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PRINGs - Lawyers and the Judiciary
From the 14th Century, lawyers in England received their training at the ‘Inns of Court’ there were four; Lincoln Inn, Gray’s Inn, Middle Temple and Inner Temple, all in London. They were organised in a similar way as the Colleges of the two Universities Oxford and Cambridge offering board and accommodation. The Inns of Chancery were preparatory colleges for law students attached to the Inns of Court, these were;
Inns of Court
Lincoln's Inn:
Gray’s Inn;
Middle Temple:
Inner Temple:
Inns of Chancery
Thavie’s Inn and Furnival’s Inn
Barnard’s Inn, and Staple Inn
New Inn
Clifford’s Inn and Clements Inn
Middle Temple Hall
In the Counties of England, in the main towns, training in law was by Apprenticeship. A student studying law would be indentured to a Master, an Attorney, these were found in the main Towns where Courts of Assizes (periodic courts) and Courts of Quarter Sessions (4 set times yearly) were to be found. A ‘Premium’ was paid to the ‘Attorney’ (the Apprenticeship Master) for a 5 year term, such a fee, could easily be £200 to £300’s or more. Provincial Attorney’s taking on several apprentices became quite prosperous. By 1728 Parliament passed laws regulating law students to undertake ‘Articles’ for 5 years, further regulations required ‘Articles’ to be filed in Court, and by 1785 Certificates of Admission were required. The Law Society was formed in 1823, and its Charter of 1831 regulated the Law Profession.
PRINGs who became Attorneys and Lawyers
Daniel PRING (bap. 24 Sep 1696 Awliscombe – d. 22 Nov 1762 Exeter, Devon)
Apprentice Daniel PRING. 1713 Registration to Herman PITT Attorney & Gentleman of Exeter. Premium: £80. 0s 0d
National Archives (IR Series 1) 43 f 78
Lawyer City of Exeter – Under Sheriff of Devon
Thomas E. PRING (b. 26 Feb 1791 Crediton – d. 23 Oct 1857 Crediton)
Apprentice Thomas PRING 1806 Registration to Thomas FURLONG Attorney of Exeter
National Archives (IR Series 1) 40 f 69
Master Extraordinary High Court of Chancery (1811, Whitehall, London)
Solicitor of Crediton, Devon.
Cambridge
Jesus College 20 May 1817. ‘A 10 year Man’
John Thomas PRING (bap. 10 Feb 1823 Crediton – d. 28 Jul 1846 Crediton)
Lawyer of Crediton, Devon.
Ratcliffe PRING (bap. 13 Mar 1826 Crediton – d. 26 Mar 1885 Brisbane, Australia)
Son of Thomas E. PRING (1791-1857).
Inner Temple, London, Barrister 1849. Emigrated to Australia. Barrister, Sydney, became Resident Crown Prosecutor, Moreton Bay.
Crown Colony Queensland proclaimed, December 1859, became Ist Attorney General of Queensland. Member of Parliament; 1863 to 1873, as Attorney General (1873-74) and again 1878-79. Judge Supreme Court of Queensland (1875-76). (See; Notable PRINGs for a fuller account)
Robert Darlow PRING (b. 29 Jan 1853 Mangopiah, Waga Waga NSW. – d. 14 Aug 1927 Leura NSW). Son of John PRING (1819 West Buckland, Somerset).
Attended Kings School, Parramatta, Sydney. Sydney University, BA & MA (1875).
Judge NSW Supreme Court (1902) , Chief Justice NSW 1918-1919. (See; Notable PRINGs for a fuller account)
Source:
1. A Guide to the Inns of Court and Chancery, The Regulation of the Four Inns of Court, Robert R. Pearce, Butterworths, London, 1855.
2. The Role of Inns of Court in the provision of Education for the Bar, Inner Temple, Treasury Office, London.
3. Exeter Memories – Sheriffs of the City and County of the City of Exeter (1537-1973).
4. The Australian Dictionary of Biography – Ratcliffe Pring by W. Ross Johnston.
5. Supreme Court Library Queensland, Judicial Profiles - The Honourable Ratcliffe PRING QC.
6. The Australian Dictionary of Biography – Robert Darlow Pring (1853-1922) by WG McMinn.