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Judge George Rogers Harding (3 December 1838 – 31 August 1895) was a Queensland judge and the founder of the Ashgrove locality St Johns Wood, in Brisbane, Australia. ==Early life== George Rogers Harding was the only son of an English vicar. He was born in the village of Taunton, in Somerset, England on 3 December 1838. His father, also George Rogers Harding, was the vicar at the Rectory of Gittisham, a parish situated on the road between Honiton and Exeter, in county Devon, England. The church, which still stands today, is a fifteenth to sixteenth century building with an attractive stone edifice and the river Otter flowing through its village. When Harding grew up there, the population was only small, at approximately 350 people.〔Colin Hinson, Gittisham (Gaz3.v01.34) (Genuki, 2 June 2003 2003 (15 April 2006 )); available from http://genuki.cs.ncl.ac.uk/DEV/Gittsham/Gaz1868.html.〕 Harding had two neighbours who were retired judges: one was Mr. Justice Coleridge (father of Lord Coleridge) and the other was Mr. Justice Pattison〔Taylor, "The Bar and the Bench. A Judge's Reminiscences. A Talk with Mr. Justice Harding. No. 1."〕 The latter gentleman inspired Harding to the legal profession. It was the village life that nurtured his love of books and literature. On leaving the University, he entered chambers with R. G. Welford, a well-known equity draftsman and conveyancer, who later became a County Court Judge in the Birmingham District.〔 His son, Dick, later owned Welford Downs in Queensland and was killed by the local aborigines. Dick Welford and Harding were students together under the father. Harding was called to the Bar in 1861 but the year prior to this, he wrote and had published his first law book, ''A Handy Book of Ecclesiastical Law''. The success of the book, before he was called to the Bar, demonstrates the intellectual ability and the professionalism of the young lawyer. The first edition was sold out in nine months and the second edition was sold out before he left for Australia in 1866.〔 In his reminiscences interviews Mr. Justice Harding revealed several other pastimes that he enjoyed besides writing and boxing. "A great source of amusement during my spare hours was archery.〔 He was a member of the Royal Toxophilite Society, which had grounds in Regent Park in London (tennis courts occupy the site today). Harding and his friends wore traditional cut, green coats, white waistcoats, green caps and brass buttons with the motto "Centurm Pete."(Aim at a certain end). The losers paid for the brew of shandygaff that they drank throughout the game.〔 George Harding enjoyed the theatre and regularly attended her Majesty's Opera House. In 1862 he was present for the opening of the International Exhibition in London, which he described as being chaotic.〔The International Exhibition of 1862, or Great London Exposition was a world's fair. It was held at South Kensington in London, England.〕 His other great passion was debating. He formed the Lincoln's Inn Debating Society while a student there. "We commenced some twenty of us, in a room over Bunton's coffee shop."〔 They debated topical questions as they sat around drinking coffee, tea and smoking tobacco. By the time that Harding left England, the numbers had reached over two hundred and the venue had been changed to the hall of Lion's Inn (which was later demolished). Mr. Justice Harding reveals his associates at these debates as other noteworthy Colonial gentleman, namely, Sir George Innes, who was in 1865 the Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, A Beckett of the Bench of the Supreme Court of Victoria and C. N. Wharton an ex- Attorney-General of Western Australia.〔R.S. Taylor, "The Bench and the Bar. Reminiscences of a Judge. Incidents in the Courts. Playing "The Waiting Game".No.Iv. ", The Brisbane Courier, 17 June 1895. p6〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「George Rogers Harding」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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