James Marriott (judge) facts for kids

Sir James Marriott (born October 29, 1730 – died March 21, 1803) was an important British judge, politician, and thinker in the late 1700s. He is best known for being the Judge of the High Court of Admiralty. This was the highest court in Britain that handled cases about ships and the sea.

Even though he worked on many important naval cases, his biggest impact on law was writing a book called Formulare instrumentarum. This book was about admiralty law, which is the law of the sea. It was especially important and influenced American law. Marriott also spent much of his career trying to gain political favor. He supported different groups while he was a Member of Parliament for Sudbury from 1780 to 1784, and again from 1796 to 1802.

He wasn't as successful in other parts of his life. He was a Fellow and later the Master at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, but he often argued with his colleagues and didn't spend much time at the college. He also wrote some legal booklets and poems.

Early Life and Education

James Marriott was born on October 29, 1730. His parents were Benjamin Marriott, a lawyer, and his wife Esther. They lived at Twinstead Hall in Essex.

In June 1746, when he was 15, James went to Trinity Hall, Cambridge. He became a scholar there in 1747 and earned his first law degree (LLB) in 1751. At first, he wanted to work in the church. But in 1755, he decided to become a lawyer instead. This might have been because of his stepfather, Everard Sayer, who was a well-known lawyer.

James earned another law degree (LLD) in 1757. Before that, he spent three years working as a librarian for the Duke of Newcastle. He also became a Fellow of Trinity Hall in 1756. After finishing his studies, he joined the College of Advocates. He started his legal career, which wasn't very famous at first. During this time, he wrote two papers about the rights of neutral countries during wartime.

Political Career and Legal Work

While working for the Duke of Newcastle, James Marriott became very focused on getting support and special positions from powerful people. This is called patronage. He managed to get a job collecting land tax for Suffolk. But he didn't achieve much more until King George III became king in 1760. Marriott then switched his loyalty to the King's new ministers, which upset the Duke of Newcastle.

In 1764, Marriott was chosen to be the Master of Trinity Hall. In 1767, he became the King's Advocate. In both cases, he got these jobs more because there weren't many other good candidates, rather than because of his own great skills. In 1767, he also served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge for a year. In 1768, he was stopped from becoming a history professor by a famous poet named Thomas Gray.

Becoming a Judge

For the next ten years, Marriott kept asking for more important jobs. He even made Lord Grafton very angry with his constant demands. But he didn't get another promotion until 1778. That year, he was made a knight and became the Judge of the High Court of Admiralty. This meant he was in charge of all naval and maritime legal cases.

His time as King's Advocate wasn't seen as very good. People thought he wasn't careful with what he said and had bad manners in court. He also gave strong speeches against the American colonies and even against his own colleagues.

Time in Parliament

In 1781, he was elected to Parliament for Sudbury. He supported Lord North. He made a big mistake when he tried to answer the American colonies' famous claim of "no taxation without representation". He seriously suggested that Americans were actually represented by Kent in England, based on their original old documents.

When Lord North resigned, Marriott quickly changed his support to Lord Shelburne and the group that wanted to end the war. But he didn't try to win his Parliament seat again in the 1784 election. In 1786, he was again asked to be the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, but he said no because of his legal work. Later, he served on several naval boards and helped change the laws about prize money in 1793. Prize money is the money given to sailors for capturing enemy ships.

Later Career and Important Cases

When the French Revolutionary Wars started in 1793, there was a lot more naval activity. This made Marriott's workload much heavier. However, he made some important decisions during this time.

One famous case was in 1794. Captain Francis Laforey of the British ship HMS Carysfort sued the Admiralty. He wanted more prize money for capturing the French warship frigate Castor. Marriott decided that Captain Laforey was right, which set an important example for future laws about salvage. Salvage is the reward given for saving a ship or cargo from danger.

Marriott was also re-elected for Sudbury in 1796, but his actions were a bit questionable. He first supported the current Member of Parliament, John Coxe Hippisley. But then, at the last minute, he stopped supporting him and announced he would run himself. This made Hippisley very angry, and he resigned. Marriott stayed in Parliament until 1802, shortly before he passed away.

Annuity to Sir James Marriott Act 1799
Act of Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
Long title	An act to enable his Majesty to grant a certain annuity to Sir James Marriott knight, late judge of the high court of admiralty, in consideration of his diligent and faithful services in the execution of that office.
Citation	39 Geo. 3. c. 58
Dates
Royal assent	13 June 1799
Other legislation
Repealed by	Statute Law Revision Act 1871
Status: Repealed

Later Life and Legacy

Marriott left his job at the Admiralty in 1798. He was replaced by Sir William Scott, who was generally thought to be a much more skilled person.

Marriott went back to Twinstead Hall and lived there until he died on March 21, 1803. He had made many improvements to his house and rebuilt the local church. The year before he died, he finished his most important work, Formulare instrumentarum. This book was based on his experience with admiralty law. It had a strong influence on maritime law in the United States.

Besides this important book, he also wrote some poems and other legal texts, but they were not very well-known. He never got married. He tried once in 1760, but both the girl and her father said no. Instead, he remained very dedicated to his mother until she passed away.