James Charles Booth
James Charles Booth (died 1778) was a leading English conveyancer.
Life
He was born at
Roman Catholics were disabled by the statute 7 and 8 William III cap. 24 from practising at the bar. Booth, from a Catholic family, took out a license to practise as a conveyancer, and built up business. On the death of Nathaniel Pigott, the leading conveyancer of his day, and also a Catholic, Booth succeeded to his position.[2]
Booth was for some years a close friend of
Reputation
Booth's conveyances, though prolix, enjoyed a high reputation with his fellow professionals, and were often copied. He is said to have been consulted by the Duke of Cumberland whether he could recover a legacy left him by his father, George II, the new king George III having torn up the will, and to have advised that "a king of England has by the common law no power to bequeath personal property"; he is also said to have drafted George III's will.[2]
Family
Late in life Booth married Mary Sharp, daughter of John Sharp (1678–1727), Member of Parliament for Ripon. They subsequently separated.[1]
Notes
- ^ doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/2882. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^ a b c Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1886). . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 5. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
- Attribution
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1886). "Booth, James (d.1778)". Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 5. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
External links
- Hutchinson, John (1902). . A catalogue of notable Middle Templars, with brief biographical notices (1 ed.). Canterbury: the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple. p. 24.