John Nicholl
Encyclopedia
Sir John Nicholl was a Welsh
Member of Parliament
and judge. As a judge he was noted 'for inflexible impartiality and great strength and soundness of judgement'.
, a small village near Llantwit Major
in Wales. He was educated at Cowbridge and Bristol Grammar Schools, before gaining entry to St John's College, Oxford
in 1775. He was awarded a Bachelor of Civil Law in 1780 and his Doctor of Civil Law in 1785. He was brought to the bar of the Doctors' Commons
in 1785.
as King's Advocate and was knighted as was custom for the position. Within this role, Nicholl would often brief the Privy Council and Secretary of State
on international law.
In 1802, Nicholl was elected to Parliament holding the seat of Penryn
in Cornwall. After a brief period as Member of Parliament of Hastings
from 1806 to 1807, he was elected to the seat of Great Bedwyn
, and remained the member of the constituency until the Reform Act of 1832
, upon which time he retired. Nicholl was a staunch Tory throughout his political career and steadily opposed parliamentary reform and Roman Catholic emancipation.
In 1809 he was appointed Dean of the Arches, was admitted to the Privy Council and became a judge of the Prerogative Court
of Canterbury. In this capacity, he decide the much quoted case of White v Driver
. In 1833 Nicholl was appointed as a judge to the High Court of Admiralty
and held the post until his death in 1838; though he resigned his offices of Dean of Arches and to the Prerogative Court, after he was made vicar-general to the Archbishop of Canterbury
in 1834. For his work during the Napoleonic War, as a member of the volunteer movement, he was awarded the rank of lieutenant-colonel.
Nicholl was a Fellow of the Royal Society
and of the Society of Antiquaries
.
, he continued to foster and support links with his home country of Wales. In 1787 he married Judy Birt, the youngest daughter of Peter Birt of Wenvoe Castle, and spent his time during his political career split between his London town house and Tondu House in South Wales.
Nicholl and Judy had one son and three daughters. Nicholl's only son, also John Nicholl
, would later follow his father's political career, becoming a Member of Parliament for Cardiff.
. When Charles Bowen died in 1797, Nicholl was a trustee appointed to effect the will. Bowen owned large estates within Merthyr Mawr, but they were heavily mortgaged and there were additional debts and legacies to be honoured. Nicholl took this opportunity to purchase 800 acres (3.2 km²) of the estate, eventually agreed at £18,000.
Nicholl initiated plans to construct a country house on the estate in 1806, demolishing the old residence, a 16th/17th century hall of the Stradling family, and hiring architect Henry Wood to build Merthyr Mawr House. Wood and Nicholl parted company in 1808, but Nicholl pushed through with his plans and moved into the incomplete building in 1809. When the mansion was completed it was notable for its library, which was reported as holding 30,000 articles.
Maerthyr Mawr house is a five bay, two-storey classical mansion faced in white local carboniferous limestone
, with a hipped roof
and a sash windows, and central single-storey porch with Tuscan columns in the north front. The mansion and its outlying stables are presently classed as Grade II listed buildings.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
and judge. As a judge he was noted 'for inflexible impartiality and great strength and soundness of judgement'.
Early history
Nicholl was born in 1759, the second son of John Nicholl of Llan-maesLlan-maes
Llanmaes is a small village in the Vale of Glamorgan near the market town of Llantwit Major.- Amenities :...
, a small village near Llantwit Major
Llantwit Major
Llantwit Major is a small coastal town and community in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, lying on the Bristol Channel coast. A small stream, the Afon Col-huw, runs through the town.-Local government:...
in Wales. He was educated at Cowbridge and Bristol Grammar Schools, before gaining entry to St John's College, Oxford
St John's College, Oxford
__FORCETOC__St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, one of the larger Oxford colleges with approximately 390 undergraduates, 200 postgraduates and over 100 academic staff. It was founded by Sir Thomas White, a merchant, in 1555, whose heart is buried in the chapel of...
in 1775. He was awarded a Bachelor of Civil Law in 1780 and his Doctor of Civil Law in 1785. He was brought to the bar of the Doctors' Commons
Doctors' Commons
Doctors' Commons, also called the College of Civilians, was a society of lawyers practising civil law in London. Like the Inns of Court of the common lawyers, the society had buildings with rooms where its members lived and worked, and a large library...
in 1785.
Professional career
Nicholl built an extensive practice and on the 6 November 1798 he succeeded Sir William ScottWilliam Scott, 1st Baron Stowell
William Scott, 1st Baron Stowell was an English judge and jurist.-Background and education:Scott was born at Heworth, a village about four miles from Newcastle upon Tyne, the son of a coalfitter . His younger brother John Scott became Lord Chancellor and was made Earl of Eldon...
as King's Advocate and was knighted as was custom for the position. Within this role, Nicholl would often brief the Privy Council and Secretary of State
Secretary of State (United Kingdom)
In the United Kingdom, a Secretary of State is a Cabinet Minister in charge of a Government Department ....
on international law.
In 1802, Nicholl was elected to Parliament holding the seat of Penryn
Penryn (UK Parliament constituency)
Penryn was a parliamentary borough in Cornwall, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of England from 1553 until 1707, to the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and finally to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to until 1832...
in Cornwall. After a brief period as Member of Parliament of Hastings
Hastings (UK Parliament constituency)
Hastings was a parliamentary constituency in Sussex. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until the 1885 general election, when its representation was reduced to one member....
from 1806 to 1807, he was elected to the seat of Great Bedwyn
Great Bedwyn (UK Parliament constituency)
Great Bedwyn was a parliamentary borough in Wiltshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1832, when the borough was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-1295–1640:-1640–1832:Notes...
, and remained the member of the constituency until the Reform Act of 1832
Reform Act 1832
The Representation of the People Act 1832 was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of England and Wales...
, upon which time he retired. Nicholl was a staunch Tory throughout his political career and steadily opposed parliamentary reform and Roman Catholic emancipation.
In 1809 he was appointed Dean of the Arches, was admitted to the Privy Council and became a judge of the Prerogative Court
Prerogative court
A prerogative court is a court through which the discretionary powers, privileges, and legal immunities reserved to the sovereign were exercised. In England in the 17th century a clash developed between these courts, representing the crown's authority, and common law courts. Prerogative courts...
of Canterbury. In this capacity, he decide the much quoted case of White v Driver
White v Driver
White v Driver was a case decided in 1809 concerning a challenge to a will on the grounds of insanity. It laid down that if there was a previous history of insanity, the burden of proof lies in proving the sanity of the testator when making the will...
. In 1833 Nicholl was appointed as a judge to the High Court of Admiralty
Admiralty court
Admiralty courts, also known as maritime courts, are courts exercising jurisdiction over all maritime contracts, torts, injuries and offences.- Admiralty Courts in England and Wales :...
and held the post until his death in 1838; though he resigned his offices of Dean of Arches and to the Prerogative Court, after he was made vicar-general to the Archbishop of Canterbury
Court of the Vicar-General of the Province of Canterbury
The Court of the Vicar-General of the Province of Canterbury is responsible for granting marriage licences in the Province of Canterbury of the Church of England. The Vicar-General is distinct from the Dean of the Arches. The Registrars are the Joint Provincial Registrars...
in 1834. For his work during the Napoleonic War, as a member of the volunteer movement, he was awarded the rank of lieutenant-colonel.
Nicholl was a Fellow of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
and of the Society of Antiquaries
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
.
Personal life
Despite spending much of his time in London, linked to his parliamentary and judicial duties, and the fact that Nicholl held all his political seats in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, he continued to foster and support links with his home country of Wales. In 1787 he married Judy Birt, the youngest daughter of Peter Birt of Wenvoe Castle, and spent his time during his political career split between his London town house and Tondu House in South Wales.
Nicholl and Judy had one son and three daughters. Nicholl's only son, also John Nicholl
John Iltyd Nicholl
John Nicholl was a Welsh Member of Parliament and was, for a very short time in 1835, a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury. His father was Sir John Nicholl, who like his son was a judge and politician.-Personal history:...
, would later follow his father's political career, becoming a Member of Parliament for Cardiff.
Merthyr Mawr House
Nicholl had amassed several estates throughout his lifetime, mainly through inheritance. He had gained an interest in property in Llantwit Major from his godfather, the Rev John Nicholl in 1770 and when Edward Powell died in 1771, he too left estates to Nicholl in five local parishes, including Tondu House. But despite these holdings, when Nicholl came to building his own family home, he chose the area of Merthyr MawrMerthyr Mawr
Merthyr Mawr is a village about 2½ miles from the centre of Bridgend in the county borough of Bridgend, Wales.- Buildings and landmarks of note :...
. When Charles Bowen died in 1797, Nicholl was a trustee appointed to effect the will. Bowen owned large estates within Merthyr Mawr, but they were heavily mortgaged and there were additional debts and legacies to be honoured. Nicholl took this opportunity to purchase 800 acres (3.2 km²) of the estate, eventually agreed at £18,000.
Nicholl initiated plans to construct a country house on the estate in 1806, demolishing the old residence, a 16th/17th century hall of the Stradling family, and hiring architect Henry Wood to build Merthyr Mawr House. Wood and Nicholl parted company in 1808, but Nicholl pushed through with his plans and moved into the incomplete building in 1809. When the mansion was completed it was notable for its library, which was reported as holding 30,000 articles.
Maerthyr Mawr house is a five bay, two-storey classical mansion faced in white local carboniferous limestone
Carboniferous limestone
Carboniferous Limestone is a term used to describe a variety of different types of limestone occurring widely across Great Britain and Ireland which were deposited during the Dinantian epoch of the Carboniferous period. They were formed between 363 and 325 million years ago...
, with a hipped roof
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
and a sash windows, and central single-storey porch with Tuscan columns in the north front. The mansion and its outlying stables are presently classed as Grade II listed buildings.