act of Parliament.”

Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon

King v. Justices of Flintshire (1797), 7 T. R. 200.

“A man may publish anything which twelve of his countrymen think not blamable.”

Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon

Cuthell's Case (1799), 27 How. St. Tr. 675.

“Every irregularity is not erroneous.”

Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon

Jackson v. Hunter (1794), 6 T. R. 74.

“We must judge of a man's motives from his overt acts.”

Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon

King v. Waddington (1800), 1 East, 158.

“Those regulations that are adapted to the common race of men are the best.”

Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon

King v. The College of Physicians (1797), 7 T. R. 288.

“Proceedings at law are sufficiently expensive.”

Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon

Marriott v. Hampton (1797), 2 Esp. 548.

“There is no magic in words.”

Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon

King v. Inhabitants of North Nibley (1792), 5 T. R. 24; Lord Romilly, Lord v. Jeffkins (1865), 35 Beav. 16.

“Precedent goes in support of justice.”

Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon

Smith v. Bowles (1797), 2 Esp. 578.

“It was said by a very learned Judge, Lord Macclesfield, towards the beginning of this century that the most effectual way of removing land marks would be by innovating on the rules of evidence; and so I say. I have been in this profession more than forty years, and have practised both in Courts of law and equity; and if it had fallen to my lot to form a system of jurisprudence, whether or not I should have thought it advisable to establish two different Courts with different jurisdictions, and governed by different rules, it is not necessary to say. But, influenced as I am by certain prejudices that have become inveterate with those who comply with the systems they found established, I find that in these Courts proceeding by different rules a certain combined system of jurisprudence has been framed most beneficial to the people of this country, and which I hope I may be indulged in supposing has never yet been equalled in any other country on earth. Our Courts of law only consider legal rights: our Courts of equity have other rules, by which they sometimes supersede those legal rules, and in so doing they act most beneficially for the subject. We all know that, if the Courts of law were to take into their consideration all the jurisdiction belonging to Courts of equity, many bad consequences would ensue. To mention only the single instance of legacies being left to women who may have married inadvertently: if a Court of law could entertain an action for a legacy, the husband would recover it, and the wife might be left destitute: but if it be necessary in such a case to go into equity, that Court will not suffer the husband alone to reap the fruits of the legacy given to the wife; for one of its rules is that he who asks equity must do equity, and in such a case they will compel the husband to make a provision for the wife before they will suffer him to get the money. I exemplify the propriety of keeping the jurisdictions and rules of the different Courts distinct by one out of a multitude of cases that might be adduced.... One of the rules of a Court of equity is that they cannot decree against the oath of the party himself on the evidence of one witness alone without other circumstances: but when the point is doubtful, they send it to be tried at law, directing that the answer of the party shall be read on the trial; so they may order that a party shall not set up a legal term on the trial, or that the plaintiff himself shall be examined; and when the issue comes from a Court of equity with any of these directions the Courts of law comply with the terms on which it is so directed to be tried. By these means the ends of justice are attained, without making any of the stubborn rules of law stoop to what is supposed to be the substantial justice of each particular case; and it is wiser so to act than to leave it to the Judges of the law to relax from those certain and established rules by which they are sworn to decide.”

Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon

Bauerman v. Eadenius (1798), 7 T. R. 667.

“The popish religion is now unknown to the law of this country.”

Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon

Du Barre v. Livette (1791), Peake's N. P. Cases, 79.

“It is sometimes difficult to get rid of first impressions.”

Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon

Withnell v. Gartham (1795), 6 T. R. 396.

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