Regency Personalities Series-Joseph Chitty

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Regency Personalities Series-Joseph Chitty

October 26, 2013 by dwwilkin

Regency Personalities Series
In my attempts to provide us with the details of the Regency, today I continue with one of the many period notables.

Joseph Chitty
12 March 1775 – 17 February 1841

An English lawyer and legal writer, author of some of the earliest practitioners’ texts and founder of an important dynasty of lawyers.

He was himself the son of a Joseph Chitty (1729–1795), and his wife, Sarah née Cartwright. He initially practised as a special pleader before being called to the bar by the Middle Temple in 1816. He never became a KC but built a huge junior practice at 1 Pump Court and published many books.

Chitty was also pupil master to a generation of lawyers, including:

Thomas Starkie
Edward Hall Alderson
Thomas Noon Talfourd
Henry Havelock

In fact, at the time, the Inns of Court were in decline and Chitty organised lectures and moots, in 1810 being given permission to use the hall of Lincoln’s Inn.

Despite his successful practice, by 1831, Chitty had amassed extensive debts that were costing almost GBP2,000 per year to service. Further, Chitty’s health was in decline and he was becoming increasingly anxious about his parlous state. Much of his energy became taken up in avoiding the attentions of his creditors. He retired from practice in 1833 but continued to publish. He died in London.

He married Elizabeth Woodward, and they had eight children. Of those, Joseph Chitty the younger, Thomas Chitty, Edward Chitty, and Tompson Chitty were lawyers and legal writers. The judge Joseph William Chitty was a son of Thomas Chitty.

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