Sir Stephen Henn-Collins CBE | |
|---|---|
| Justice of the High Court | |
| In office 1937–1948 | |
The HonourableSir Stephen Ogle Henn-Collins,CBE (14 September 1875 – 16 October 1958) was an English barrister andHigh Court judge.
Stephen Ogle Collins was the younger son of the distinguished lawyer andlaw lordRichard Henn Collins, Baron Collins. (Stephen Collins later adapted his surname toHenn-Collins.) He was educated atWinchester College andNew College, Oxford, where he took honours in Jurisprudence. He was called to the bar by theMiddle Temple in 1899. Collins was a copyright specialist. He was also standing counsel for theLaw Society, and junior common law counsel to theAdmiralty. He was appointed aCBE in 1925 andtook silk in 1932.[1][2]
The enactment of theMatrimonial Causes Act 1937 greatly increased the volume of divorce cases in theProbate, Divorce and Admiralty Division of the High Court of Justice, which only had three judges at the time. As a consequence, the Supreme Court of Judicature (Amendment) Act 1937 authorized the appointment of two additional High Court judges. Henn-Collins was selected byLord Hailsham to fill one of the two new positions and assigned to the Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division, even though he was inexperienced in divorce matters and disliked them.[1][3] He received the customaryknighthood in December 1937.[1][4]
In 1945, on the promotion ofMr Justice Tucker to the Court of Appeal, Henn-Collins was transferred to theKing's Bench Division. He retired in 1948.[1]
Henn-Collins married Agnes Julia Lambert in 1899; they had a son and three daughters.[citation needed]
In his private life, Henn-Collins had strong artistic interests, and was a skilled violin-maker, a hobby which "was the least expected in one of his Majesty's Judges".[1]