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The Lord Alvanley | |
|---|---|
| Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas | |
| In office 23 May 1801 – 19 March 1804 | |
| Monarch | George III |
| Preceded by | The Lord Eldon |
| Succeeded by | Sir James Mansfield |
| Master of the Rolls | |
| In office 1788–1801 | |
| Monarch | George III |
| Preceded by | Sir Lloyd Kenyon |
| Succeeded by | Sir William Grant |
| Attorney General | |
| In office 1784–1788 | |
| Monarch | George III |
| Prime Minister | William Pitt the Younger |
| Preceded by | Lloyd Kenyon |
| Succeeded by | Sir Archibald Macdonald |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1744-06-20)20 June 1744 |
| Died | 19 March 1804(1804-03-19) (aged 59) |
| Political party | Whig |
| Spouse | |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
Richard Pepper Arden, 1st Baron AlvanleyPC KC (20 May 1744 – 19 March 1804) was aBritishbarrister andWhig politician, who served as theChief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas. He was previously a Member of Parliament from 1783 to 1801.
He was born on 20 May 1744 inBredbury, the son of John Arden (1709–1787),[1] and Mary Pepper, and baptised on 20 June 1744 inStockport. Educated atThe Manchester Grammar School, he matriculated atTrinity College, Cambridge in November 1761[2] and received his BA in 1766.[3]
Arden was admitted to theMiddle Temple in 1769, and received hisMA from Trinity the same year, being made a Fellow of the college shortly after.[citation needed]
He took chambers inLincoln's Inn and became a close friend ofWilliam Pitt, with whom he would maintain a political alliance throughout his career. In 1776 he was made judge on the South Wales circuit. Invested as aKing's Counsel in 1780, he wasSolicitor General during the ministry ofShelburne, and again for a year under Pitt the Younger. At this time he entered theHouse of Commons as the WhigMP forNewtown, representing the seat from 1783 to 1784. In 1784 he became MP forAldborough, and was appointedAttorney General andChief Justice of Chester, posts he would hold until 1788.[citation needed]
On 4 June 1788, he was again advanced to becomeMaster of the Rolls, and wasknighted on 18 June 1788. He was also appointed to thePrivy Council that year. In 1790, he left Aldborough to become MP forHastings until 1794, and then forBath until 1801.[citation needed]
In May 1801, he was appointedChief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas, and on 22 May 1801, was createdBaron Alvanley, ofAlvanley, in theCounty of Chester. Alvanley died on 19 March 1804 and was buried a week later inRolls Chapel, London. His will was probated in April 1804.[citation needed]
According toWilliam E. A. Axon in theDictionary of National Biography: "He was not a man of great oratorical powers, but possessed the qualities of intelligence, readiness and wit... It would be vain to claim any great distinction for Lord Alvanley. He was a learned lawyer and a successful politician... the few productions that remain from his pen evince refinement, taste and facility of expression."[citation needed]

On 9 September 1784, Arden married Anne Dorothea Wilbraham-Bootle (1757–1825), daughter ofRichard Wilbraham-Bootle and Mary Bootle.[4] Their children were:
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| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forNewtown 1783–1784 With:John Barrington | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forAldborough 1784–1790 With:John Gally Knight | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forHastings 1790–1794 With:John Stanley | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forBath 1794–1801 With:Viscount Weymouth | Succeeded by Parliament of the United Kingdom |
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by Parliament of Great Britain | Member of Parliament forBath 1801 With:Lord John Thynne | Succeeded by |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by | Solicitor General 1782–1783 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Solicitor General 1783–1784 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Attorney General 1784–1788 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Master of the Rolls 1788–1801 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief Justice of the Common Pleas 1801–1804 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baron Alvanley 1801–1804 | Succeeded by |