, an English civilian, was born at Heavy-Tree, near Exeter in Devonshire,
, an English civilian, was born at
Heavy-Tree, near Exeter in Devonshire, 1580, of a considerable family, and was the younger brother of Nicholas
Duck, recorder of Exeter. At the age of fifteen he was
entered of Exeter college, Oxford, took his degree of B. A.
and became a fellow-commoner in 1599. From thence he
removed to Hart-hall, took his master’s degree, and afterwards was elected fellow of All-souls but his genius leading him to the study of the civil law, he took his degree of
doctor in that faculty.* He travelled into France, Italy,
and Germany; and, after his return, was made chancellor
of the diocese of Bath and Wells. He was afterwards
made chancellor of London, and at length master of the
requests: but the confusions, which were then beginning,
probably hindered him from rising higher. In 1640 he
was elected burgess for Minehead in Somersetshire, and
soon after siding with king Charles in the time of the rebellion, became a great sufferer in the fortunes of his family, being stripped by the usurpers of 2000l. In 1648
he was sent for by his majesty to Newport in the Isle of
Wight, to assist in his treaty with the commissioners from
the parliament; but, that treaty not succeeding, he retired
to his habitation at Chiswick near London, where he died
in May 1649, but in Smith’s obituary he is said to have
died in December preceding. He was an excellent
civilian, a man of piety, a tolerable poet, especially in his
younger days, and very well versed in history, ecclesiastical as well as civil. His only defect was a harshness of
voice in pleading. He left behind him, “Vita Henrici
Chichele,
” &c. Oxon. De usu & authoritate Juris Civilis Romanorum in dominiisprincipmn Christianorum:
” a very useful and entertaining work, which has
been printed several times at home and abroad, and is
added to De Ferriere’s “History of Civil Law,
”
, an English civilian, chancellor of the dioceses of Durham, Hereford,
, an English civilian, chancellor of
the dioceses of Durham, Hereford, and Llandaff, and
commissary of Essex, Herts, and Surrey, was the son of
Dr. John Harris, bishop of Llandaff, who died in 1738.
The time of his son’s birth we have not been able to ascertain. He was, however, a member of Oriel college, Oxford, where he took his degree of bachelor of laws in May
1745, and that of doctor in the same faculty in May 1750,
in which last year he was admitted into the college of advocates. Here he proved himself an eminent pleader, although not a masterly orator, and enriched himself by
very extensive practice. He died at his house in Doctors’
Commons, April 19, 1796, leaving his very extensive property mostly to charitable uses. Among the very
munificent items in his will, were 40,000l. to St. George’s hospital; 20,000l. to Hetherington’s charity for the blind;
15,000l. to the Westminster lying-in hospital, and 5000l.
to the Hereford infirmary. He also was in his life-time a
benefactor to the funds of the society of advocates. In
1752 he published a pamphlet, entitled “Observations
upon the English Language, in a letter to a friend,
” 8vo,
relating to the common mistakes in spelling, pronunciation,
and accent. This was anonymous; but he afterwards published with his name, “D. Justiniani Institutionum, Libri
quatuor; and a translation of them into English, with
notes,
”