Sir William Blackstone (10 July 1723 – 14 February 1780) was an English
jurist,
judge and
Tory politician of the eighteenth century. He is most noted for writing the
Commentaries on the Laws of England. Born into a middle-class family in London, Blackstone was educated at
Charterhouse School before matriculating at
Pembroke College, Oxford in 1738. After switching to and completing a
Bachelor of Civil Law degree, he was made a Fellow of
All Souls, Oxford on 2 November 1743, admitted to
Middle Temple, and
called to the Bar there in 1746. Following a slow start to his career as a barrister, Blackstone became heavily involved in university administration, becoming accountant, treasurer and bursar on 28 November 1746 and Senior Bursar in 1750. Blackstone is considered responsible for completing the Codrington Library and Warton Building, and simplifying the complex accounting system used by the college. On 3 July 1753 he formally gave up his practice as a barrister and instead embarked on a series of lectures on English law, the first of their kind. These were massively successful, earning him a total of £453 (£ in 2016 terms), and led to the publication of
An Analysis of the Laws of England in 1756, which repeatedly sold out and was used to preface his later works.