Gresham Professor of Law


The Professor of Law at Gresham College, London, gives free educational lectures to the general public. The college was founded for this purpose in 1596/7, when it appointed seven professors. This has since increased to ten and in addition the college now has visiting professors. The Professor of Law is always appointed by the Mercers' Side of the Joint Grand Gresham Committee, a body administered jointly by the Worshipful Company of Mercers and the City of London Corporation.

List of Gresham Professors of Law

Note, years given as, say, 1596/7 refer to Old Style and New Style dates.
NameStarted
1Henry MowtloweMarch 1596/7
2Clement CorbetMay 1607
3Thomas Eden10 Nov 1613
4Benjamin Thorneton27 July 1640
5Joshua Crosse29 March 1644
6Thomas Leonard4 May 1649
7John Bond12 March 1649/50
8Benjamin Thorneton23 Oct 1660
9Richard Pearson8 Oct 1667
10John Clarke9 August 1670
11Roger Meredith7 March 1672/3
12Robert Briggs7 Feb 1686/7
13John Cumyng1 May 1719
14William Mace30 August 1744
15Joseph Jeffries20 May 1767
16T Taylor23 Jan 1784
17William Jocelyn Palmer14 Jan 1808
18William Palmer5 Feb 1836
19John Thomas Abdy18 June 1858
20George Holmes Blakesley23 April 1896
21William Blake Odgers27 March 1907
22Geoffrey Walter Wrangham22 May 1925
23William Arthian Davies16 March 1934
1939-45 Lectures in abeyance1939-45 Lectures in abeyance1939-45 Lectures in abeyance
24Eric Sachs6 June 1946
25Richard O'Sullivan6 July 1950
26Richard Jon Harvey1962
27R F V Heuston1965
28P. R. Glazebrook1971
29Clive M. Schmitthoff1976–86?
30Kenneth R. Simmonds1988
31Sir David Calcutt QC1 Sept 1992
32Simon Lee1 Sept 1995
33Gerald Wakefield1 Sept 1998
34Richard Susskind OBE1 Sept 2000
35Vernon Bogdanor CBE FBA1 Sept 2004
36Ruth Deech, Baroness Deech DBE1 Sept 2008
37Sir Geoffrey Nice QC2012
37Jo Delahunty QC2016