William à Beckett
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Sir William à Beckett |
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|---|---|
| 1st Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria | |
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In office 1852–1857 |
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| Preceded by | new office |
| Succeeded by | William Foster Stawell |
| 3rd Solicitor-General of New South Wales | |
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In office March 1841 – July 1844 |
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| Preceded by | John Plunkett |
| Succeeded by | William Manning |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
28 July 1806 London, United Kingdom |
| Died | 27 June 1869 (aged 62) London |
| Resting place | West Norwood Cemetery |
| Spouse(s) |
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| Relations |
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| Children | 13 |
| Education | Westminster School |
| Occupation | Barrister; Politician |
Sir William à Beckett (28 July 1806 – 27 June 1869) was a British barrister and the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria.
Born in London, he was the eldest son of William à Beckett, also a solicitor. His younger brothers were Gilbert Abbott à Beckett, one of the original staff of Punch magazine and the author of 'Comic History of England', and Thomas Turner à Beckett (13 September 1808 – 1 July 1892). He was educated at Westminster School, publishing a youthful volume of verse, The Siege of Dumbarton Castle, in 1824. In 1829 he was called to the bar by Lincoln's Inn.
In 1837, à Beckett migrated to New South Wales and edited the 'Literary News', a short-lived newspaper. He was appointed acting solicitor-general for the colony in March 1841, and solicitor-general in March 1843. In July 1844 he became an acting judge, and was made a full puisne judge.
In January 1846, he was transferred to the Court of the Resident Judge, the branch of the Supreme Court of New South Wales in Melbourne and sat as primary judge in equity. Following his appointment, he was created a knight bachelor. When in January 1852 the separate colony of Victoria was proclaimed he became its first Chief Justice.
He returned to Melbourne in December 1854 in time to participate in the trials. Although often accused of the inflammatory comments at the trial of the arsonists of the Eureka Hotel, it was the actually the Acting Chief Justice Redmond Barry who sparked the Eureka uprising. À Beckett retired as Chief Justice in 1857 due to poor health, and in 1863 he returned to England.
Politically conservative, à Beckett was strongly opposed to the social disruption caused by the Victorian Gold Rush and under the pseudonym 'Colonus' espoused his views in an influential pamphlet somewhat cumbersomely entitled Does the Discovery of Gold in Victoria Viewed in Relation to its Moral and Social Effects as Hitherto Developed Deserve to be Considered a National Blessing or a National Curse? late in 1852. He presided over a number of important trials including the robbers of gold from the barque Nelson in Hobson's Bay in 1852, but growing disillusion with the state of society in Victoria saw him leave for England with his family in February 1853.
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