The Earl of Cottenham | |
|---|---|
 Lord Cottenham wearing ceremonial robes when presiding in the House of Lords as Lord Chancellor. Detail of a painting byCharles Robert Leslie. | |
| Lord Chancellor | |
| In office 16 January 1836 – 30 August 1841 | |
| Monarchs | |
| Prime Minister | The Viscount Melbourne |
| Preceded by | In Commission |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Lyndhurst |
| In office 6 July 1846 – 19 June 1850 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Prime Minister | Lord John Russell |
| Preceded by | The Lord Lyndhurst |
| Succeeded by | In Commission |
| Member of Parliament forMalton | |
| In office September 1831 – January 1836 Served alongsideHenry Gally Knight,Viscount Milton andJohn Charles Ramsden | |
| Preceded by | Lord Cavendish of Keighley Henry Gally Knight |
| Succeeded by | John Childers John Charles Ramsden |
| Member of Parliament forHigham Ferrers | |
| In office July 1831 – October 1831 | |
| Preceded by | Viscount Milton |
| Succeeded by | John Ponsonby |
| Member of theHouse of Lords Lord Temporal | |
| In office January 1836 – April 1851 Hereditary Peerage | |
| Succeeded by | Charles Edward Pepys |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1781-04-29)29 April 1781 Wimpole Street, London |
| Died | 29 April 1851(1851-04-29) (aged 70) Pietra Santa,Lucca,Grand Duchy of Tuscany |
| Nationality | British |
| Party | Whig |
| Spouse | Caroline Wingfield-Baker (1801–1868) |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
Charles Christopher Pepys, 1st Earl of Cottenham,PC (/ˈpɛpɪs/;[1] 29 April 1781 – 29 April 1851[2]) was an English lawyer, judge and politician. He was twiceLord High Chancellor of Great Britain.
Cottenham was born in London, the second son of Sir William Pepys, 1st Baronet, amaster in chancery, who was descended from John Pepys, ofCottenham, Cambridgeshire, a great-uncle ofSamuel Pepys the diarist. Educated atHarrow School andTrinity College, Cambridge, Pepys was called to the bar ofLincoln's Inn in 1804.[3][4]
Cottenham's progress was slow practising at the Chancery Bar. Not until 22 years after his call was he made aKing's Counsel. He sat inParliament successively forHigham Ferrers andMalton, becameSolicitor General in 1834 andMaster of the Rolls in the same year.
On the formation ofLord Melbourne's second administration in April 1835, the great seal was in commission for a time, but Cottenham, who had been a commissioner, was eventually appointedLord Chancellor in January 1836 and at the same time was raised to the peerage asBaron Cottenham of Cottenham in the County of Cambridge. He held office until the ministry's defeat in August 1841.[3]
In February 1841, during the trial ofLord Cardigan for attempted murder, Cottenham claimed ill health, leaving the task of presiding asLord High Steward to theLord Chief Justice of the Queen's Bench,Lord Denman.[5] In 1846 he again became Lord Chancellor inLord John Russell's administration. His health, however, was failing and he resigned in 1850.
Shortly before retirement, he was created Viscount Crowhurst, of Crowhurst in the County of Surrey, and Earl of Cottenham,[3] of Cottenham in the County of Cambridge. He lived at Prospect Place,Wimbledon in 1831–1851. He had succeeded his elder brother as third Baronet in 1845, and in 1849 his cousin as fourth Baronet of Juniper Hill.
Lord Cottenham married Caroline Elizabeth, daughter ofWilliam Wingfield-Baker, in 1821 and had five sons and three daughters. He died at Pietra Santa,Lucca in the ItalianGrand Duchy of Tuscany in April 1851,[3] aged 70, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Charles, who was at the timeClerk of the Crown in Chancery.[6] Lady Cottenham died in April 1868, aged 66 atThe Cedars inSunninghill, Berkshire.[7]
Cottenham's nieceEmily Pepys (1833–1887), daughter ofHenry Pepys, Bishop ofWorcester, was a child diarist. Her work was not rediscovered and published until 1984.[8]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Cottenham, Charles Christopher Pepys".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 252–253. This cites:Whitehall, March 14, 1848. The Queen has been pleased to nominate and appoint the Honourable Charles Edward Pepys to be Clerk of the Crown in Chancery, in the room of Leonard Edmunds, Esq. resigned.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by In Commission | Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain 1836–1841 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain 1846–1850 | In commission Title next held by The Lord Truro |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Earl of Cottenham 1850–1851 | Succeeded by |
| Baron Cottenham 1836–1851 | ||
| Baronetage of Great Britain | ||
| Preceded by Harry Leslie | Baronet (of Brook Street) 1849–1851 | Succeeded by |
| Baronetage of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by William Pepys | Baronet (of Wimpole Street) 1845–1851 | Succeeded by |
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