James Parker

Who was James Parker?

Sir James Parker was a British barrister who became Vice Chancellor of the High Court.

Parker was born in Glasgow, the son of Charles Stuart Parker and his wife Mary Rainey. He was educated at Glasgow Grammar School and Trinity College, Cambridge. In 1829, he was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn and was an equity draftsman and conveyancer. He practiced on the Northern circuit and became Queen's Counsel in 1844. Parker purchased the estate of Rothley Temple from his father-in-law Thomas Babington in 1845.

Parker became Vice-Chancellor of the High Court in 1851 and received a knighthood. However he died the following year at the age of 49 from angina pectoris and was buried in the chapel at Rothley.

Parker married Mary Babington, third daughter of Thomas Babington in 1829. Their daughter Susan Emma Parker married Archibald Smith and their son James Parker was a successful rower. Parker was the uncle of Charles Stuart Parker MP.