William Musgrave

This is possibly the William Musgrave who defended Arthur Hodge in Tortola in 1811. Vere Langford Oliver shows him as the brother of Anthony and Richard Musgrave and later of Cape of Good Hope, where a Puisne Judge named William Musgrave died c. 1854. Secondary materlal on the Hodge trial connects the William Musgrave of Tortola to the Cape of Good Hope judge, although suggested life-dates of 1792-1854 would make him very young to have been active on Tortola in 1811.

1. William Musgrave was a 'rising barrister in the Antiguan bar' in 1815: his brother Dr Anthony Musgrave was a partner with Dr M.H. Daniell.

2. "MARRIED. On Tuesday, the 11th of June, at St. John's church, in the Island of Antigua, by special licence, by the Hon. and Rev. J. W. Harman, the Hon. Wm. Musgrave, Solicitor General, to Anna Elizabeth Lucy, eldest daughter of his Excellency Sir Benj. D'Urban, K.C. B. K.T.S. K.G.O. and Governor of the Islands of Antigua, Montserrat, and Barbuda. lmmediately after the ceremony the bride and bridegroom set out for Dow's Hill. There was a ball at Government House in the evening, which was attended by all the principal families in the island."

T71/877 Antigua claim no. 128 (Belmont's). John Andrew, The hanging of Arthur Hodge p. 186; Stephen Girvin, 'The Architects of the Mixed Legal System', in R. Zimmerman and D. P. Visser (eds.) Southern Cross: Civil Law and Common Law in South Africa, p. 100 (which gives life dates of 1792-1854, and shows Musgrave as Solicitor-General of Antigua c. 1815 and as 'the first English-born advocate admitted to practice at the Cape bar' in 1836. The will of William Musgrave of Harley Street proved 24/05/1844 PROB 11/1999. appears to have been of a different man, the son of Christopher Musgrave and Ann Elizabeth nee Archer.

1. LondJMed 03/05/1852 p. 495 Obituary, Musgrave, Anthony http://www.bmj.com/content/s2-4/41/495.full.pdf [accessed 07/02/2011.

2. Norfolk Chronicle 27/07/1822.

We are grateful to Peter Selley for his assistance with this entry.