Chief Justice of the Leeward Islands explained

The chief justice of the Leeward Islands headed the Supreme Court of the Leeward Islands.

The British Leeward Islands was a British colony existing between 1833 and 1960, and consisted of Antigua, Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, Saint Kitts, Nevis, Anguilla and Dominica (to 1940). Prior to 1871, when the Supreme Court was established, the individual islands had their own courts.

In 1939 the Windward and Leeward Islands Supreme Court and the Windward and Leeward Islands Court of Appeal were established, which was replaced in 1967 by the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court which provides both functions.^[1]

List of chief justices

Antigua

• 1706– Samuel Watkins^[2]
• ?–1716 John Gamble^[3]
• 1716–c.1742 Samuel Watkins^[3]
• ?–1750 William Lavington^[4]
• 1750– William Blizard^[4]
• ?–1759 Richard Wilson^[5]
• 1759–1762 Ralph Payne^[5]
• c.1776 Thomas Jarvis^[6]
• c.1792–1814 Rowland Burton^[7]
• 1814–1822 James Athill
• 1823–c.1833 Paul Daxon Horsford
• c.1844–1847 Richard Weston Nanton^[8]
• 1847–1856 Robert Marsh Horsford^[9]
• 1856–>1863 Sir William Snagg^{[10] [11]} (Antigua and Montserrat) (afterwards Chief Justice of British Guiana, 1868)
• 1863–1864 Richard Weston Mara (acting)^[9]

Dominica

• 1767–1773 Thomas Atwood (afterwards Chief Justice of the Bahamas)
• 1773 James Ashley Hall (died in office)^[12]
• 1773–1779 Thomas Wilson^{[13] [14]}
• 1789–1805 John Matson^{[15] [16]}
• 1806 John Burrows
• 1812–c.1825 Archibald Gloster
• 1827–1828 John O'Driscoll
• 1828–1833 Robert Sympson Jameson
• c.1844 Henry John Glanville^[8]
• 1849–? Henry Isles Woodcock
• 1856–1861 Alan Ker^[17]
• 1861– Shalto Thomas Pemberton^[9]

Montserrat

• 1804– M. Dyett^[18]
• c.1822–c.1825 Thomas Hill^[19]
• c.1833 Dudley Semper
• c.1842 John P. Trott^[20]
• c.1844 Samuel Lee Frith^[8]
• 1844–1847 John Shiell
• 1847–1856 Sir Robert Marsh Horsford
• 1856– William Snagg^[10] (afterwards Chief Justice of British Guiana, 1868)

Nevis

• 1731–1751 John Dasent
• 1754– Joseph Herbert (died 1768)
• 1781–1787 John Dasent
• 1787– John Ward
• George Webb Daniell
• 1810– James Weekes^[21]
• c.1822–1833 William Lawrence
• c.1844 George Webb^[8]
• 1854–1856 Alan Ker^[17]
• 1856 Aston Devoren

St Kitts

• c.1717 Clement Crooke
• ?–1727 John Greatheed^[22]
• 1727–c.1730 Jeremiah Browne^[23]
• c.1730 William Pym Burt (died 1750)^[24]
• Jeremiah Browne^[23] (reinstated)
• 1735– James Gordon^[22]
• ?–1759 Richard Wilson
• 1759– Ralph Payne (died 1763)^[25]
• 1766– Craister Greatheed (died 1780)
• 1780–1800 William Payne Georges
• 1804– William Woodley^[18]
• 1808–1819 J. Garnett^[18]
• 1820–1833 Robert Williams Pickwoad (Pickwood) (died 8 Feb 1834)
• c.1844 Joseph King Wattley, Snr^[8]
• 1849–? Henry John Glanville
• ?–1856 Aston Devoren^[26] (afterwards Chief Justice of Nevis)
• 1856 Archibald Paul Burt (temp)^[26]
• 1857–1867 Henry James Ross^[27]
• 1873–1874 Robert French Sheriff (acting)^[28]

British Leeward Islands

• 1874–1875 Sir Julian Pauncefote^[29]
• 1875–1877 Sir William Henry Doyle^[30]
• 1878–1879 Sir George Campbell Anderson^[31]
• 1879–1882 Sir Henry James Burford-Hancock^[32]
• 1881–1883 Sir John Tankerville Goldney (acting)
• 1883–1886 Sir John Gorrie (afterwards Chief Justice of Trinidad, 1886)
• 1886–1891 Sir Henry Ludlow^[33]
• 1891–1900 Sir Henry Wrenfordsley^[34]
• 1900–1911 John Symonds Udal
• 1912–1919 Sir Frederic Mackenzie Maxwell^[35]
• 1919–1921 Sir Charles James Griffin^[36]
• 1921–1922 Sir Alfred Karney Young^[37]
• 1923–1924 Sir George Campbell Deane^[38]
• 1925–1931 Sir Herbert Cecil Stronge^[39]
• 1931–1937 Sir James Stanley Rae^[40]
• 1937–1939 Sir Wilfred Murray Wigley^[41]

Windward and Leeward Islands

• 1940–1943 James Henry Jarrett^[42]
• 1943–1950 Sir Clement Malone^{[41] [43]}
• 1950–1957 Sir Donald Edward Jackson
• 1958–1963 Sir Cyril George Xavier Henriques^[44]
• 1963–?1967 Frank E. Field^[45]

Notes and References

1. News: The Origin of the Supreme Court of Grenada . Joseph . Lawrence A. . The Barnacle . . The Barnacle News . https://web.archive.org/web/20151120175320/http://www.barnaclegrenada.com/index.php/local-news/commentary-mainmenu-53/2879-the-origin-of-the-supreme-court-in-grenada . 20 November 2015 . dead.
2. Book: Oliver, Langford. The history of the island of Antigua. 125.
3. Book: Oliver, Langford. The history of the island of Antigua. 90.
4. Book: Oliver, Langford. The history of the island of Antigua. 106.
5. Book: The history of the island of Antigua, one of the Leeward Caribbees in the West Indies, from the first settlement in 1635 to the present time. 12.
6. Book: Oliver, Langford. The history of the island of Antigua. 123.
7. Book: Oliver, Langford. The history of the island of Antigua. 139.
8. The British Imperial Calendar, 1844
9. The Colonial Office List
10. Web site: The Knights of England. A complete record from the earliest time to the present day of the knights of all the orders of chivalry in England, Scotland, and Ireland, and of knights bachelors, incorporating a complete list of knights bachelors dubbed in Ireland. William Arthur. Shaw. George Dames. Burtchaell. 21 June 2019. London Sherratt and Hughes. 21 June 2019. Internet Archive.
11. Web site: Photocopy of issue 9 September 1856 . www.thegazette.co.uk . 2019-06-21.
12. Book: The Manuscripts of the Earl of Dartmouth. Steven. Benjamin Franklin. Benjamin Franklin Stevens. https://books.google.com/books?id=q-cLAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA510. Fourteenth Report, Appendix, Part X. Historical Manuscripts Commission. 2. 1895. H.M. Stationery Office. London, England. 510–. Part II.
13. Book: The Scots Magazine. 35. 1773. Murray and Cochran. Edinburgh. 279.
14. Book: The Monthly Magazine, or British Register . 1808 . London, England . Richard Phillips . 26, Part 2 . 485.
15. Book: Stewart . John Watson . The Gentleman's and Citizen's Almanack . 1800 . By Authority . Dublin, Ireland . 141. 2027/uc1.a0001661479 .
16. Book: Sylvanus, Urban. The Gentleman's Magazine, and Historical Chronicle. 75, Part 2. 1805. J. Nichols and Son. London, England. 1193–1194.
17. A Catalogue of Notable Middle Templars:
18. Parliamentary Papers, House of Commons and Command, Volume 31
19. The Royal Kalendar and Court and City Register for England, Scotland
20. The Royal Kalendar, and Court and City Register for England, Scotland
21. The history of the island of Antigua.
22. Book: Birch, Chris. The Milk Jug Was a Goat.
23. Book: Birch, Chris. The Milk Jug Was a Goat. 2011. Simon & Schuster. 978-1-78069-018-6.
24. Burt, William Mathew (c. 1725–1781), colonial governor : Oxford Dictionary of National Biography - oi. 2008. 21 June 2019. 10.1093/ref:odnb/95643.
25. Web site: The history of the island of Antigua, one of the Leeward Caribbees in the West Indies, from the first settlement in 1635 to the present time. Vere Langford. Oliver. 21 June 1894. London, Mitchell and Hughes. 21 June 2019. Internet Archive.
26. Sir Archibald Burt: First Chief Justice of Western Australia, 1861-1879
27. Parliamentary Papers, House of Commons and Command, Volume 17
28. Web site: Men-at-the-Bar. En.wikisource.org. 21 June 2019.
29. Book: Eyffinger, Arthur. The 1899 Hague Peace Conference: The Parliament of Man, the Federation of the World. 153.
30. Web site: The Edinburgh Gazette. 6 April 1875 . www.thegazette.co.uk . 2019-06-21.
31. Web site: P.637-8. The Annual Register: A Review of Public Events at Home and Abroad, for the Year 1877 . 2015-09-23 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150925091509/http://www.forgottenbooks.com/readbook_text/Annual_Register_1878_1000443258/637 . 2015-09-25 .
32. Web site: Men-at-the-Bar . En.wikisource.org. 21 June 2019.
33. Book: Alumni Cantabrigienses: A Biographical List of All Known Students ..., Volume 2. 231.
34. Book: by T. S. Louch . http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/wrenfordsley-sir-henry-thomas-4890 . Biography - Sir Henry Thomas Wrenfordsley - Australian Dictionary of Biography . Sir Henry Thomas Wrenfordsley (1825–1908) . Adb.anu.edu.au . 2019-06-21.
35. Web site: The County Families of the United Kingdom, ed. 59, Page 945 | Document Viewer . 11 December 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151222124941/http://www.mocavo.co.uk/The-County-Families-of-the-United-Kingdom-Ed-59/899441/945 . 22 December 2015 . dead .
36. Web site: Downing Street, 15th January 1919 . The Edinburgh Gazette . 410 . 21 January 1919 . 17 July 2018 .
37. Web site: The Edinburgh Gazette . 8 December 1922 . www.thegazette.co.uk. 2019-06-21.
38. Web site: The Edinburgh Gazette . 6 February 1925 . www.thegazette.co.uk . 2019-06-21.
39. Web site: THE LONDON GAZETTE . 27 January 1931. www.thegazette.co.uk . 2019-06-21.
40. Web site: THE LONDON GAZETTE . 2 January 1933 . www.thegazette.co.uk . 2019-06-21.
41. Web site: https://www.domainmarket.com/buynow/historicbasseterre.com . 21 June 2019 .
42. News: Named Chief Justice. London, Feb. 5 . The Ottawa Journal . Ottawa, Canada . 3 . 6 February 1940 . Newspapers.com. The Colonial Office tonight announced appointment of J. H. Jarrett, now Colonial Secretary of the Bahamas, as chief justice of the Windward and Leeward islands..
43. Web site: THE LONDON GAZETTE . 15 June 1943 . www.thegazette.co.uk . 2019-06-21.
44. News: Chief Secretary's Office . Ref. No. P.F. 770 . The Antigua, Montserrat and Virgin Islands Gazette . 4 . 8 . by Authority . 1 . 5 February 1959 . Mr. Henrique's appointment became effective on 24th December, 1958..
45. News: Government House . Appointment of Chief Justice of the Windward and Leeward Islands . The Antigua, Montserrat and Virgin Islands Gazette . 9 . 5 . by Authority . 21 . 23 January 1964 . The Secretary of State for the Colonies ... has appointed Mr. Justice Frank E. Field to the office of Chief Justice of the Windward and Leeward Islands with effect from 2nd December, 1963..