Frederick Albert Bosanquet

Sir Frederick Albert Bosanquet, KC, JP (8 February 1837 – 2 November 1923), was a British legal professional who held the position of Common Serjeant of London. This role is recognized as the second most senior permanent judicial appointment at the Central Criminal Court, commonly known as the Old Bailey, subordinate only to the Recorder of London.

Bosanquet was born in 1837, one of ten surviving children of Samuel Richard Bosanquet (1800–1882), a Deputy Lieutenant and Justice of the Peace residing at Dingestow Court in Monmouthshire. He descended from the Bosanquet family, who were of Huguenot origin; the family migrated to England from Lunel, Montpellier, in France in 1685, following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. His maternal line was through Emily Courthope, who died in 1869.

His education included attendance at Windlesham House School, Eton College, and King's College, Cambridge. At Cambridge, Bosanquet was a Fellow of King's College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1860 and a Master of Arts in 1863. He was called to the Bar at the Inner Temple in 1863.

In 1867, Bosanquet co-authored a legal treatise titled *A Practical Treatise on the Statutes of Limitations in England and Ireland* with George N. Darby. He was appointed Queen's Counsel (QC) in 1882 and became a Bencher of Inner Temple in 1889. His legal career included service as a magistrate in Monmouthshire and Sussex, with a role as Chairman of the East Sussex Quarter Sessions. He served as Recorder for Worcester from 1879 to 1891, for Wolverhampton in 1891, and again in 1900.

Bosanquet's appointment as Common Serjeant of London occurred in March 1900. This position traces back to 1291, with the earliest recorded appointment of Thomas Juvenal. As Common Serjeant, Bosanquet was responsible for presiding over criminal trials at the Old Bailey. He also served as Chairman of the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting from 1907 to 1919. His chambers as a barrister were located at 3 Paper Buildings, Temple, from 1892.

He was knighted in 1907. Upon retiring from his judicial role in November 1919, he was succeeded by Henry Fielding Dickens KC.

In his personal life, Bosanquet married Albinia Mary Curtis-Hayward on 22 August 1871. She was the daughter of John Curtis-Hayward. Together, they had four children. Following her death, he married Philippa Frances Bence-Jones on 12 August 1885. She was the daughter of William Bence-Jones, and their union produced at least one son and additional children. Their son, Captain William Sidney Bence Bosanquet DSO (1893–1966), served in the Coldstream Guards and married Esther Cleveland, daughter of Grover Cleveland, the former President of the United States, on 14 March 1918 at Westminster Abbey. Philippa Foot, a noted philosopher, was one of their grandchildren.

Bosanquet died on 2 November 1923.