15 Facts About Courtenay Ilbert

Courtenay Ilbert was educated at Marlborough College and at Balliol College, Oxford, where he won the Hertford, Ireland, Craven, and Eldon scholarships.

Courtenay Ilbert took first-class honours in classical moderations and literae humaniores and was elected a fellow of Balliol in 1864, where he was Bursar from 1871 to 1874.

Courtenay Ilbert was President of the Oxford Union in Michaelmas 1865.

Courtenay Ilbert was called to the Bar by Lincoln's Inn in 1869, and began to practice in property law, with an emphasis on drafting trusts and other documents.

At the invitation of Lord Hartington, Secretary of State for India, Courtenay Ilbert was offered the position in 1882 and proceeded to India, where he served until 1886.

Cocks speculated that Courtenay Ilbert approved of the principles the Bill embodied, but was dubious as to its political expediency.

Courtenay Ilbert was appointed assistant parliamentary counsel to Treasury in 1886 and First Parliamentary Counsel in 1899.

In February 1902, Courtenay Ilbert was appointed Clerk of the House of Commons, and he served as such until 1921.

Courtenay Ilbert married Jessie, daughter of Reverend Charles Bradley and niece of George Bradley, former headmaster of Marlborough College in 1874.

When Courtenay Ilbert lived in Simla, at Chapslee house, he founded a Simla Natural History Society around 1885 but the organization dissolved when he left Simla in 1886.

Courtenay Ilbert died a few months after the death of his wife at his home in Troutwells, Buckinghamshire on 14 May 1924.

Courtenay Ilbert was invested as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India in 1895, as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1908, and as a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in 1911.

Courtenay Ilbert was a founding Fellow of the British Academy.

Courtenay Ilbert reflected on laws and law-making and wrote several books on parliamentary and legislative procedure and history that were highly regarded.

Courtenay Ilbert pointed out to how government initiatives were modified into legally actionable forms but manyconsidered Ilbert to be outdated and old-fashioned in putting faith in public opinion to exert corrective action on legislative abuses.