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 | May 1607 | ||
| 3 | 10 Nov 1613 | ||
| 4 | Benjamin Thorneton | 27 July 1640 | |
| 5 | Joshua Crosse | 29 March 1644 | |
| 6 | Thomas Leonard | 4 May 1649 | |
| 7 | 12 March 1649/50 | ||
| 8 | Benjamin Thorneton | 23 Oct 1660 | |
| 9 | Richard Pearson | 8 Oct 1667 | |
| 10 | John Clarke | 9 August 1670 | |
| 11 | Roger Meredith | 7 March 1672/3 | |
| 12 | Robert Briggs | 7 Feb 1686/7 | |
| 13 | John Cumyng | 1 May 1719 | |
| 14 | 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 | 5 Feb 1836 | |
| 19 | 18 June 1858 | ||
| 20 | George Holmes Blakesley | 23 April 1896 | |
| 21 | William Blake Odgers | 27 March 1907 | |
| 22 | Geoffrey Walter Wrangham | 22 May 1925 | |
| 23 | 16 March 1934 | ||
| Lectures in abeyance 1939–45 | |||
| 24 | 6 June 1946 | ||
| 25 | Richard O'Sullivan | 6 July 1950 | |
| 26 | Richard Jon Harvey | 1962 | |
| 27 | 1965 | ||
| 28 | P. R. Glazebrook | 1971 | |
| 29 | 1976–86? | ||
| 30 | Kenneth R. Simmonds[2] | 1988 | |
| 31 | Sir David Calcutt QC[3] | 1 Sept 1992 | |
| 32 | 1 Sept 1995 | ||
| 33 | Gerald Wakefield[4] | 1 Sept 1998 | |
| 34 | Richard Susskind OBE FRSE KC[5] | 1 Sept 2000 | |
| 35 | Sir Vernon Bogdanor CBE FRSA FBA[6] | 1 Sept 2004 | |
| 36 | Baroness Ruth Deech DBE[7] | 1 Sept 2008 | |
| 37 | Sir Geoffrey Nice KC[8] | 2012 | |
| 38 | Jo Delahunty KC[9] | 2016 | |
| 39 | Leslie Thomas KC[10] | 2020 | |
| 40 | Clive Stafford Smith JD OBE[11] | 2024 | |