Tom Bingham, Baron Bingham of Cornhill
[1] The Baroness Hale of Richmond observed that his pioneering role in the formation of the United Kingdom Supreme Court may be his most important and long-lasting legacy.[4] After retiring from the judiciary in 2008, Bingham focused on teaching, writing, and lecturing on legal subjects, particularly the law of human rights.His father was born in Belfast,[5] a kinsman of the Earls of Lucan;[citation needed] his mother was from California before being raised on the Isle of Man.He enjoyed history, took up fell-walking, and developed a strong attachment to the Church of England; he was a Head of House and a School Prefect.He won an open scholarship to Balliol College, Oxford, first undertaking National Service from 1952 to 1954, as a second lieutenant in the Royal Ulster Rifles serving in Hong Kong.[18] Bingham succeeded Lord Donaldson as Master of the Rolls in 1992 and initiated significant reforms, including a move towards the replacement of certain oral hearings in major civil law cases.Bingham was a strong advocate of divorcing the judicial branch of the House of Lords from its legislative functions by setting up a new Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, which was accomplished under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005.As Master of the Rolls, Bingham served on the Advisory Council on Public Records, the Magna Carta Trust, and the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts.In 2009, Bingham became involved with Reprieve, a UK Charity,[25] as well as delivering the fourth annual Jan Grodecki Lecture at the University of Leicester, entitled The House of Lords: Its Future.[30] Diagnosed with lung cancer in 2009 (he was a non-smoker), Bingham died the following year, and is buried at St Cynog's Church at Boughrood in Powys, Wales.
Lord Bingham (disambiguation)The Right HonourableSenior Lord of Appeal in OrdinaryThe Lord Slynn of HadleyThe Lord Nicholls of BirkenheadThe Lord HoffmannThe Lord Browne-WilkinsonThe Lord Phillips of Worth MatraversLord Chief Justice of England and WalesLord MackayElizabeth IIThe Lord Taylor of GosforthThe Lord WoolfMaster of the RollsThe Lord Donaldson of LymingtonMaryleboneLondonBoughroodKate BinghamAlma materBalliol College, OxfordLord Chief JusticeSenior Law LordThe Baroness Hale of RichmondUnited Kingdom Supreme CourtThe Lord DenningThe Lord Hope of Craigheadhuman rightsOrwell PrizedoctorsReigateSurreyBelfastEarls of LucanCaliforniaIsle of ManBletchingleySedbergh Schoolfell-walkingChurch of EnglandNational Servicesecond lieutenantRoyal Ulster RiflesTerritorial ArmyPhilosophy, Politics, and EconomicsHistoryGray's InnOxfordbarristerBalliolJunior Common RoomAll Souls Collegethe BarEldon Law ScholarSomervilleMajor Gerald LoxleyNorthcott Court, HertfordshireJesse Normancalled to the BarLeslie ScarmanFountain Court ChamberstenantQueen's CounselStandingCounselDepartment of Employmentexplosion at a chemical plant at FlixboroughDr. David OwenUN sanctionsRhodesiaRecorderBencherHigh Court JudgeQueen’s Bench DivisionCommercial CourtknighthoodCourt of AppealPrivy CouncilBank of Credit and Commerce InternationalSupreme Court of the United KingdomLord DonaldsonEuropean Convention on Human RightsEnglish lawHuman Rights Act 1998Lord TaylorEngland and Waleslife peerLaw LordLord WoolfHouse of LordsConstitutional Reform Act 2005presidentScottish devolutionBelmarsh CaseterrorismHuman Rights ActOrder-in-CouncilChagos IslandersJudicial Committee of the Privy CouncilBelizeSt LuciaSt KittsBahamasdegreeDoctor of Civil Lawhonoris causaUniversity of OxfordHigh StewardLord PattenChancellorVisitorAdvisory Council on Public RecordsMagna Carta TrustRoyal Commission on Historical ManuscriptsPilgrim TrustHonorary FellowBritish AcademyKnight Bachelorthe GarterjudgesKnight Companion of the GarterLady SoamesSir John MajorUniversity of CambridgeUniversity of SouthamptonDoctor of Jurisprudence