Peter Benson Maxwell

Maxwell circa 1921
Maxwell circa 1921

Peter Benson Maxwell (31 January 1817 – 14 January 1893) was a colonial judge and legal writer.

Peter Benson Maxwell was born on 31 January 1817,[1] the fourth son of Reverend Peter Benson Maxwell of Birdstown, County Donegal, Ireland.[2] He attended Trinity College Dublin.[1] He was called to the bar of the Middle Temple on 19 November 1841.[3]

Maxwell was the recorder of Penang (then called Prince of Wales Island) from 1856 to 1866 and of Singapore from 1866 to 1871.[3] He became the chief justice of the Straits Settlements in 1867, remaining in office until 1871.[3]

His legal treatise, On the Interpretation of Statutes,[4] was first published in 1875 and was in its 12th edition as of 1976.[1] He also wrote a book titled The Duties of Police Magistrates (1871).[2]

Maxwell was knighted on 30 January 1856.[3] He died on 14 January 1893.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d Hooker, M. Barry (1984). "Maxwell, Sir Peter Benson". In Simpson, A. W. B. (ed.). Biographical Dictionary of the Common Law. Butterworths. pp. 357–358. OCLC 1148031153.
  2. ^ a b Hutchinson, John (1902). A Catalogue of Notable Middle Templars, with Brief Biographical Notices. London: Butterworths. OCLC 1041790792.
  3. ^ a b c d Foster, Joseph (1885). Men-at-the-Bar (2d ed.). London: Hazell, Watson & Viney Ltd. p. 310.
  4. ^ Anger, Suzy (2005). Victorian Interpretation. Cornell University Press. pp. 56–57. ISBN 978-0-8014-6479-9. OCLC 769190455.