King's Advocate

The King's Advocate (or Queen's Advocate when the monarch was female) was one of the Law Officers of the Crown. He represented the Crown in the ecclesiastical courts of the Church of England, where cases were argued not by barristers but by advocates (see Doctor's Commons). In the nineteenth century much of the jurisdiction of the ecclesiastical courts was transferred to other courts, firstly the Courts of Probate and Divorce and Matrimonial Causes and eventually the Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division of the High Court of Justice. The position of Queen's Advocate remained vacant after the resignation of Sir Travers Twiss in 1872.

Use in colonies and extraterritorial jurisdictions

In some British colonies and extraterritorial British courts, the principal British Government lawyer was called the King's Advocate, Queen's Advocate or Crown Advocate. For example, before the British Supreme Court for China and Japan and in Malta the principal British Government lawyer was called the Crown Advocate. In Cyprus, he was referred to as the King's Advocate. The Attorney General of Sri Lanka was known as the King's Advocate or Queen's Advocate between 1833 and 1884.

King's/Queen's Advocates

incomplete before the 18th century
3 March 1609 Sir Henry (Martin) Marten^[1]
1625: Sir Thomas Ryves
25 July 1701: Sir John Cooke
13 January 1715: Sir Nathaniel Lloyd
26 January 1727: George Paul
23 April 1755: George Hay
11 September 1764: James Marriott
2 November 1778: William Wynne
6 November 1798: John Nicholl
1 March 1809: Sir Christopher Robinson
28 February 1828: Sir Herbert Jenner
18 October 1834: John Dodson (knighted 29 October 1834)
5 March 1852: John Dorney Harding (knighted 24 March 1852)
12 September 1862: Robert Joseph Phillimore (knighted 17 September 1862)
27 August 1867: Travers Twiss (knighted 4 November 1867)

References

^ "TribalPages - Family Trees, Genealogy". Sirhenrymarten1562to1641.tribalpages.com.

Other sources

Joseph Haydn and Horace Ockerby, The Book of Dignities, London 1894, reprinted Bath 1969, p. 422
Edward William Brabrook, paper on the Office of the King's Advocate-General, delivered 16 January 1879, recorded in Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of London, second series, vol. VIII, p. 13-21

Judiciary of England and Wales

Courts

Current	Court of equity Supreme Court Privy Council Court of Appeal High Court Court of Protection Crown Court High Court of Chivalry Magistrates' Court
Former	Court of Appeal in Chancery Assize Court Court for Crown Cases Reserved Court of Common Pleas Court of Chancery Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Court of Exchequer Court of Great Sessions in Wales Court of High Commission Court of King's Bench Court of Probate Star Chamber

Justices

Current	Lord Chief Justice Master of the Rolls Court of Appeal judge High Court judge Circuit judge Recorder of London Recorder of Liverpool Recorder of Manchester Common Serjeant of London
Former	Lord Chancellor Lords of Appeal in Ordinary Chief Justice of the Common Pleas Chief Baron of the Exchequer Justice of the King's Bench Justice of the Common Pleas Justice of Chester