Middle Temple lawyers shape U.S.

The formative experiences of South Carolina colonists who studied law at the Middle Temple Inn of Court in London during the 18th century did not simply benefit a group of distinguished and notable families in the New World. They also exerted influence on crucial events leading to the American Revolution.

The Hon. Eric Stockdale, a retired English judge and author, will discuss the subject as addressed in his book "Middle Temple Lawyers and The American Revolution" (Thomson West) at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Charleston Museum auditorium. A reception follows.

Co-authored with Justice Randy J. Holland of the Delaware Supreme Court, Stockdale's book reveals that more than 60 South Carolinians studied law at the Middle Temple during the Colonial period, more than any other American Colony. Some became leaders in the Revolution and founders of the United States, among them Peter Manigault, three Rutledges and five Pinckneys. Other "Middle Templars" would serve as post-Revolutionary War "ambassadors."

The book describes how lawyers from the Middle Temple settled Jamestown in 1607 and how the more than 100 American lawyers who studied at the Middle Temple had a lasting impact in bringing the rule of law to America. Five of those lawyers signed the Declaration of Independence, seven signed the U.S. Constitution.

For 22 years, Stockdale practiced as a barrister from chambers in the Temple, before serving another 22 years as a circuit judge in Hertfordshire.

He has a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics, has qualified as a member of the California Bar, is a Bachelor of the Middle Temple and a Visiting Professor at the University of Hertfordshire.

Stockdale's previous book, "Tis Treason, My Good Man! Four Revolutionary Presidents and a Piccadilly Bookshop" (Oak Knoll Press), also was partly inspired by the 18th-century American links with that Inn of Court.

Neither Stockdale's book nor his address are confined to a scholarly tone. He and Holland were keen to note the "perils" that the Middle Templars from the "provinces" faced in London: "women, alcohol, smoking, gambling, idleness and diversions to, and at the theaters and pleasure gardens."

Letters home to sometimes ill-at-ease parents thousands of miles distant yield some amusing quotes.

Manigault reported to his parents in South Carolina, "I am become a perfect Englishman ... a mug of porter stands a poor chance when I met it, and I like red wine better than Madeira."

The event is sponsored by the Charleston School of Law and the South Carolina Historical Society. It is being supported in part by a grant from The Post and Courier Foundation.

Reach Bill Thompson at bthompson@postandcourier.com or 937-5707.