Edward Marshall Hall facts for kids
Sir Edward Marshall Hall, KC (16 September 1858 – 24 February 1927) was an English barrister who had a formidable reputation as an orator. He successfully defended many people accused of notorious murders and became known as "The Great Defender".
Marshall Hall practised as a barrister in the late Victorian and Edwardian eras, when the public took a great interest in the sensational court cases of the day. Big criminal and civil trials were widely reported on by the popular press on a daily basis. As a consequence, he and other successful barristers of the day became very famous. The widespread belief that he was a much better orator than a lawyer may explain his failure to achieve elevation to the High Court Bench, which was a source of great disappointment to him.
Personal life
Born in Brighton, the son of the eminent physician Alfred Hall, Marshall Hall was educated at Rugby School and St John's College, Cambridge. Unusually, he left Cambridge after his fourth term to embark on what would now be regarded as a gap year in Paris and Australia, before returning to complete his law degree. In 1882 he married Ethel Moon. The marriage was unhappy; the couple were never compatible and were frequently apart. They were legally separated in 1889. Hall subsequently married Henriette "Hetty" Kroeger, with whom he had one daughter, Elna. His elder brother was John Cressy-Hall, a first-class cricketer and merchant. His brother, despite initial business success, later lived in poverty in South Africa. Marshall Hall supported him financially, sending money to him via Archdeacon Gaul, which John resented.
Camden Town Murder
In November 1907 Marshall Hall was briefed in a case which contributed to his reputation as "The Great Defender". On 12 September 1907, Bertram Shaw returned home during the evening to find his room locked. He borrowed a key from a neighbour and, upon entering, found his fiancée Emily Dimmock (known as Phyllis) murdered, lying on the bed. Nothing much had been taken from the flat, and the motive was a mystery; the case quickly became a sensation.
The police investigation, led by Inspector Neill, eventually centred on Robert Wood. Wood was in a relationship with Ruby Young, who recognised his handwriting on a postcard found in Dimmock's room. Wood was put on trial for the murder with Marshall Hall as his defence counsel. Marshall Hall, along with his junior Wellesley Orr, had reservations about Wood giving evidence. This concern was realised when Marshall Hall commenced his examination in chief with: "Robert Wood, did you kill Emily Dimmock?" Wood remained silent, forcing Marshall Hall to repeat the question. Wood then answered, "I mean, it's ridiculous."; a response which risked antagonising the jury. Despite Wood's poor performance as a witness, including cross-examination from senior Treasury Counsel, Sir Charles Mathews, Marshall Hall impressed the court with his rigorous cross-examination of witnesses and convincing oratory style. His closing statement was reported to have been so persuasive that a juror apparently fainted during its conclusion. Mr Justice Grantham, mid-summing up, departed from the pro-conviction stance he was expected to take and made it clear he thought the jury should acquit. They did so after retiring for only 15 minutes between 7.45 and 8pm.
Marshall Hall's spirited defence had persuaded almost all in the court of Wood's innocence and caused a large crowd to gather outside the Old Bailey. The huge cheer that went up in courtroom number one was repeated outside. Performances in London theatres were stopped for the verdict to be announced, one announcement was delivered from the stage by Mrs Beerbohm Tree who had been a spectator in the court.
Green bicycle case
One of the most famous cases was R v Light, known as the Green Bicycle Case, which took place near Leicester in 1919. Marshall Hall obtained an acquittal, despite what seemed like overwhelming circumstantial evidence against the defendant. This evidence included: the fact that the defendant, Ronald Light, had been seen cycling with the victim, Bella Wright, on the day of her death, on a green bicycle; had possessed at one time a revolver similar to the one used to fire the shot that killed her; had discarded that green bicycle in the canal after filing off all of the identifying numbers; and had thrown away a holster and ammunition for the type of revolver used in the murder. He also lied to the police. A full transcript of the evidence and submissions of counsel do not appear to have survived, but from what remains of the closing speech of Marshall Hall, he took advantage of the Crown's lack of a case theory to take their case to its logical conclusion and then demolish it. He submitted that the prosecution case only held together if the entire murder was premeditated. It was the prosecution evidence, indeed the hearsay evidence of the dead victim, that Ronald Light was not known to Bella Wright. How could he then have planned her murder? Marshall Hall used this, and many other points to persuade the jury that they could not be sure that Light was the murderer. The jury returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty after a little over three hours.
Political career
As well as being elevated to King's Counsel, Marshall Hall served twice in Parliament as a Unionist Member of Parliament for Southport (1900–1906) and for Liverpool East Toxteth (1910–1916). To the great disappointment of the public, he rarely spoke in the House of Commons, and such speeches as he did make did not compare with his courtroom oratory.
Legacy
Edward Marshall Hall was born and lived at 30 Old Steine, Brighton where there is a commemorative stone plaque on the wall. The building today houses one of Brighton's oldest established firms of solicitors, Burt Brill and Cardens, and remains largely unchanged externally and internally. Brighton & Hove have named a bus after him.
The County Borough of Southport named Hall Street after him in his honour. In his day, Marshall Hall made and lost many a fortune and was alternately impecunious or well in funds. When he died, he was in funds and left a considerable sum of money in a trust to be administered by Inner Temple for the benefit of young barristers starting out on their careers and who were as impecunious as he had been from time to time. The fund continues to this day.
Marshall Hall's career was dramatised in an 8-episode 1989 BBC Two television serial by Richard Cooper, Shadow of the Noose, starring Jonathan Hyde in the lead role and Terry Taplin as Arthur Newton, the leading solicitor who often secured Marshall Hall's services.
John Mortimer, creator of Rumpole of the Bailey, presented some of Marshall Hall's cases in a 5-part 1996 radio series, starring Tom Baker as Marshall Hall. Hall was a famous wit and, in the case of an Irish labourer, when asked by a rather pompous judge, "Is your client not familiar with the maxim res ipsa loquitur?” replied, "My lord, on the remote hillside in County Donegal where my client hails from, they talk of little else".
