# George James Turner > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/George_James_Turner > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/George_James_Turner.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_James_Turner > Source revision: 1348797976 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) For the barrister and legal historian, see [G. J. Turner](/source/G._J._Turner). English barrister, politician and judge **Sir George James Turner**, FRS (5 February 1798 – 9 July 1867) was an English barrister, politician and judge. He became a Lord Justice of Appeal in chancery. ## Life **Arms:** *Sable a chevron Ermine between three millrinds Or on a chief Argent a lion passant Gules*. **Crest:** *A lion passant Gules holding in the dexter paw a branch of laurel Vert*.[1] Born at [Great Yarmouth](/source/Great_Yarmouth) on 5 February 1798, he was the youngest of eight sons of Richard Turner, for many years the vicar there; [William Turner](/source/William_Turner_(envoy)) was his elder brother. George was educated at [Charterhouse School](/source/Charterhouse_School) and then at Pembroke College, Cambridge, where his uncle [Joseph Turner](/source/Joseph_Turner_(priest)) was Master. He graduated B.A. in 1819, was elected a Fellow, and proceeded M.A. in 1822. He was [called to the bar](/source/Called_to_the_bar) at [Lincoln's Inn](/source/Lincoln's_Inn) in 1821.[2][3] After building up an extensive practice as a junior counsel, Turner was made a [Queen's Counsel](/source/Queen's_Counsel) in 1840. In 1847 he was elected, in the Conservative interest, Member of Parliament for [Coventry](/source/Coventry_(UK_Parliament_constituency)), and represented the borough until his promotion to the bench in April 1851. He introduced and carried the measure known as "Turner's Act" ([Court of Chancery (England) Act 1850](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Court_of_Chancery_(England)_Act_1850&action=edit&redlink=1), *An Act to diminish the delay and expense of proceedings in the High Court of Chancery in England*), intended to simplify parts of the machinery of the [Court of Chancery](/source/Court_of_Chancery).[2][4] In April 1851, Turner was appointed a [Vice-Chancellor of England](/source/Vice-Chancellor_of_England), and received the customary knighthood. In the same year he was sworn a member of the Privy Council. In 1852 he was on the chancery reform commission, and in 1853 he became a Lord Justice of Appeal in chancery, keeping the position until his death, which took place on 9 July 1867 at 23 Park Crescent, London. He was buried at [Kelshall](/source/Kelshall), near [Royston, Hertfordshire](/source/Royston%2C_Hertfordshire).[2] Turner was a bencher of Lincoln's Inn, a governor of Charterhouse School, and a [Fellow of the Royal Society](/source/Fellow_of_the_Royal_Society). On 7 June 1853 he had received the honorary degree of D.C.L. from the university of Oxford. As a judge he opposed attempts to narrow the limits of the jurisdiction of the chancery court, and made efforts to expand its remedial powers to meet contemporary developments.[2] ## Works In 1832 Turner edited a volume of chancery reports dealing with cases between 1822 and 1824, with [James Russell](/source/James_Russell_(law_reporter)).[2] ## Family Turner married, in 1823, Louisa, youngest daughter of Edward Jones of [Brackley, Northamptonshire](/source/Brackley%2C_Northamptonshire), by whom he had six sons, including [Bishop James Turner](/source/James_Turner_(bishop)), and three daughters.[2] ## Notes 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** *Debrett's Illustrated House of Commons and Judicial Bench*. 1867. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-DNB_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-DNB_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-DNB_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-DNB_2-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-DNB_2-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-DNB_2-5) [Lee, Sidney](/source/Sidney_Lee), ed. (1899). ["Turner, George James"](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography,_1885-1900/Turner,_George_James). *[Dictionary of National Biography](/source/Dictionary_of_National_Biography)*. Vol. 57. London: [Smith, Elder & Co](/source/Smith%2C_Elder_%26_Co). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Turner, George James (TNR814GJ)"](https://venn.lib.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/search-2018.pl?sur=&suro=w&fir=&firo=c&cit=&cito=c&c=all&z=all&tex=TNR814GJ&sye=&eye=&col=all&maxcount=50). *A Cambridge Alumni Database*. University of Cambridge. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Kanaga Dharmananda; Anthony Papamatheos (2009). [*Perspectives on Declaratory Relief*](https://books.google.com/books?id=g85s169UeY0C&pg=PA131). Federation Press. pp. 131–2. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-86287-726-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-86287-726-9). **Attribution** This article incorporates text from a publication now in the [public domain](/source/Public_domain): [Lee, Sidney](/source/Sidney_Lee), ed. (1899). "[Turner, George James](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography,_1885-1900/Turner,_George_James)". *[Dictionary of National Biography](/source/Dictionary_of_National_Biography)*. Vol. 57. London: [Smith, Elder & Co](/source/Smith%2C_Elder_%26_Co). Authority control databases International VIAF WorldCat National United States Israel Other SNAC --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [George James Turner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_James_Turner) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_James_Turner?action=history)). 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