Judge Advocate of New South Wales
Judge in the colony of New South Wales, Australia / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Judge Advocate of New South Wales, also referred to as the Deputy Judge Advocate was a ranking judicial officer in the Colony of New South Wales until the abolition of the role in 1823.[1]
Before the First Fleet sailed from England to colonise New South Wales, Marine Captain David Collins was appointed Deputy Judge Advocate of the colony, and Judge Advocate of the marines.[1]
The Judge Advocate held office in several courts.
- He was one of a bench of two justices of the peace in the Magistrates' Court.[lower-alpha 1][1]
- He was president of the Court of Criminal Jurisdiction.[1]
- He was one of a bench of three judges in the Court of Civil Jurisdiction until its abolition in 1814.[lower-alpha 2][1]
- In the Court of Appeal of New South Wales, he was advisor to the colony's Governor, who was the sole appeal judge.[1]
From 1814,
- He was assessor of the High Court of Appeal of New South Wales.[1]
- He was one of a bench of three magistrates in the Governors Court.[1]
David Collins held office from 1788 until 1796. He was temporarily replaced by Richard Bowyer Atkins until Richard Dore arrived in 1798. Dore was the first judge-advocate with legal qualifications. He died in 1800. Atkins was re-appointed and held office until late 1809, although he was temporarily deposed during the Rum Rebellion of 1808.
At the end of 1809, Ellis Bent, a barrister, arrived from England to take up the appointment as judge-advocate. He held the office until his death on 10 November 1815.