Part of Gray's Inn Square The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known simply as Gray's Inn , is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales , an individual must belong to one of these Inns. The Inn has existed for over 600 years. Its members have included many noted lawyers and judges, such as Francis Bacon , Lord Slynn , Lord Bingham of Cornhill , Lord Hoffmann , Lord Pannick and others. Outside the Bar and judiciary of England and Wales, members have included the clergy (including five Archbishops of Canterbury ), the industrialist John Wynne , the astonomer John Lee , media figures, such as Huw Thomas , and members of the Bar and judiciary of other nations, such as Yang Ti-liang (former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Hong Kong ) and Aitzaz Ahsan (former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan ). As well as full members, the Inn also offers honorary membership to particularly distinguished members of society. During the Second World War , for example, both Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill became honorary Benchers , and therefore members. Other than honorary members, this list only contains those individuals who were called to the Bar, not those who simply joined but left before qualifying.
Lawyers
Call
Name
Noted for
Notes
1540
Nicholas Barham
Serjeant-at-Law who investigated and prosecuted the Ridolfi plot
1583
Thomas Ashe legal writer and qualified barrister , although he never practised the law
1585
Henry Finch legal writer
1674
William Atwood Lawyer and writer
1792
John Bell Considered the best equity barrister of his age, even though he could "neither read, write, walk, nor talk"
1922
B. R. Ambedkar Indian polymath, jurist, economist, politician and social reformer and the father of the Indian Constitution
1937
Jack Hamson legal writer and jurist of comparative and common law, President of the International Academy of Comparative Law
1959
Christopher Bathurst English barrister with a successful practice who became a Queen's Counsel in 1978 before inheriting a hereditary peerage and joining the House of Lords
1961
Samuel Eson Johnson Ecoma former Chief Judge of Cross River State, Nigeria.
1967
Aitzaz Ahsan Pakistani advocate, President of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan
1967
Michael Mansfield
King's Counsel and head of chambers at Nexus Chambers
1977
Francis Chang-Sam
Seychelles advocate, former Registrar General of Seychelles and Attorney-General of Seychelles. He also headed the secretariat of the Constitution of the Third Republic of Seychelles.
1980
Noor Dean Fiji Indian lawyer and politician
1988
Roger Tan Kor Mee Malaysian advocate & solicitor, former member of the Malaysian Bar Council and now a Water Commissioner of Malaysia.
Judiciary
Politicians
Call
Name
Noted for
Notes
1355
Robert Ashton
Lord Chancellor of Ireland , Lord High Treasurer
1515
Robert Aske Politician and rebel who led the Pilgrimage of Grace
1524
Thomas Cromwell Chief minister to King Henry VIII of England from 1532 to 1540
1533
Nicholas Bacon Lord Keeper of the Great Seal
1552
Christopher Yelverton Speaker of the House of Commons
1554
Thomas Snagge Speaker of the British House of Commons and Attorney-General for Ireland
1560
John Brograve Member of Parliament for Preston , Attorney General of the Duchy of Lancaster
1565
Edward Bacon
Member of Parliament for Great Yarmouth and Tavistock
1582
Francis Bacon Politician and statesman who served as Lord Chancellor and Attorney General
1617
Nathaniel Bacon Member of Parliament for Ipswich
1631
John Cooke Solicitor General
1644
Levinus Bennet Member of Parliament for Cambridgeshire
1648
William Brodrick Member of the Sealed Knot , Surveyor General of Ireland, Member of Parliament for Dungarvan in the Irish House of Commons
1658
William Williams Solicitor General and Speaker of the House of Commons
1673
Thomas Allen Lord Mayor of the City of London
1682
Alexander Pendarves Member of Parliament for Penryn , Saltash , Helston , and Launceston
1718
Hugh Williams Member of Parliament for Anglesey
1839
George Hammond Whalley Member of Parliament for Peterborough
1871
William Bowen Rowlands Member of Parliament for Ceredigion
1885
Sidney Webb
Member of Parliament for Seaham , President of the Board of Trade , Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs , Secretary of State for the Colonies , Co-founder London School of Economics
1894
F.E. Smith Lord Chancellor, Secretary of State for India
1910
Khabeeruddin Ahmed Member Bengal Legislative Council
1922
David Maxwell Fyfe Solicitor General, Attorney General, Lord Chancellor and Home Secretary
1922
Hartley Shawcross Attorney General
1923
Grantley Herbert Adams Premier of Barbados
1924
Ba Maw Prime Minister of Burma
1933
Leslie Goonewardene Sri Lankan independence activist and founder of the nation's first political party, the Lanka Sama Samaja Party . Also served in cabinet post.
1935
Elwyn Jones Attorney General, Lord Chancellor
1944
Emrys Roberts Member of Parliament for Merioneth
1948
Noor Hassanali The first Indo-Trinidadian to hold the office of President of Trinidad and Tobago and was the first Muslim Head of State in the Americas
1950
Glafcos Clerides Fourth President of the Republic of Cyprus
1954
Spyros Kyprianou Second President of the Republic of Cyprus
1954
Tassos Papadopoulos Fifth President of the Republic of Cyprus
1959
John "Tom" Adams Premier of Barbados
1959
Lalith Athulathmudali Sri Lankan Member of Parliament and Minister of Education
1975
Vera Baird Solicitor General for England and Wales
Clergy
Other
Honorary members
See also
