Sir Archibald Levin Smith | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Master of the Rolls | |
| In office 1900–1901 | |
| Preceded by | The Lord Alverstone |
| Succeeded by | Sir Richard Collins |
| Lord Justice of Appeal | |
| Justice of the High Court | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1836-08-28)28 August 1836 |
| Died | 20 October 1901(1901-10-20) (aged 65) |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse | Isobel Fletcher |
| Children | Another son Ralph was killed in World War One 1915 serving with Welsh Guards |
| Education | Eton College |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | Judge |
| Profession | Barrister |
Sir Archibald Levin Smith (26 August 1836 – 20 October 1901) was a Britishjudge and arower who competed atHenley and in theOxford and Cambridge Boat Race.
Smith was the son of Francis Smith, J.P. of Salt Hill,Chichester and his wife Mary Ann Levin. He was baptised at NewFishbourne, West Sussex[1] although his mother was the daughter of aPolish-Jewish immigrant.[2] He was educated atEton andTrinity College, Cambridge.[3] He suffered from thepituitary disorder,acromegaly, which caused him to grow to nearly 7 feet (2.1 m) tall.[4] Athletic as well as tall, he rowed forCambridge in the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race in the1857,1858 and1859 races.[5] Oxford won in 1857 and Cambridge in 1858. In 1858 he was in the winning crews atHenley Royal Regatta in theGrand Challenge Cup with the C.U.B.C. and in theVisitors Challenge Cup and theWyfold Challenge Cup withFirst Trinity Boat Club.
In the 1859 Boat Race "the race was rowed in a gale of wind, and the Cambridge boat filled and sank betweenBarnes Bridge and the finish.... Smith alone of the Cambridge oarsmen could not swim, and sat stolidly rowing until, when the water was up to his neck, he was rescued." In later years he regularly bet a new hat on the Boat Race withW.B. Woodgate "on principle and from patriotism to his flag, even when public favour and market odds might seem to be dead against the hopes of his own club."[6]
Smith was admitted at theInner Temple on 27 May 1856 and wascalled to the Bar on 17 November 1860. He was engaged on theHome Circuit and became Judge of theHigh Court of Justice (Queen's Bench Division) in 1883. He was then knighted and became an honorarybencher. In 1892 he becameLord Justice of Appeal, in which capacity he ruled on the famous case ofCarlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Co. On 24 October 1900 becameMaster of the Rolls, a position he held for almost a year until his resignation a few days before his death.
Smith was a keen amateurcricketer and a member ofMarylebone Cricket Club (MCC) for whom he played in two matches 1861 to 1864. He was a right-handedbatsman who scored 16runs with a highest score of 7.[7]
He was appointed Chairman of theHistorical Manuscript Commission in March 1901.[8]
He married, in 1867, Isobel Fletcher, daughter of John Charles Fletcher, of Dale Park,Sussex, and had sons Archibald, Geoffrey and Ralph, and daughters Isabel, Elinor, Winnifred and Marjorie. Smith lived at Salt Hill, Chichester, and 40 Cadogan Place, London.
Lady Smith drowned in theRiver Spey in August 1901, during a visit to the estate of their son-in-law J. W. H. Grant, inAberlour,Morayshire.[9]Sir Archibald fell ill and also died in Aberlour less than two months later, on 20 October 1901, at the age of 65.[10] He is buried in the churchyard atKnockando.[11]
Their younger son Geoffrey Smith also drowned, at Rosherville, nearJohannesburg,South Africa, in August 1902, at 29 years old.[12]
| Legal offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Master of the Rolls 1900–1901 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
