William, Lord Mansfield, was born William Murray on 2 March 1705 in Perth, Scotland, the son of the fifth Viscount Stormont. William became Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench through indefatigable energy and considerable intelligence. He began his education at Perth grammar school but left Scotland for London at the age of 14 and studied first at Westminster School, then at Christ Church, Oxford, where he shone at classics, notably translating Cicero from Latin to English, then back again, to develop his mastery of the language and of rhetoric. He entered Lincoln's Inn in April 1724, whilst still a student at Oxford, achieved his BA in 1727 and was called to the bar on 23 November 1730. He established himself in chambers at No. 5 King's Bench Walk in the Inner Temple and quickly…
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Citation: Clark, Robert. "William Murray, first Lord Mansfield". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 25 March 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=12059, accessed 23 November 2024.]