The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-07-14 00:00:00

SUDDEN DEATH OF LORD CHIEF JUSTICE •I
TINDAL.

It is with feelings of the most unmitigated regret we
have to announce the melancholy fact of the sudden de-
mise of that excellent and universally-cweerned lawyer,
Sir Nicholas Conyng,ham Tindal, Knt., many years Lord
Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, which event took
place at Folkstone, on Tuesday night, at half-past seven
o'clock, in the presence of his son, Captain Tindal, seve-
ral members of his family, and his medical attendant, Dr.

Pennington.
By this event the new Whig government have had
placed at their chsposal an important piece of patronage ;
and Sir Thomas Wilde has, on the very eve of his seeking
to be re-elected for the borough of Worcester, been placed
in the vacant Chief-Jaw iceship. The following particu-
lars of the career of the deceased may interest our

Sir Nicholas Conyngbam Tindal was in the 70th year of
his age, having been born in 1776. It is also generally
supposed that he was a native of Buckinghamshire; but of
this there can be no doubt, that he is descended from an
old Essex family, and that his father, Robert Tindal, who
was a solicitor, resided for many years, if not the whole of
his life, at Chelmsford, in Essex. Ater the usual course
of school education, he entered at Trinity College, Cam.

bridge, in the year 1795, and within four years of that pe-
riod—in 1799—he took the degree of A.B , and that of
A.M. in 1802. In the former year he was eighth wran-
gl-r and senior Chancellor's medal-liet. In the month of
October, 1801, he was elected a fellow of his college, and
held the fellowship for eight years. Immediately after
taking his master's degree, he became a student of Lin-
coln's-inn, by which society he was eventually called to
the bar. His connexion with Lincoln's-inn probably gave
rise to the common error that he nad been a Chancery

barrister;-but,onthe contrary, his practice was limited
to the common law courts. Shortly after his admission to
Lincoln's-inn, he entered upon practice with very consi-
derable success as a special pleader. and Lord Brougham
was among the number of his pupils. There can be no
question that a young law student could hardly have cho-
sen a aster guide, for a man more thoronAhly learned
than Mr. Tindal even then was, in every department of
the law, could scarcely be found within the range of
the profession ; and he was especially celebrated for
what is called " black letter learning." His high re-
putation brought him so many clients that at a very
early age he thought it safe to go to the bar, and accord-
ingly we find that he was called in Trinity Term, 1809.
In the same year he married the youngest daughter of the
late Captain Thomas Symonds, R.N., and, of course, re-
signed his fellowship. A numerous family were the issue
of this marriage, bat the wife of Sir Nicholas died many
years ago. In the Court of King's Bench, and on the
Northern Circuit, every year brought Mr. Tindal addi-
tional reputation as a lawyer, but very little fame as an
advocate. He was never at a loss for a case; he could
always expound a principle ; he could give the history of
any statute, and with great perspicuity set birth its pro-
visions ; he could argue any point, however apparently
hopeless, and impeach the validity of any legal document,
however apparently sound ' • but a knavish winess could
elude his examination, and an apathetic jury were never
warmed by his eloquence : yet be had what the profession
calls a " capital business ;" and a large income rewarded
his learning, his industry, and his high reasoning faculties.
The natural process by which lawyers seek advancement
in their profession is to get into parliament. Mr. Tindal,
however, enjoyed a distinguished opportunity of appearing
before one house of parliament long before his election as
a member of the other. A bill of pains and penalties
was preferred against the Queen and George IV., and
in one of the most extraordinary proceedings that our
history records Mr. Tindal was called upon to bear his
part. He, conjointly with several others, was counsel for
the Queen. How far his astuteness and knowledge ren-
dered him an efficient assistant to Her Majesty's Attorney-
General was a matter not very apparent at that period.
That he was capable of giving valuable hints to his more
showy brethren, Lords Brougham and Denman, there
can be no doubt; but his oratory was not of the order to
neutralize the dazzling ingenuity of Copley. or to cope
with the wily manoeuvres of a cloud of Italian witnesses,
Hence, though he enjoyed the honour of being a Queen's
advocate, he obtained with the public little adiiiiional re.
putation from his share in this extraordinary inquiry. We
now follow him to the House of Commons, to which as-
sembly, in the year 1824, he was returned by the Wigton
district of burghs; and here also we can say but little for
his qualifications as a public speaker. His manner was
cold, dry, and unimpressive; his political and hi-torical
knowledge displayed itself to small advantage ; it bore upon
few questions, and not even upon tho,e with much power.
One would have expected that his talents and learning as
a lawyer roust have often entitled him to enlighten the
House on legal difficulties, yet he had not a popular mode
of discussing even questions of law. Nevertheless, a better
man for the office of Solicitor-General could not be found
amongst the Tory lawyers in the month of Septembea,
1846, when Sir C. Wetherell became Attorney-General, in
consequence of the elevation of Sir John Copley, after-
wards Lord Lyndhurst, to the Mastership of the Rolls.
At that time Mr. Tindal became Sir Nicholas, but be still
remained without any eery material increase of profes-
sional fame, nor was he called upon during the tenure of
office to assist in any important prosecution on behalf of
the Crown. Sir J. Copley, who had represented the
University of Cambridge, became Lord Chancellor in the
year 1827, during the Canning Administration ; thereupon
a vacancy occurred in the represewation of that constitu-
ency, and Sir Nicholas Tindal solicited its suffrages. Mr.
William John Bankes, though also a Tory, went down to
Cambridge to oppose him ; the result of the polling was
~479Y0r qtr Ntctrulas Ttndat, arra-1781M Mr.tiaTIRTIV:IIT
had been chosen for Harwich at the general election in
1826, but of course readily withdrew from that borough
to enjoy the honour of representing his alma muter.
Eventually, however, he became perfectly satisfied with
two years' possession of this much envied disonction.
Gout, irritability, and Sir Thomas Wilde, combined their
united virulence to drive poor Lord Wynford almost be-
side ;kid `lfjWile"-wit-hin the g7asp of the
Solicitor-General. Sir Robert Peel represented Oxford,
Sir Nicholas Tindal, Cambridge; the one was leading
Minister in the lower house, and the other second law
officer of the Crown; the one proposed Catholic emanci-
pation, the other supported it; the one retained his place
in the Cabinet and lost his seat for Oxford ; the member
for Cambridge gave up his seat for that university, but
obtained a seat upon the bench ; and in the month of
June, 1829, became Chief Justice of the Common Pleas,
which position he occupied during the long period of 17
years; although, under the 6th of George IV., cap. 83, he
might, at the end of 15 years, have claimed exoneration
from the toils of that high station. Death, however, has
at length deprived him of its honours and relieved him of
its labours.