Henry Spencer Berkeley

Sir Henry Spencer Hardtman Berkeley (6 September 1851[1] – 30 September 1918[2][3]), was a barrister, Attorney General and Chief Justice of Fiji and Attorney-General of Hong Kong.

The Honourable Sir Henry Spencer Berkeley
Sir Henry Berkeley KC, Chief Justice of Fiji and Attorney General of Hong Kong
7th Attorney General of Fiji
In office 1886–1889
Monarch	Victoria
Governor	Sir John Thurston (acting) Sir Charles Mitchell Sir John Thurston
Preceded by	Sir Fielding Clarke
Succeeded by	John Symonds Udal
Acting Attorney General of the Leeward Islands
In office 1877–1878
Monarch	Victoria
Governor	George Berkeley
4th Chief Judicial Commissioner for the Western Pacific
In office 1889–1902
Monarch	Victoria Edward VII
Chief Judicial Commissioner2	Sir John Thurston Sir George T. M. O'Brien Sir William Allardyce (acting)
Preceded by	Sir Fielding Clarke
Succeeded by	Sir Charles Major
6th Chief Justice of Fiji
In office 1889–1902
Monarch	Victoria Edward VII
Governor	Sir John Thurston Sir George T. M. O'Brien Sir William Allardyce (acting)
Preceded by	Sir Fielding Clarke
Succeeded by	Sir Charles Major
10th Attorney General of Hong Kong
In office 1902–1906
Monarch	Edward VII
Governor	Sir Henry Blake
Preceded by	Sir W. Meigh Goodman
Succeeded by	Sir William Rees Davies
Personal details
Born	6 September 1851 St Kitts
Died	30 September 1918 (aged 67)
Nationality	British
Spouse(s)	Katherine Cassin m. 1878
Children	2 daughters, 1 son
Profession	Lawyer

Early life

Berkeley was the third son of Thomas Berkeley Hardtman Berkeley and Alice Hart Rawlins, of St. Kitts.[4]

He was educated for the legal profession and called to the bar at the Inner Temple in June 1873.

In 1878, Berkeley married Katherine Cassin, daughter of F.S. Cassin of Antigua in the West Indies.[4] They had three children: Katharine Margaret, Marjorie, and Maurice Anthony.[5]

Leeward Islands

Berkeley was admitted to the bar of the Leeward Islands in July 1874. He filled various legal and official posts in the Leeward Islands. After acting as Attorney General in an interim capacity (1877-1878), he became Solicitor General from 1878 to 1883, when he became Acting Colonial Secretary.[4]

Fiji

In 1885, he was appointed Attorney General of Fiji in succession to Fielding Clarke who was appointed Chief Justice of Fiji and Chief Judicial Commissioner for the Western Pacific. As Attorney-General he acted as Chief Justice when Clarke was on leave. In 1889, he succeeded Clarke in both roles.[1] He acted for a brief time as Governor of Fiji.

Berkeley was knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours of 20 May 1896.[6]

Hong Kong

In what was seen as a slightly strange move from the bench back to the bar, in 1902, Berkeley accepted the position of Attorney-General for Hong Kong.[7][8] In 1904 he was considered for the position of Chief Justice of Hong Kong on the retirement of W. Meigh Goodman. Francis Piggott was appointed instead.[9] Berkeley acted as Chief Justice of Hong Kong on two occasions.[10]

He was appointed a King's Counsel in Hong Kong in 1906.[11] He resigned as Attorney General in 1906 to enter full-time private practice. William Rees-Davies took over the role in 1907. Berkeley continued to practice in Hong Kong until 1912.[12] After retirement as attorney general, he continued to serve on the Hong Kong Legislative Council which he had been a member of as Attorney General.[13] He also acted as Attorney General in 1909.[14]

Berkeley also served as Chairman of the Hong Kong Volunteer Reserve Association, which consisted of men over 35 years of age. The VRA's principal aim was the encouragement of rifle shooting.[15]

Later life

After returning to England, he was a member of the West Sussex County Council from 1913.[2]

Berkeley died on 30 September 1918 in England.[16]

References

1. Mennell, Philip (1892). "Berkeley, Hon. Henry Spencer Hardtman" . The Dictionary of Australasian Biography. London: Hutchinson & Co – via Wikisource.
2. "Henry Spencer Hardtman Berkeley". Holmes à Court Family History. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
3. "Who was Capt.? J.H.H.BERKELEY of 83rd Regiment". Retrieved 15 October 2012.
4. "HON. SIR HENRY S. BERKELEY (FIJI)". Debretts_House_of_Commons. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
5. "Who was Capt. J.H.H.BERKELEY of 83rd Regiment". Rootschat. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
6. "Special Cables". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 21 May 1896. p. 5. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
7. Nottingham Evening Post, 4 June 1902
8. "No. 27478". The London Gazette. 30 September 1902. p. 6209.
9. The private life of old Hong Kong: western women in the British Colony, 1841-1941, p202
10. Twentieth Impressions of Hong Kong and Shanghai, profile of Berkeley
11. London Gazette, 10 July 1906, p4720
12. The Straits Times of 20 July 1911, Page 6 reported him returning home from Hong Kong for a short holiday
13. Legislative Council Minutes, 24 July 1908
14. Legislative Council Minutes, 20 May 1909
15. Twentieth Impressions of Hong Kong and Shanghai, p277
16. London Gazette, 12 November 1918, p13350