Joseph Chitty

{{Short description|English lawyer and writer (1776–1841)}} {{for|his grandson, the English cricketer and judge, (1828–1899)|Joseph William Chitty}} '''Joseph Chitty''' (12 March 1776 – 17 February 1841) was an English lawyer and legal writer, author of some of the earliest practitioners' texts and founder of an important dynasty of lawyers.

==Life and practice== He was himself the son of a Joseph Chitty (1729–1795), and his wife, Sarah (''née'' Cartwright). He initially practised as a special pleader before being called to the bar by the Middle Temple on 28 June 1816. He never became a KC but built a huge junior practice at 1 Pump Court and published many books.<ref>{{cite DNB|wstitle=Chitty, Joseph|first=John Andrew |last=Hamilton|volume=10}}</ref>

Chitty was also pupil master to a generation of lawyers, including: *John Walter Hulme, his co-author and son-in-law, and the first Chief Justice of Hong Kong *Thomas Starkie<ref name="ODNB">Lobban (2004)</ref> *Edward Hall Alderson<ref>Hedley, S. (2004) "[http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/303 Alderson, Sir Edward Hall (bap. 1787, d. 1857)]", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, accessed 22 July 2007 (subscription required)</ref> *Thomas Noon Talfourd<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Talfourd, Sir Thomas Noon|volume=26|page=371}}</ref> *Henry Havelock.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Havelock, Sir Henry|volume=13|pages=79–80}}</ref>

In fact, at the time, the Inns of Court were in decline and Chitty organised lectures and moots, in 1810 being given permission to use the hall of Lincoln's Inn.<ref name="ODNB"/>

==Personality and later life== Despite his successful practice, by 1831, Chitty had amassed extensive debts that were costing almost £2,000 per year to service. Further, Chitty's health was in decline and he was becoming increasingly anxious about his parlous state. Much of his energy became taken up in avoiding the attentions of his creditors. He retired from practice in 1833 but continued to publish. He died in London<ref name="ODNB"/> and was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery.

==Family== He married Elizabeth Woodward, and they had eight children. Of those, Joseph Chitty the younger, Thomas Chitty, Edward Chitty, and Thompson Chitty were lawyers and legal writers:<ref name="ODNB"/>

Joseph the younger and Thompson were the first editors of the standard textbook ''Chitty on Contracts''.<ref name="ConC">{{cite book |title=Chitty on Contracts |edition=31st |volume=1 |location=London |publisher=Sweet & Maxwell |page=iii |date=2012 |isbn=9780414047990}}</ref>

Judge Joseph William Chitty was a grandson (son of Thomas Chitty).{{cn|date=December 2022}}

==Bibliography==

===By Chitty=== *Chitty, T. (1799) ''Treatise on Bills of Exchange'' *— (1808) ''Precedents of Pleading'' *— (1811a) ''Treatise on the Law of Apprentices'' *— (1811b) ''Treatise on the Game Laws'' *— (1812) ''Treatise on the Law of Nations'' *— (1818) ''Treatise on Commercial Law'' *— (1820) ''Treatise on the Law of the Prerogatives of the Crown'' *— (1826) ''A Practical Treatise on the Criminal Law'' *— (1829–37) ''Statutes of Practical Utility'' *— (1833) ''The Practice of the Law in All its Principal Departments''

==Notes== {{Reflist}}

==References== *{{ODNBweb|last=Lobban|first=Michael|id=5336|title=Chitty, Joseph, the elder (1775–1841) }} *{{ cite book | author=Simpson, A. W. B. | title=Biographical Dictionary of the Common Law | year=1984 | isbn=040651657X | location=London | publisher=Butterworths | title-link=Biographical Dictionary of the Common Law }}

==External links== {{Commonscatinline}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chitty, Joseph}} Category:1776 births Category:1841 deaths Category:English lawyers Category:English legal writers Category:English male non-fiction writers