Joseph Chitty

Background

He was himself the son of a Joseph Chitty (1729–1795), and his wife, Sarah née Cartwright.

Career

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 Chitty was also pupil master to a generation of lawyers, including:

Thomas Starkie;

Edward Hall Alderson;

Thomas Noon Talfourd.

And

Henry Havelock.

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. Despite his successful practice, by 1831, Chitty had amassed extensive debts that were costing almost GBP2,000 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.

Of those, Joseph Chitty the younger, Thomas Chitty, Edward Chitty, and Tompson Chitty were lawyers and legal writers.

The judge Joseph William Chitty was a son of Thomas Chitty. Musician Gus Unger-Hamilton is Joseph Chitty"s great great great great great grandson.

Works

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  • Chitty's Treatise On Pleading And Parties To Actions, With A Second Volume Containing Modern Precedents Of Pleadings, And Practical Notes

    (Hardcover reprint of the original 1876 edition; hardbound...)

  • A Treatise On the Law of the Prerogatives of the Crown: And the Relative Duties and Rights of the Subject by Joseph Chitty (2015-08-08)
  • A Treatise on the Law of the Prerogatives of the Crown by Joseph Chitty (2010-09-13)
  • Precedents in Pleading, Vol. 2 of 2: With Copious Notes on Practice, Pleading and Evidence (Classic Reprint) by Joseph Chitty (2016-09-02)
  • Chitty on contracts (The common law library)