History of the Circuit
The Circuits were started in 1176 when Henry II sent his judges on circuit to do justice in his name. This included the Northern Circuit, the old Northern counties of Lancashire, Yorkshire, Durham, Northumberland, Westmorland and Cumberland. By the 18th century, when our Circuit records start, the Assizes were a regular occurrence in all of the county towns of these: Lancaster, York, Durham, Newcastle, Appleby and Carlisle. Bar mess, regular barrister dining, was also well-established during the Assizes, when a coterie of barristers from London travelled round on the trail of the judges to attend trials before them alongside some local practitioners.
The Circuit was divided in 1876. That part to the west of the Pennines retained the old name and the lands to the east became the North Eastern Circuit. Both circuits have much in common and have maintained strong social and sporting links. In 2016 the North Eastern Circuit held Grand Court in Leeds to mark its 140th birthday, and the Northern Circuit was delighted to be represented there by its then leader, Andrew O’Byrne KC, and others.
In 1876 there were 62 barristers with chambers on Circuit. There were 29 in Liverpool, 32 in Manchester and one sole practitioner in Preston. Now we are over 1100 strong, 1250 if you include the current Bench and retired judges and barristers.
There are and have been many famous Circuiteers. F.E Smith (Lord Birkenhead) and Hartley Shawcross KC, who opened and closed the prosecution case against the Nazi war criminals at Nuremberg, were household names. Others who attained high distinction outside the law include John Buchan who wrote ‘The Thirty-Nine Steps,’ W.S. Gilbert, and James Boswell, a former Circuit Junior and the biographer of Dr Johnson.
Since 1876, the Circuit, which comprises approximately 10 percent of the Bar, has produced the following judges: Lord Chancellor (3); Law Lord (7); President of the Supreme Court (1); Lord Chief Justice (3); Master of the Rolls (3); President of the Queen’s Bench Division (1); President of the Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division (5); Senior President of Tribunals (1); Lord Justice of Appea (28); Lady Justice of Appeal (2); High Court Judge (94).
Our most eminent recent judge has undoubtedly been Baroness Hale of Richmond, who in 2017 was appointed President of the Supreme Court, having been Deputy-President since 2013.
In 2007, after a reorganisation of the legal landscape in Wales, the Circuit was strengthened by the welcome arrival of members of the Chester Bench and Bar led by the Recorder of Chester HHJ Elgan Edwards.
We are delighted to have a Northern Circuit Directory, 1876-2004 with its supplementary volume to mid-July 2016, produced by our previous (and much-missed) Remembrancer HHJ David Lynch.
We look forward to our history continuing and if you are a barrister in the North(West) please do join us.
David Hoffman
Circuit Remembrancer
October 2025