312:
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45:
421:. There was some criticism of his handling of the inquiry. Some felt that he was biased towards the Board of Trade and the major shipping concerns and cared too little about finding out why the ship sank. In 1998, the historian Daniel Butler described Mersey as "autocratic, impatient and not a little testy" but noted the "surprising objectivity" of the inquiry's findings. However,
476:
In his later years, Mersey was beset by deafness, but continued to work actively and returned to the bench in his eighties when the divorce courts had a heavy backlog. Mooney writes that "he helped to clear the lists with all his old efficiency". His wife died in 1925, and he died four years later at
448:
in 1915. About the last, Mersey is among those suspected by conspiracy theorists of a cover-up. His biographer Hugh Mooney wrote that such suspicions are wholly conjectural, but "the conclusion of the inquiry (which blamed
Germany for the tragedy without reservation) was without doubt politically
362:
He was never able to make a great political impact, and his interest in politics was less than that in his legal work, which continued to flourish. During his last decade as a barrister, he was so in demand that he became one of the richest lawyers in his circle.
906:
303:, he practised commercial law in and around his native city. On 17 August 1871 he married Georgina Sarah Rogers, also from Liverpool. The first of their three sons, Charles Clive Bigham (2nd Viscount Mersey), was born in 1872.
911:
981:
227:(3 August 1840 – 3 September 1929) was a British jurist and politician. After early success as a lawyer and a less successful spell as a politician, he was appointed a judge and worked in commercial law.
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later concluded that there had been "crazy deductions, distortions, prejudice, and occasional bone-headed obstinacy of witnesses and the court".
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After his retirement, Mersey remained active in public affairs and is probably best remembered for heading the official
709:
295:
Bigham left the university without taking a degree. He then travelled to Berlin and Paris to continue his education.
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and added three more maritime inquiries to his résumé with his heading of the inquiries into the sinkings of RMS
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in 1909 but found the divorce work unfulfilling and retired in 1910. He was raised to the peerage as
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332:
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331:. His commercial practice prospered. In 1885, he tried his hand at politics, standing as a
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496:. His first son, Colonel Charles Clive Bigham, survived the sinking of the passenger ship
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Mooney, Hugh (May 2006). "Bigham, John
Charles, first Viscount Mersey (1840–1929)".
851:
566:
370:, continuing his work in business law, and disqualifying him being an MP. He was
592:(2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 139, 141.
482:
453:
316:
44:
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280:, the second son of John Bigham, a prosperous merchant, and his wife, Helen,
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Members of the
Parliament of the United Kingdom for Liverpool constituencies
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In 1912, Mersey received his greatest fame when he was appointed by
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constituency. He was finally elected at his third attempt in
452:
During the first part of the war, Mersey also worked in the
912:
People educated at
Liverpool Institute High School for Boys
982:
Presidents of the
Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division
417:, to head the inquiry commission into the sinking of RMS
347:, he stood unsuccessfully in another Liverpool seat, the
391:
President of the
Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division
60:
President of the
Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division
733:. Vol. 31 (12th ed.). 1922. pp. 914–915.
488:
Mersey's third son (although the second surviving) was
967:
Members of the
Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
667:
The
Titanic: Historiography and Annotated Bibliography
430:
International
Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea
897:
Liberal Unionist Party MPs for English constituencies
192:
173:
168:
152:
140:
118:
100:
88:
76:
58:
23:
957:Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
753:contributions in Parliament by the Viscount Mersey
738:Works by or about John Bigham, 1st Viscount Mersey
683:
724:"Mersey, John Charles Bigham, 1st Viscount"
366:In October 1897, Bigham was named a judge to the
590:British parliamentary election results 1885–1918
580:
578:
576:
16:British lawyer, judge and politician (1840–1929)
962:Freemasons of the United Grand Lodge of England
686:"Unsinkable": the full story of the RMS Titanic
494:Deputy Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis
381:, worked in the bankruptcy courts and reviewed
987:Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division judges
952:Viscounts in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
758:Portraits of John Bigham, 1st Viscount Mersey
8:
539:(online ed.). Oxford University Press.
385:sentences that were handed down during the
771:
764:
43:
20:
136:7 August 1895 – 10 November 1897
710:Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs
286:Liverpool Institute High School for Boys
219:John Charles Bigham, 1st Viscount Mersey
72:10 February 1909 – 4 March 1910
536:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
510:
690:. MEchanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books.
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456:, adjudicating seized cargo from the
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882:Alumni of the University of London
428:In 1913, Mersey presided over the
14:
762:National Portrait Gallery, London
642:. 30 November 1897. p. 7172.
460:. This included the cases of the
339:at the Liverpool constituency of
947:UK MPs who were granted peerages
776:Parliament of the United Kingdom
622:. 22 October 1897. p. 5799.
114:1897 – 10 February 1909
705:Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages
234:inquiries into the sinking of
1:
977:Viscounts created by George V
927:Queen's Bench Division judges
820:Peerage of the United Kingdom
284:East. He was educated at the
902:Members of the Middle Temple
567:UK public library membership
379:Railway and Canal Commission
327:In 1883, Bigham was named a
972:Peers created by Edward VII
932:19th-century King's Counsel
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922:Politicians from Liverpool
917:People from Littlehampton
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264:, which gave rise to the
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102:Justice of the High Court
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377:He was president of the
292:, where he studied law.
730:Encyclopædia Britannica
682:Butler, Daniel (1998).
892:Lawyers from Liverpool
545:10.1093/ref:odnb/31884
324:
315:Bigham caricatured by
413:in the government of
374:the following month.
355:, when he stood as a
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843:Charles Clive Bigham
792:Member of Parliament
557:: CS1 maint: year (
290:University of London
120:Member of Parliament
26:The Right Honourable
389:. He was appointed
307:Barrister and judge
276:Bigham was born in
238:, most notably RMS
30:The Viscount Mersey
796:Liverpool Exchange
639:The London Gazette
619:The London Gazette
434:Empress of Ireland
325:
255:Empress of Ireland
124:Liverpool Exchange
860:
859:
840:Succeeded by
809:Succeeded by
665:Eugene L. Rasor,
565:(Subscription or
553:cite encyclopedia
490:Sir Trevor Bigham
462:Wilhelmina (1915)
297:Called to the bar
266:Thrasher incident
216:
215:
83:Sir Gorell Barnes
994:
942:UK MPs 1895–1900
887:Knights Bachelor
812:Charles McArthur
782:Preceded by
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742:Internet Archive
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458:British blockade
357:Liberal Unionist
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196:3 September 1929
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169:Personal details
159:Charles McArthur
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95:Sir Samuel Evans
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411:Lord Chancellor
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343:, but lost. In
329:Queen's Counsel
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440:in 1914) and
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827:New creation
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401:Maritime law
395:Baron Mersey
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341:East Toxteth
326:
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198:(1929-09-03)
154:Succeeded by
131:
109:
90:Succeeded by
67:
18:
937:RMS Titanic
877:1929 deaths
872:1840 births
751:1803–2005:
634:"No. 26915"
614:"No. 26902"
485:, aged 89.
483:West Sussex
468:that year.
321:Vanity Fair
258:; and also
142:Preceded by
78:Preceded by
49:Lord Mersey
866:Categories
856:1910–1929
837:1916–1929
676:References
569:required.)
472:Later life
337:Parliament
288:, and the
272:Early life
236:steamships
180:1840-08-03
588:(1983) .
502:in 1915.
446:Lusitania
436:(held in
278:Liverpool
253:RMS
248:Lusitania
246:RMS
187:Liverpool
132:In office
110:In office
68:In office
652:Butler,
466:viscount
444:and RMS
372:knighted
349:Exchange
760:at the
748:Hansard
740:at the
656:in ODNB
419:Titanic
333:Liberal
241:Titanic
694:
654:quoted
596:
563:
499:Persia
442:Falaba
438:Canada
409:, the
323:, 1898
261:Falaba
251:, and
207:Sussex
506:Notes
805:1897
801:1895
794:for
692:ISBN
594:ISBN
559:link
353:1895
345:1892
319:for
193:Died
174:Born
122:for
541:doi
481:in
359:.
317:Spy
282:née
868::
727:.
636:.
616:.
575:^
555:}}
551:{{
513:^
268:.
244:,
224:PC
221:,
205:,
35:PC
803:–
700:.
602:.
561:)
547:.
543::
182:)
178:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
