BLACKSTONE (Sir William), an eminent English lawyer, was born at London in July 1723. His father, Mr Charles Blackstone, a silk-man, citizen, and bowyer of London, died some months before the birth of our author, who was the youngest of four children; and their mother died before he was 12 years old. Even from his birth, the care both of his education and fortune was kindly undertaken by his maternal uncle Mr Thomas Bigg, an eminent surgeon in London, and afterwards, on the death of his elder brothers, owner of the Chilton estate, which is still enjoyed by that family. In 1730 being about seven years old, he was put to school at the Charter-house; and in 1735 was, by the nomination of Sir Robert Walpole, on the recommendation of Charles Wither of Hall in Hampshire, Esq; his cousin by the mother's side, admitted upon the foundation there. In this excellent seminary he applied himself to every branch of youthful education, with the same assiduity which accompanied his studies through life. His talents and industry rendered him the favourite of his masters, who encouraged and assisted him with the utmost attention: so that at the age of 15 he was at the head of the school, and although so young, was thought well qualified to be removed to the university. He was accordingly entered a commoner at Pembroke college in Oxford, on the 30th of November 1738, and was the next day matriculated. At this time he was elected to one of the Charter-house exhibitions by the governors of that foundation, to commence from the Michaelmas preceding; but was permitted to continue a scholar there till after the 12th of December, being the anniversary commemoration of the founder, to give him an opportunity of speaking the customary oration which he had prepared, and which did him much credit. About this time also he obtained Mr Benson's gold prize-medal of Milton, for verses on that poet. In the February following, the society of Pembroke college unanimously elected him to one of Lady Holford's exhibitions for Charter-house scholars in that house. Here he prosecuted his studies with unremitting ardour; and although the classics, and parti-
Blackstone. cularly the Greek and Roman poets, were his fa-
vourites, they did not entirely engross his attention :
logic, mathematics, and the other sciences, were not
neglected. At the early age of 20, he compiled a
treatise entitled Elements of Architecture, intended
for his own use only, and not for publication; but
esteemed unworthy his maturer judgment and more ex-
ercised pen.
Having determined on his future plan of life, and
made choice of the law for his profession, he was en-
tered in the Middle Temple on the 20th of Novem-
ber 1741. He now found it necessary to quit the more
amusing pursuits of his youth, for the severer studies
to which he had dedicated himself; and betook him-
self seriously to reading law. He expressed his dis-
agreeable sensations on this occasion in a copy of
verses, since published by Doddey in vol. 4th of his
miscellanies, intitled The Lawyer's Farewell to his
Muse; in which the struggle of his mind is expressed
so strongly, so naturally, with such elegance of sense
and language, and harmony of versification, as must
convince every reader that his passion for the muses
was too deeply rooted to be laid aside without much
reluctance; and that, if he had pursued that flowery
path, he would perhaps have proved inferior to few of
our English poets. Several little fugitive pieces be-
sides this, have at times been communicated by him
to his friends; and he left (but not with a view of publi-
cation) a small collection of juvenile pieces, both ori-
ginals and translations, inscribed with this line from
Horace,
Nee lussisse pudet, sed non incidere ludum.
Some notes on Shakespeare, which just before his
death he communicated to Mr Steevens, and which
were inserted by him in his last edition of that au-
thor, show how well he understood the meaning, as
well as the beauties, of that his favourite among the
English poets.
In November 1743, he was elected into the society
of All-Souls college; and in the November following,
he spoke the anniversary speech in commemoration of
archbishop Chicheley the founder, and the other bene-
factors to that house of learning, and was admitted ac-
tual fellow. From this period he divided his time be-
tween the university and the Temple, where he took
chambers in order to attend the courts: in the former
he pursued his academical studies, and on the 12th of
June 1745 commenced bachelor of civil law; in the lat-
ter he applied himself closely to his profession, both in
the hall and in his private studies, and on the 28th of
November 1746 was called to the bar. Though he
was little known or distinguished in Westminster-hall, he
was actively employed, during his occasional residence
at the university, in attending to its interests, and ming-
ling with and improving its interior concerns. In May
1749, as a small reward for his services, and to give
him further opportunities of advancing the interests of
the college, Mr Blackstone was appointed steward of
their manors. And in the same year, on the resignation
of his uncle Seymour Richmond, Esq; he was elected
recorder of the borough of Wallingford in Berkshire,
and received the king's approbation on the 30th of
May. The 26th of April 1750, he commenced doc-
tor of civil law, and thereby became a member of the con-
vocation, which enabled him to extend his views be-
yond the narrow circle of his own society, to the gen-
eral benefit of the university at large. In the sum-
mer 1753, he took the resolution of wholly retiring
to his fellowship and an academical life, still continuing
the practice of his profession as a provincial counsel.
His Lectures on the Laws of England appears to
have been an early and favourite idea; for in the Mi-
chaelmas term, immediately after he quitted Westmin-
ster-hall, he entered on the province of reading them
at Oxford; and we are told by the author of his life,
that even at their commencement, such were the expec-
tations formed from the acknowledged abilities of the
lecturer, they were attended by a very crowded class of
young men of the first families, characters, and hopes;
but it was not till the year 1758, that the lectures in
the form they now bear were read at the university.
Mr Viner having by his will left not only the copy-
right of his abridgment, but other property to a con-
siderable amount, to the university of Oxford, to found
a professorship, fellowships, and scholarships of common
law, he was on the 20th of October 1758 unanimously
elected Vinerian professor; and on the 25th of the
same month read his first introductory lecture, which
he published at the request of the vice-chancellor and
heads of houses, and afterwards prefixed to the first
volume of his Commentaries. His lectures had now gained
such universal applause, that he was requested by a no-
ble personage who superintended the education of our
present sovereign then prince of Wales, to read them
to his Royal Highness; but as he was at that time en-
gaged to a numerous class of pupils in the university, he
thought he could not, consistently with that engagement,
comply with this request, and therefore declined it. But
he transmitted copies of many of them for the perusal of
his royal highness; who, far from being offended at an
excuse grounded on so honourable a motive, was pleased
to order a handsome gratuity to be presented to him.
It is doubtful whether the Commentaries were ori-
ginally intended for the press; but many imperfect
and incorrect copies having got abroad, and a pirated
edition of them being either published, or preparing
for publication in Ireland, the learned lecturer thought
proper to print a correct edition himself; and in No-
vember 1765 published the first volume, under the title
of Commentaries on the Laws of England; and in the
course of the four succeeding years, the remaining parts
of this admirable work. It ought to be remarked,
that before this period the reputation his lectures de-
servedly acquired him had induced him to resume his
practice in Westminster-hall; and in a course somewhat
inverted from the general progress of his profession, he
who had quitted the bar for an academic life, was sent
back from the college to the bar, with a considerable
increase of business. He was likewise elected into
parliament, first for Hindon, and afterwards for West-
bury in Wilts; but in neither of these departments
did he equal the expectations his writings had raised.
The part he took in the Middlesex election drew
upon him the attack of some persons of ability in the
senate, and likewise a severe animadversion of one of
the keenest polemical writers* in the paper-war of that
day. This circumstance probably strengthened the
aversion he professed to parliamentary attendance;
"where, (he said) amidst the rage of contending par-
tics,
ties, a man of moderation must expect to meet with no quarter from any side:" and when, on the resignation of Mr Dunning in 1770, he was offered the place of solicitor-general, he refused that office; but shortly afterwards, on the promotion of Sir Joseph Yates to a seat in the court of common-pleas, accepted a seat on the bench, and by the death of Sir Joseph succeeded him there also. As a judge, he was not inactive; but, when not occupied in the duties of his station, was generally engaged in some scheme of public utility. The act for detached houses for hard labour for convicts, as a substitute for transportation, owed its origin in a great measure to him.
It ought not to be omitted, that the last augmentation of the judges' salaries, calculated to make up the deficiencies occasioned by the heavy taxes they are subject to, and thereby render them more independent, was obtained in a great measure by his industry and attention. This respectable and valuable man died on the 14th of February 1780, in the 50th year of his age.