DENMAN, LORD. Thomas Denrnau, first Lord Denman, was the only eon of a London physician, who held a poet in the household of George III., and represented a family settled for several generations near Bakewell in Derbyshire. Ho was born In 1779, and received his early education at Palgrave School in Suffolk, near Dias, under the celebrated Mr. and Mrs. Barbatild, of whom he always spoke with affectionate respect. At the usual ago he entered at St. John's College, Cambridge, where ho graduated B.A. in 1800, and M.A.. in 1603. lie was called to the bar at Lineolu'a Inn in 1S06. Raving distinguished himself by his successful advocacy in several causes and trials con nected with the liberty of the press, he entered parliament in 1818 as member for Wareham, Dorset. In 1820 he was chosen for Notting ham, which ho represented till the dissolution in 1326, and again in the parliaments of 1830 and 1831. In the house of Commons lie connected his name with those of Brougham and Burdett in the advo cacy of popular freedom, electoral reform, and education. He was particularly active in opposing all the measures of coercion introduced by tho existing government for the purposi of suppressing popular meetings.
In 1820 he was appointed solicitor-general to Queen Caroline, and took an active part in conducting her cause before the House of Peers, to the great disadvantage of his own chance of professional advance ment.. In this position, ho so far won the esteem of the chime of London that they presented him with the freedom of the city, and appointed him their common scrjeant. It was not until the year 1823, when the queen's trial was well nigh forgotten, that he obtained hie patent of precedence. In 1830 he was appointed attorney-general under the ministry of Earl Grey, and was promoted from that post to the chief juaticeship of the King's Bench on the death of Lord Tenterden in November 1832 ; he was at the same time sworn a privy councillor. In March 1834 he was advanced to the peerage.
Ile presided over the Court of Queen'e Bench till March 1850, when he retired on account of ill health. During that period he had made his name more especially known by his memorable decision in the ease of Stockdale v. Hansard,' in which he ruled, that though parliament is supreme, yet no single branch of parliament is supreme when acting by itself; and that, consequently, the House of Commons could not screen its servants from the legal consequences of their official acts. As a member of the upper house he took a great interest in the abolition of slavery, and in the encouragement of literary aud scientifio institutions. He was the author of a few small publications, the last of which was a reprint of 'Six Articles from the "Standard," on the Slave Trade, and other subjects.' As a barrister, he was less distinguished for deep legal knowledge than for tact and address. In him the man triumphed over the advocate, and he won mauy a doubtful cause by his epparent sin cerity and the fervour of his appeal to the sympathies of therm whom he addressed. As a judge, he was diguified and impartial; and his judgments were regarded with respect. By his marriage with Theo. dosia Anne, daughter of the Rev. It. Vevera, rector of Kettering, North amptonshire, he left a large family. His second eon, a captain iu the Royal Navy, and captaiu of the queen's yacht, particularly distin guished himself iu the suppression of the slave trade upon the coast of Africa.