Reading the Regency

Gentlemen's occupations - The Law and Medicine

Going into the Law

"...having paid Sir Arthur some compliments on his great legal abilities, and his high reputation at the bar, he coolly replied, "I have left the bar." The attorney looked in unfeigned astonishment, that a man who was actually making 3,000 pounds per annum at the bar should leave it."
[Simple Susan, The Parent's Assistant, by Maria Edgeworth]

Another acceptable "gentlemanly" occupation was the law, but only when practicing as a Barrister or a Judge. Attorneys and solicitors were qualified legal agents who dealt directly with clients and were considered tradesmen.

Barristers specialised in arguing cases in court, and could be retained on behalf of the plaintiff or the defendant. Because a barrister was engaged by an attorney on behalf of his client, the barrister was not paid directly by the client, but received a gratuity from the attorney.

An aspiring student of law would apply to one of a number of Inns of Court, located in London. Inns of Court functioned as Law Schools, although there was no formal curriculum to study. Instead each student would be responsible for their own study, and would have read many books to absorb the intricate details of case law.

"Young practitioners in Doctors' Commons have, I believe, to pass throughtheir year of silence, before they are allowed to speak. During theperiod of silence, they quietly observe, and become acquainted with, theusages and practice of the court."
[Letter III, Advice for a Young Man, upon first going to Oxford, in Ten Letters, by Rev. Edward Berens, pub. 1832]

Between these periods of study they would eat their meals with experienced, qualified Barristers, who would impart knowledge during dinner. These dinner lectures sometimes transformed into mock trials that were played out to educate the students. It could cost as much as £2,000 to accommodate, clothe and provide books and equipment for a student of law, which put this opportunity out of the reach of most people.

Five years' study was required before they could apply to be one of the select number who were called to the Bar, although if you had a degree from either Oxford or Cambridge University the length of study required was cut to three years. In 1810, only 600 Barristers were qualified to address a court, mostly based in London.

"The other day I was surprised by a visit at my chambers from an East-India director. Lord Oldborough, I find, recommended it to him to employ me in a very important cause, long pending, for a vast sum of money: the whole, with all its accumulated and accumulating interest, depending on a point of law."
[Chapter 31, Patronage, by Maria Edgeworth]

Once able to offer their services as a Barrister, the early years of their career was often a struggle as they made a name for themselves. Family connections and the patronage of rich and powerful men would help them to become known in the right places, until they could make the valuable contacts that their work required. However, once they had built a reputation it was possible to earn an average of £4,000 per year, with a few even having an income of up to £15,000 per annum.

A Barrister also had a number of options for moving up the social ladder. Barristers often used their experience in public oration to become Members of Parliament. A quarter of all MPs were also qualified Barristers. Once in government a barrister could also take on the role of Judge, Attorney General or even Lord Chancellor.

Thomas Erskine was the third son of the Earl of Buchan. After struggling financially through his law studies, he was called to the bar in 1778, and by 1783 had earned enough money to pay off his debts, buy a townhouse in Lincoln's Inn Fields and a country house at Hampstead. Although never a judge, in 1806 he was appointed Lord Chancellor and received a peerage, being made 1st Baron Erskine. When the government changed, and he lost his position, Thomas Erskine was granted a pension of £4,000 per year. Qualifying as a Barrister made him financially secure and a peer in his own right.