The Society was very happy to return in style on Monday 18 March this year with a lecture by Lord Hope of Craighead, speaking from the perspective of a retired Law Lord, offering a bird’s eye view of the issues that arose from the unprecedented Constitutional Reform Act of 2005 and the creation of the Supreme Court and the challenges faced and overcome with the transitioning from the Houses of Parliament to Middlesex Guildhall.
In future the Society will be offering at least two lectures during the course of each legal year.
Upcoming events in 2024 and 2025
In addition to other events to be notified in due course, we are very honoured to announce our new lecture series, the Master Igor Judge Memorial Lecture in Legal History, which will be an annual event organised by the Society and delivered by a professorial academic and/or a sitting or retired member of the judiciary. The inaugural lecture will take place on Wednesday 20 November 2024, and we are delighted that Master John Baker, Downing Professor Emeritus of the Laws of England, University of Cambridge, has agreed to speak on the prerogative prior to the pandemic.
Lord Sumption is confirmed to address the Society for the second annual lecture on Tuesday 11 November 2025.
We also have a number of other speakers secured for future lectures. Some speakers will be announced in due course, but the confirmed speakers below give just a flavour of what the Society has on offer:
Sir Ross Cranston, Professor of Law at the London School of Economics. Professor Cranston is a former judge of the King’s Bench Division, who sits occasionally in the commercial and administrative courts. Professor Cranston will give a lecture on the historical development of commercial law, which is the subject of his book, Making Commercial Law Through Practice 1830 – 1970 (Cambridge University Press).
George Garnett, Professor of Medieval History, St Hugh’s College, University of Oxford. Professor Garnett will give a lecture on Sir Edward Coke; how his jurisprudence developed the common law and Coke’s enduring legacy in our present age.
Michael Lobban, Professor of Law and Fellow of All Soul’s College, University of Oxford. Professor Lobban will give a lecture on Sir Jeffrey Gilbert’s treatise on the law of contract; the first treatise on English contract law and its resonance to modern contract law.
Christopher Roberts, Professor of Law at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Professor Roberts will give a lecture on the historical development on the law of vagrancy and its connection with the law of trespass. This will be an online only event delivered via Zoom.
Sean Gillane SC, one of the leading criminal practitioners at the Irish Bar; he has been involved in some of the most high-profile prosecutions in the Irish State over the past two decades. He will give a modified version of his Green Street Lecture on the infamous Lord Haw-Haw; the last person to be hanged for treason in England and Wales. The Green Street Lectures are organised by the Bar of Ireland and, have as their purpose the discussion of ‘the intersection between law, politics and literature, detailing some of the notable characters, culture, and controversies that defined the Irish State through the years’.
Harry Potter, barrister at 25 Bedford Row, author of Law, Liberty and the Constitution: A Brief History of the Common Law (Boydell Press) and presenter of the accompanying BBC series, The Strange Case of the Law, will speak about Sir Alexander Peterson and his historical contemporary significance for penology.
How to book
There is a modest charge for attendance at our events online and in-person. In-person attendance includes a wine reception after the lecture, and there is also a supper party following the reception which is available to book separately. Our events are open to all members of the Society, the Inn and their guests. Events are advertised by the Inn through its website, events page, and email events reminders. Members of the Society also receive a separate reminder email. All bookings should be made via the Inn’s website. Members of the Society who are not members of the Inn may book by calling the Treasury Office.
Qualifying Sessions
Many of our events count as Qualifying Sessions for students and will be advertised as such on the Inn’s events page and elsewhere.
Join us
The Society is always happy to hear from potential new members. Membership costs £10 per year (payable by standing order) and is open to all members of Middle Temple and also to non-members of the Inn.
A membership application form can be obtained by emailing the Society’s membership secretary, Dr Chris Davies: [email protected]
The committee members of the Middle Temple Historical Society are Dr Chris Davies (Membership Secretary), HHJ Sean Enright, Master David Allen, Paola Kovacz von Csaky and Susan Morris-Prosser.
Master Lynne Townley sits as a fee-paid judge in the employment, mental health and special educational needs and disability (SEND) tribunals. She is also a Visiting Lecturer on the Bar Vocational Studies course at City Law School, University of London and an Assistant Editor of the Criminal Appeal Reports. She is the Chair of the Middle Temple Historical Society.
James Carr is a student member of the Middle Temple currently working in global investment and advisory financial services. He is the Treasurer of the Middle Temple Historical Society.
