Sir Edward Ebenezer Kay (July 2 1822 – March 16 1897) was a British jurist. He was an English High Court judge

High Court judge

A High Court judge is a judge of the High Court of Justice, and represents the third highest level of judge in the courts of England and Wales. High Court judges are referred to as puisne judges...

 (Chancery Division) from 1881 to 1890, and a Lord Justice of Appeal

Lord Justice of Appeal

A Lord Justice of Appeal is an ordinary judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, the court that hears appeals from the High Court of Justice, and represents the second highest level of judge in the courts of England and Wales-Appointment:...

 from 1890, when he was made a Privy Councillor

Privy Council of the United Kingdom

Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...

, until his retirement in January 1897.

He was born in Meadowcroft near Rochdale

Rochdale

Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...

 and grew up in Bury

Bury

Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester...

 (both nowadays part of Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...

) and was the brother of Sir James Kay-Shuttleworth, 1st Baronet and of Joseph Kay

Joseph Kay

Joseph Kay QC was an English economist.Kay was born at Salford, Lancashire, the brother of Sir James Kay-Shuttleworth, 1st Baronet and Sir Edward Kay. Educated privately and at Trinity College, Cambridge, he was called to the bar at the Inner Temple in 1848...

. Their father Robert Kay of Rochdale was a follower of the Nonconformist

Nonconformism

Nonconformity is the refusal to "conform" to, or follow, the governance and usages of the Church of England by the Protestant Christians of England and Wales.- Origins and use:...

 Lancashire Congregational Union and served as its treasurer until 1817.

He was admitted to Trinity College

Trinity College, Cambridge

Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...

, Cambridge in 1839 and received a B.A.

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 in 1844 and an M.A. in 1847. He was admitted to Lincoln's Inn

Lincoln's Inn

The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...

 in 1844, called to the bar in 1847. He became an authorised reporter at the Court of Chancery

Court of Chancery

The Court of Chancery was a court of equity in England and Wales that followed a set of loose rules to avoid the slow pace of change and possible harshness of the common law. The Chancery had jurisdiction over all matters of equity, including trusts, land law, the administration of the estates of...

 and was the author of "Kay's Reports" and part of "Kay and Johnson's Reports" during the period from 1853 to 1858.The formal titles were Reports of Cases Adjudged in the High Court of Chancery Before Sir William Page Wood, Knt., Vice-Chancellor He became QC

Queen's Counsel

Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...

 in 1866.

In 1850 he married his wife Mary Valence French, the daughter of William French who was Master of Jesus College

Jesus College, Cambridge

Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The College was founded in 1496 on the site of a Benedictine nunnery by John Alcock, then Bishop of Ely...

 from 1820 to 1849.

In 1883 he was living at Thorpe Abbotts in Brockdish

Brockdish

Brockdish is a village and civil parish in the South Norfolk district of Norfolk, England. It is in size. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 605 in 265 households. The village is situated on the River Waveney , and is about three miles south-west of Harleston...

, South Norfolk

South Norfolk

South Norfolk is a local government district in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in Long Stratton.-History:The district was formed on April 1, 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, as a merger of Diss Urban District, Wymondham Urban District, Depwade Rural District, Forehoe and Henstead...

.

His wife died in 1889 or 1890 and he founded the Lady Kay Scholarship in her memory, open to students at Jesus College, Cambridge who have the intention of seeking Holy Orders in the Church of England

Church of England

The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...

.

External links

• http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53011