Thomas Sidgreaves Explained

Sir Thomas Sidgreaves (25 October 1831 – 23 December 1889) was a British colonial judge who was Chief Justice of the Straits Settlements from 1871 to 1886.^{[1] [2]}

Sidgreaves was born in Preston, Lancashire into a Catholic family, the second son of George Sidgreaves.^[3] He was educated at Stonyhurst College and the University of London, earning a B.A. in 1853. He was called to the bar at the Inner Temple in 1857.^[4]

He was knighted in 1874 for service in British India.^[1]

He married Barbara Young,^[5] with whom he had six children, including Sir Arthur Sidgreaves, head of Rolls-Royce.^[6]

He died by suicide in Great Malvern, shooting himself in the chest in his garden. He had been suffering from depression because of recent financial losses, though he was entitled to a yearly pension of £1,200 . A jury returned a verdict of "suicide while of unsound mind" in the case. He was 60 years old.^[7]

Notes and References

1. News: Sir Thomas Sidgreaves . . 24 December 1890 . 4.
2. News: The Late Sir Thomas Sidgreaves . 2 May 2019 . Japan Daily Mail . 18 January 1890 . en.
3. Book: Burnand . Sir Francis Cowley . The Catholic Who's who and Yearbook . 1908 . Burns & Oates . 365 . 2 May 2019 . en.
4. The Late T. Sidgreaves . The Law Times . 25 January 1890 . 25 . 2 May 2019 . Published at the office of The Law times . en.
5. Book: Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage . 1885 . Burke's Peerage Limited. . 1531 . 2 May 2019 . en.
6. Sidgreaves, Sir Arthur Frederick (1882–1948), businessman . 2004 . 2 May 2019 . en . 10.1093/ref:odnb/36085.
7. News: The Suicide of Sir Thomas Sidgreaves . 2 May 2019 . Straits Times . 4 February 1890 . 2.