See Also: Hale, Sir Matthew(encyclopedia)
hale(dictionary)
hale(7)(dictionary)
hale(6)(dictionary)
hale(5)(dictionary)
hale(4)(dictionary)
hale(3)(dictionary)
hale(2)(dictionary)
hale(1)(dictionary)
Arnold, Matthew(dictionary)

Hale, Sir Matthew (sh)




born Nov. 1, 1609, Alderley, Gloucestershire, Eng.
died Dec. 25, 1676, Alderley

British legal scholar.

Orphaned at age 5, he planned to become a minister but ultimately chose the study of law. He defended Archbishop William Laud and other Royalists during the English Civil Wars (1642-51). As a justice of the Court of Common Pleas (1654-58) and a member of Parliament (1654-60), he played a major role in reforming the legal system and promoting the restoration of Charles II. He later became chief baron of the Exchequer (1660) and chief justice of the King's Bench (1671-76). One of the greatest scholars of the history of English common law, he is best known for his History of the Pleas of the Crown (published 1736).