Inner Temple

The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four

After a period of slow decline in the 18th century, the following 100 years saw a restoration of the Temple's fortunes, with buildings constructed or restored, such as the Hall and the Library. Much of this work was destroyed during The Blitz, when the Hall, Temple, Temple Church, and many sets of barristers' chambers were devastated. Rebuilding was completed in 1959, and today the Temple is an active Inn of Court with over 8,000 members.

Role

The Inner Temple is one of the four

The history of the Inner Temple begins in the early years of the reign of Henry II (1154–1189), when the contingent of Knights Templar in London moved from the Old Temple in Holborn to a new location on the banks of the River Thames, stretching from Fleet Street to what is now Essex House.^[7] The original Temple covered much of what is now the northern part of Chancery Lane (originally New Street), which the Knights created to provide access to their new buildings. The old Temple eventually became the London palace of the Bishop of Lincoln. After the Reformation it became the home of the Earl of Southampton, and the location is now named Southampton Buildings. The first group of lawyers came to live here during the 13th century, although as legal advisers to the Knights rather than as a society. The Knights fell out of favour, and the order was dissolved in 1312, with the land seized by the king and later granted to the Knights Hospitaller. The Hospitallers probably did not live on the property, but rather used it as a source of revenue through rent.^[8] The secular, common law lawyers migrated to the hamlet of Holborn, as it was easy to get to the law courts at Westminster Hall and was just outside the City.^[9]

Two groups occupied the Hospitaller land, and became known as the "inner inn" (occupying the consecrated buildings near the centre of the Temple) and the "middle inn" (occupying the unconsecrated buildings between the "inner inn" and the Outer Temple). These became the Inner Temple and the Middle Temple, and were distinct societies by 1388, when they are mentioned in a year book.^[8] The Hospitallers leased the land to the Inner Temple for £10 a year, with students coming from Thavie's Inn to study there.^[10]

Early years

There are few records of the Inner Temple from the 14th and 15th centuries—indeed, from all the societies, although Lincoln's Inn's records stretch back to 1422. The Temple was sacked by Wat Tyler and his rebels during the Peasants' Revolt in 1381, with buildings pulled down and records destroyed.^[11] John Stow wrote that, after breaking into Fleet Prison, the rebels:

went to the Temple to destroy it, and plucked down the houses, tooke off the tyles of the other buildings left; went to the churche, tooke out all the bookes and remembrances that were m the hatches of the prentices of the law, carried them into the high street, and there burnt them. This house they spoyled for wrathe they bare to the prior of St. John's, unto whom it belonged, and, after a number of them had sacked this Temple, what with labour and what with wine being overcome, they lay down under the walls and housing,, and were slain like swyne, one of them killing another for old grudge and hatred, and others also made quick dispatch of them. A number of them that burnt the Temple went from thence to the Savoy, destroying in their way all the houses that belonged to the Hospital of St. John.^[12]

The Hospitallers' properties were confiscated and given to the King by a statute of 1539/40. The Benchers of the Inn then attorned to the crown and were tenants until 1608. Following a Scotsman's request to purchase the land, the Inner and Middle Temples appealed to James I, who granted the land to a group of noted lawyers and Benchers, including Henry Montague and Sir Julius Caesar, and to "their heirs and assignees for ever" on the condition that the Inner and Middle Temples each paid him £10 a year.^[14]

Elizabethan age

The Elizabethan age saw a large amount of rebuilding and beautification within the Temple, and with over 100 sets of chambers it was the second largest Inn (after Gray's Inn), with 155 residential students reported in 1574.^[8]

In winter 1561, the Inner Temple was the scene of an extraordinary set of

This pledge was always honoured, and in 1576 the Inner Temple Parliament referred to Dudley as the "chief governor of this House".[15] The play was partially documented by Gerard Legh in his Accedens of Armory, a book of heraldry woodcuts, which described Dudley's role as Prince Pallaphilos, the lieutenant of Athena and Patron of the Order of the Pegasus.^[16]

Seventeenth century

The Inner Temple continued to expand during the reigns of James I and Charles I, with 1,700 students admitted to the Inn between 1600 and 1640.^[8] The outbreak of the First English Civil War led to a complete suspension of legal education,^[1] with the Inns almost shut down for nearly four years; the Inns "suffered a mortal collapse".^[8] Nothing was done to adapt the old system of legal education, which was declining anyway, to the new climate of internal war.^[17] After the end of the Civil War, the old system was not restored; Readers refused to read and both barristers and Benchers refused to follow the internal regulations.^[18] The last reading at Inner Temple was made in 1678.^[8]

Following the

Much of the Inn was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666, and extensive damage was done in other fires in 1677 and 1678.^[24] One of these fires destroyed Caesar's Buildings, on Middle Temple Lane where Lamb Buildings now stand, and the site was purchased by Middle Temple from Inner Temple, which needed the proceeds to repair or rebuild other buildings.^[25]

Eighteenth century to the present

The 18th century was a period of relative stability, with an element of decline. The Benchers of the time were described as "opposed to all modern fashions, including new-fangled comforts", with the Inn's buildings deteriorating.^[26] Much of the Temple was rebuilt during the 19th century, most noticeably the Hall and Library, although fever and disease continued as a result of the Inn's outdated systems; the same water was used both for drinking and for flushing the toilet, for example.^[27]

In 1922 the Temple called

In 2001 the Inner Temple bought the neighbouring 1–2 Serjeant's Inn, which can be accessed directly from the Inner Temple, with the intention of converting it to barristers' chambers. However, instead, the premises has been let on a 99-year lease to Apex Hotels.^[31] No. 3 Serjeant's Inn has been a barristers' chambers, occupying commercial premises, since 1986.^[32] Mitre Court, which connects the Inner Temple area, Serjeant's Inn and Fleet Street, is occupied as barristers' chambers, residential flats and more recently, solicitors.

Structure and governance

The Inner Temple is governed by the Parliament, an executive council made up of the elected Benchers.^[33] The Parliament is led by the Treasurer, who is elected annually to serve a one-year term; the Treasurer for 2023 is Sir Robert Francis KC.^[34] The Inner Temple also has a Reader, who traditionally holds the position for a year before being appointed as Treasurer;^[8] the Reader for 2023 is Richard Salter KC.^[35]

The Inner Temple was historically governed by a Treasurer and three Governors. Members were divided into two categories; Clerks (Clerici) admitted to Clerks' Commons and Fellows (Socii) admitted to Fellows' Commons. The Governors held Parliament with a small group of senior barristers; in 1508, for example, Parliament was held with three Governors and four senior barristers.^[36] The last Governor was elected in 1566, and Benchers took over later that century.^[37] Benchers, or Masters of the Bench, are elected members of the Parliament responsible for overseeing the estates, the Inn's finances and setting internal policy.^[38] Today there are approximately 350 Governing Benchers (barristers and members of the judiciary) and honorary, academic and Royal Benchers appointed, as well as those practising in other jurisdictions.^[38]

Coat of arms

The coat of arms of the Inner Temple is, in blazon, "Azure a pegasus salient argent", or a Pegasus.^[39] Gerard Legh is normally given the credit for having suggested the Pegasus as a coat of arms, having given an account of Robert Dudley playing the part of Prince Pallaphilos, a patron of the Honorable Order of Pegasus in the 1561 Christmas revels.^[40] It may alternately have come about because of the tiles in Temple Church, which show a knight on horseback with a shield and sword raised. From this point onwards, the arms were considered the Temple's property, and they were confirmed by the College of Arms in 1967.^[39]

Liberty

Inner Temple (together with the neighbouring Middle Temple) is also one of the few remaining liberties, an old name for a type of administrative division. It is an independent extra-parochial area,^[41] historically not governed by the City of London Corporation^[42] (and is today regarded as a local authority for most purposes^[43]) and equally outside the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Bishop of London. The Inner Temple's functions as a local council are set out in the Temples Order 1971.^[44]

It geographically falls within the boundaries and liberties of the City, but can be thought of as an independent

Plate

The Inner Temple is noted for its collection of silver and

Two silver cups were bought in 1699, and records from 1 January 1703 show that the Temple owned one gilt cup (the "melon" cup) five salt cellars, ten large cups, twelve little cups, and twenty-three spoons. Twelve more spoons were bought in 1707, along with another silver cup, and at some point in this period the Temple purchased or was given a nef.^[47] A dozen teaspoons were bought in 1750, a coffee pot in 1788 and an "argyle" or gravy holder in 1790.^[45]

Buildings

The Inner Temple contains many buildings, some modern and some ancient, although only Temple Church dates back to the time of the Knights Templars who originally inhabited the site.^[48]

Chambers

The Inn contains several buildings and sets of buildings used to house barristers' chambers, with those rooms above the second floor generally being residential in nature. The sets are Crown Office Row, Dr Johnson's Buildings, Farrar's Building, Francis Taylor Building, Harcourt Buildings, Hare Court, King's Bench Walk, Littleton Building, Mitre Court Buildings, Paper Buildings and the eastern side of Temple Gardens.^[49][50]

Crown Office Row was named after the Crown Office, which used to sit on the site and was removed in 1621. The first building (described by Charles Dugdale as "the Great Brick Building over against the Garden") was constructed in 1628, and completely replaced in 1737.^[51] The current buildings were designed and built by Sir Edward Maufe.^[50] Charles Lamb was born in No. 2 Crown Office Row, which was destroyed during the Second World War, and Thomas Coventry maintained a set of chambers there.^[52]

Harcourt Buildings were first built in 1703 by John Banks and named after Simon Harcourt, the Treasurer of the time. There were three buildings, 50 feet wide, 27 feet deep and 3 storeys high. Replacements were constructed between 1832 and 1833, and were not particularly attractive—Hugh Bellot said that they "could scarcely be more unsightly".^[53] These replacements were destroyed in 1941, and new buildings were built based on a design by Hubert Worthington.^[50]

Hare Court was named after Nicholas Hare, who built the first set in 1567. The west and south sides were destroyed in the fire of 1678. On 31 May 1679 orders were given to replace the west side with four new buildings three storeys high, which were funded by the Treasurer (Thomas Hanmer) and the tenants at the time, including

Paper Buildings are on the site of Heyward's Buildings, constructed in 1610.^[60] The "paper" part of the name comes from the fact that they were built from timber, lath and plaster, a construction method known as "paperwork". A fire in 1838 destroyed three of the buildings, which were immediately replaced with a design by Robert Smirke, with Sydney Smirke later adding two more buildings.^[50] A famous resident of (at the time) Heyward's Buildings was John Selden, who was one of the original tenants and shared a set of chambers with Heyward himself.^[61]

Gardens and Gateway

Inner Temple Gardens were laid out around 1601, with a set of decorated railings added in 1618 with the Temple's pegasus and the griffin of Gray's Inn, a sign of the strong relationship between the two; the design was included in the new iron gates made in 1730, which are still present. The gardens contain various landmarks, including a sundial from 1707 by Edward Strong the Elder, a pair of cisterns dated from 1730 and a lead statute of a blackmoor by John Nost, which was transferred from Clifford's Inn when Clifford's was destroyed. A rookery was established during the 18th century by Edward Northey, who brought a colony of crows from his estates in Epsom to fill it.^[62] The gardens were previously noted for their roses, and William Shakespeare claimed that the Wars of the Roses started in the Inner Temple Garden.^[63] The gardens have recently been the subject of substantial restoration under the auspices of the Master of the Garden, Oliver Sells QC.^{[citation needed]} In 1870 Robert Marnock re-designed the Inner Temple Garden.^[64]

The Gateway, at the top of Inner Temple Lane on

The original Knights' Templar Hall was replaced in the fourteenth or fifteenth century. It was extensively repaired in 1606 and 1629, but was still in poor condition in 1816. Despite this, little was done at that time but replacing the timbers which had gone rotten and patching the crumbling walls with brick.[67] As a result of the poor condition and the increasing numbers of barristers, it was demolished in 1868.^[68]

Its replacement was a larger hall in the Gothic style, designed by Sydney Smirke, which was opened on 14 May 1870 by Princess Louise. The new Hall was 94 feet long, 41 feet wide and 40 feet high, with glass windows featuring the coats of arms of noted Treasurers from 1506 onwards running around the room.^[69] There were two doors, one to the south and one to the north, which are said by William Dugdale to be the remnants of a "great carved screen" erected in 1574.^[70]

The Hall was destroyed during the

The original Library existed from at least 1506, and consisted of a single room. This was not a dedicated library, as it was also used for dining when there were too many barristers for the hall, and later for moots. By 1607 a second room had been added, and Edward Coke donated a copy of his Reports for the library a year later. The Library of the Inner Temple was far superior to those of the other Inns of Court, and "placed the House far in advance of the other societies".^[72]

The Library refused to accept John Selden's manuscripts in 1654, most likely because the size of the collection would necessitate a new building, but it has been described as "the greatest loss which the Library of the Inner Temple ever sustained".^[73] The Library was entirely destroyed in the Great Fire of London, but a replacement was built in 1668. A second, smaller fire in 1679 necessitated the destruction of one library building to act as a firebreak and save the hall.^[73]

In 1707 the Inner Temple was offered the Petyt Manuscripts and a sum of £150 to build a new Library, which was completed in 1709 and consisted of three rooms. A Librarian was appointed immediately, and the practice continues to this day.^[74] Modifications were made in 1867, 1872 and 1882 which extended the Library to eight rooms^[75] A new Library was built on the site of the old one in the 19th century, with the north wing being completed in 1882, and contained 26,000 law volumes, as well as 36,000 historical and architectural texts.^[76] This building was destroyed during the Second World War, and although some of the rarest manuscripts had been moved off site, 45,000 books were lost. A replacement Library was built in 1958, and currently contains approximately 70,000 books.^[49]

Temple Church

Temple Church has been described as "the finest of the four round churches still existing in London".

During the reign of Charles II the elegant columns which had dominated the church were covered with 8-foot-tall (2.4 m) oak wainscotting. Repairs to the east end of the church took place in 1707, and the exterior of the north and east sides was repaired in 1737.^[83] Some further repairs took place in 1811, but the main restoration happened in 1837, when Robert Smirke restored the south side and removed most of the wainscotting. This was followed with more repairs in 1845, which lowered the floor to its original height, removed ugly whitewash which had been added a century earlier and led to the discovery of a marble piscina at the east end.^[84]

All of this work was destroyed on 10 May 1941 during the

Significant members of the judiciary include

• Thomas Joshua Platt

References

Bibliography

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• Bellot, Hugh (1902). The Inner and Middle Temple, legal, literary, and historic associations. London: Methuen & Co.
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• Boyer, Allen D. (2003). Sir Edward Coke and the Elizabethan Age.
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• Douthwaite, William Ralph (1886). Gray's Inn, Its History & Associations. Reeves and Turner.
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• Hyde, H. Montgomery (1965). Norman Birkett: The Life of Lord Birkett of Ulverston.
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• Jones, E.A. (1939). "Silver at the Inner Temple".
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• Loftie, W J (1895). The Inns of Court and Chancery. New York: Macmillan & co.
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• Pearce, Robert Richard (1848). History of the Inns of Court and Chancery: With Notices of Their Ancient Discipline, Rules, Orders, and Customs, Readings, Moots, Masques, Revels, and Entertainments. R. Bentley.
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• Ringrose, Hyacinthe (1909). The Inns of Court: an historical description of the Inns of court and chancery of England. Oxford: R.L. Williams.
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51°30′45″N 0°06′32″W / 51.5125°N 0.109°W / 51.5125; -0.109