CHITTY, SIR JOSEPH WILLIAM English judge, was born in London. He was the second son of Thomas Chitty, a celebrated special pleader and writer of legal text-books. Joseph Chitty was educated at Eton and Balliol college, Oxford, and elected to a fellowship at Exeter college. He became a member of Lincoln's Inn in 1851, was called to the bar in 1856, and made a queen's counsel in 1874, electing to practise in the court of the Master of the Rolls, Sir George Jessel, before whom he was very successful. In 188o he entered the house of commons as Liberal member for Oxford (city) ; in 188i, however, he was selected to fill the vacancy in the chancery division caused by the elevation of the master of the rolls to the court of appeal by the Judicature Act. In 1897 he was promoted to the court of appeal.
See E. Manson, Builders of our Law (1904) •