James Mansfield
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Sir James Mansfield (originally Manfield), PC (1733-May 23, 1821) was a British lawyer, judge and politician. He was twice Solicitor General and served as Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1799 to 1814.
The son of John James Manfield of Ringwood, Hampshire, he was educated at Eton and King's College, Cambridge. Born James Manfield, he added the "s" in his surname while at Cambridge. He was called to the Bar, Middle Temple, in 1758, began a successful practice and was made a King's Counsel in 1772. He then turned to politics and was elected to the House of Commons for Cambridge University in 1779. Already the following year Mansfield was appointed Solicitor General in the government of Lord North, a post he held until March 1782. When Lord North returned to power in November 1783, he was again appointed Solicitor General. However, the government was dismissed already the following month. In the April 1784 general election Mansfield lost his seat, and was never to re-enter parliament.
His political career over, he returned to his legal practice. In 1799 Mansfield was appointed Chief Justice of Chester. He remained in this post until April 1804, when he was appointed Chief Justice of the Common Pleas and knighted. In May of the same year he was also admitted to the Privy Council. When the Whigs came to power in 1806 after the death of William Pitt the Younger, Mansfield was offered the post of Lord Chancellor, but declined. He remained Chief Justice of the Common Pleas until 1814, when he retired from public life.
Mansfield died in May 1821 in his 88th year. His grandson General William Mansfield was a noted military commander, and was created Baron Sandhurst in 1871.
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| Legal Offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by James Wallace |
Solicitor General for England and Wales 1780–1782 |
Succeeded by John Lee |
| Preceded by John Lee |
Solicitor General for England and Wales 1783 |
Succeeded by Richard Pepper Arden |
