John Frederick Archbold

Who is John Frederick Archbold?

John Frederick Archbold, legal writer, was the second son of John Archbold of Co. Dublin. He was admitted a student of Lincoln's Inn on 3 May 1809, and was called to the bar on 5 May 1814. From the beginning of his career Archbold devoted himself to compiling legal treatises. In 1811 he brought out an annotated edition of Blackstone's "Commentaries", with an analysis and an epitome of the work. In 1813, he issued the first volume of "A Digest of Pleas of the Crown", a compilation of all the statutes, adjudged cases, and other authorities upon the subject. This was one of three volumes of "A Digest of Criminal Law", which Archbold had prepared for the press, but as several books on the subject appeared about the same time he did not issue the other two volumes.

In 1819, he published the first edition of what was perhaps his most notable work, "The Practice of the Court of King's Bench in Personal Actions and Ejectments". Previous to its appearance, "The Practice of the Court of King's Bench in Personal Actions" by William Tidd, was the leading work on the subject; but, while it maintained its place in the United States, it was largely superseded in England by Archbold's book, which was more explicit in regard to forms of procedure. Archbold's "Practice" went through fourteen editions. The third edition was edited by Thomas Chitty, who added to it the "Practice of the Courts of Common Pleas and Exchequer", and the ninth edition, which appeared in 1855-6, was edited by Samuel Prentice. The fourteenth edition, published in 1885, was revised by Thomas Willes Chitty and John William St. Lawrence Leslie.