The Professor of Law at Gresham College, London, gives free educational lectures to the general public. The college was founded for this purpose in 1597, when it created seven professorships; this was later increased to ten. Law is one of the original professorships as set out by the will of Thomas Gresham in 1575.[1]
The Professor of Law is appointed in partnership with the Worshipful Company of Mercers.
Note, years given as, say, 1596/7 refer to Old Style and New Style dates.
Name | Started | |
---|---|---|
1 | Henry Mowtlowe | March 1596/7 |
2 | Clement Corbet | May 1607 |
3 | Thomas Eden | 10 Nov 1613 |
4 | Benjamin Thorneton | 27 July 1640 |
5 | Joshua Crosse | 29 March 1644 |
6 | Thomas Leonard | 4 May 1649 |
7 | John Bond | 12 March 1649/50 |
8 | Benjamin Thorneton | 23 Oct 1660 |
9 | Richard Pearson | 8 Oct 1667 |
10 | John Clarke[2] | 9 August 1670 |
11 | Roger Meredith | 7 March 1672/3 |
12 | Robert Briggs[3] | 7 Feb 1686/7 |
13 | John Cumyng | 1 May 1719 |
14 | William Mace | 30 August 1744 |
15 | Joseph Jeffries | 20 May 1767 |
16 | T Taylor | 23 Jan 1784 |
17 | William Jocelyn Palmer | 14 Jan 1808 |
18 | William Palmer[4] | 5 Feb 1836 |
19 | John Thomas Abdy | 18 June 1858 |
20 | George Holmes Blakesley[5] | 23 April 1896 |
21 | William Blake Odgers[6] | 27 March 1907 |
22 | Geoffrey Walter Wrangham | 22 May 1925 |
23 | William Arthian Davies | 16 March 1934 |
Lectures in abeyance 1939–45 | ||
24 | Eric Sachs | 6 June 1946 |
25 | Richard O'Sullivan | 6 July 1950 |
26 | Richard Jon Harvey | 1962 |
27 | R F V Heuston | 1965 |
28 | P. R. Glazebrook | 1971 |
29 | Clive M. Schmitthoff | 1976–86? |
30 | Kenneth R. Simmonds[7] | 1988 |
31 | Sir David Calcutt QC[8] | 1 Sept 1992 |
32 | Simon Lee | 1 Sept 1995 |
33 | Gerald Wakefield[9] | 1 Sept 1998 |
34 | Richard Susskind OBE FRSE KC[10] | 1 Sept 2000 |
35 | Sir Vernon Bogdanor CBE FRSA FBA[11] | 1 Sept 2004 |
36 | Baroness Ruth Deech DBE[12] | 1 Sept 2008 |
37 | Sir Geoffrey Nice KC[13] | 2012 |
38 | Jo Delahunty KC[14] | 2016 |
39 | Leslie Thomas KC[15] | 2020 |
40 | Clive Stafford Smith JD OBE[16] | 2024 |