The Rumpolean FAQ
DryFly
The Rumpolean FAQ
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Copyright (c) 2001 Brenda J. Sharpe [aj...@freenet.carleton.ca]
All Rights Reserved.
Distribution through any means other than normal Usenet channels must be by
permission. No fee may be charged for distribution. This material is for
non-commercial use only.
The removal of this copyright notice is prohibited.
Please send updates/comments to: aj...@freenet.carleton.ca
FAQ Originator: Steve Masticola [mast...@scr.siemens.com]
HTML version of the FAQ created by Ramaswamy (with many thanks from
Brenda!)
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Most recently revised on this, the TWENTY-SIXTH day of MAY in the year of
our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-seven. All information here is subject
to immediate refutation, repudiation and regurgitation.
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What's New?
Rumpole's MIDDLE NAME is at last revealed-and VIM has finally made it
to the FAQ!
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Rumpole of the Internet:
*Brian Schott [sch...@cs.umbc.edu] maintains a Rumpole home page on the
World Wide Web (WWW), whose URL pathname is:
http://www.cs.umbc.edu/~schott/rumpole
*Matt Briggs [wm...@cornell.edu] maintains a Mortimer home page on the
World Wide Web (WWW), whose URL pathname is:
http://wxgods.cit.cornell.edu/mortimer.html
References to episodes of "Rumpole Of The Bailey" are by their titles in
[]. Please refer to the Rumpolean Lists for the date of original telecast
in the UK and the US.
Abbreviations used in the Rumpolean documents:
* FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions list
* RotB: "Rumpole of the Bailey" Television series
* SWMBO: "She Who Must Be Obeyed"
* UK: The United Kingdom of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern
Ireland, also known as Great Britain, and sometimes mistakenly
referred to as England. The Republic of Ireland (capital: Dublin) is
Eire.
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Table of Contents
A. Partially Asked List of Partially Answered Questions
A1. When was the last time Uncle Tom had a case?
A2. Does Horace Rumpole have a middle name?
B. Fully Asked List of Somewhat Answered Questions
B1. Who is this Rumpole character, anyway?
B2. Why isn't the group called "alt.tv.rumpole?"
B3. Where did you get all this stuff, anyway?
B4. What are the Rumpolean Lists?
B5. How do I get something into the FAQ?
B6. Where can I find others who share my irrational fixation on this
funny little man?
B7. Who is Leo McKern?
B8. Who is "She Who Must Be Obeyed," and where did the phrase come
from?
B9. How did Rumpole meet She?
B10. What's the difference between a barrister and a solicitor?
B11. What is the Old Bailey?
B12. What does "taking silk" mean?
B13. What is a QC?
B14. Is Rumpole a silk?
B15. Occasionally, the silks in Rumpole's chambers take it upon
themselves to "lead" him (much to his irritation, and usually to their
regret.) Is this a matter of rank?
B16. What is a QC MP (as in Guthrie Featherstone?)
B17. How is Chambers organized?
B18. Rumpole is the most senior barrister in his Chambers (with the
possible exception of Uncle Tom). Why isn't he the Head of Chambers?
B19. Why does Rumpole call Phillida Erskine-Brown (nee Trant),
"Portia?"
B20. Do Rumpole and SWMBO have any children and grandchildren?
B21. Why does Rumpole carry his gown and wig in a red bag?
B22. What were Rumpole's early triumphs at court, and when were they?
B23. Did John Mortimer or his father do anything notable as
barristers?
B24. What is this Vim that Hilda goes through at a rate that alarms
Rumpole?
C. Rumpolean Glossary
C1. Bar (in the Inns of Court)
C2. Barrister
C3. Inns of Court
C4. Claret, aka "Chateau Fleet Street" or "Chateau Thames Embankment"
C5. Plonk
C6. Pommeroy's
D. Rumpolean Trivia
D1. The Old Bailey
D2. British Legal Procedures and Customs
D3. Rumpole's Academic Career
D4. QC MPs
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A. Partially Asked List of Partially Answered Questions
The following questions are loitering in Chambers, waiting for a brief, and
will be there until someone answers them. At that time, they will be
promoted to FAQs.
A1. When was the last time Uncle Tom had a case?
In "Rumpole and the Younger Generation," it states that Uncle Tom hadn't
been in court for 15 years, since the time when he managed to lose an
uncontested divorce. In the same story, Rumpole mentions the year as being
1965 (when he's discussing the Rolling Stones in his cross-examination of
Peanuts Molloy). So, it appears that Uncle Tom's last case was in 1950. I
don't have the book in front of me, but it should all be in "Younger
Generation." I'm not positive that ..the TV series gives the same date, by
the way.
Joel (jo...@cs.UMD.EDU)
A2. Does Horace Rumpole have a middle name?
The FAQ-keeper has received the following information from Sonja Kellen:
In the Rumpole Cookbook of the "Rumpole Society" (San Mateo CA) there is an
autograph by Leo McKern "Horace Wellington Rumpole".
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B. Fully Asked List of Somewhat Answered Questions
B1. Who is this Rumpole character, anyway?
For those who don't know Rumpole, he is an "Old Bailey hack," a portly,
irreverent barrister given to red plonk wine, small cigars, and spouting
poetry. His abrasiveness, his taste for defending criminals (rather than
prosecuting, or some more prestigious law practice), and his sheer devious
skill at extracting justice from a truculent world, have stunted his career
-- and left him doing exactly the work he loves, and does so well. His
credo: "Never plead guilty!"
John Mortimer, once a practicing barrister himself, originally wrote
"Rumpole" as a series of short stories. These were later produced in
England as a television series starring Leo McKern, who fits the role like
a glove. The Rumpole TV episodes have been shown in the U.S. in the PBS
series, "Mystery!"
B2. Why isn't the group called "alt.tv.rumpole?"
Since Horace Rumpole has been in many short stories and at least one
novella, as well as television, "alt.tv.rumpole" just wouldn't do the old
boy justice.
B3. Where did you get all this stuff, anyway?
Check out the Rumpolean Lists for the names of those who contributed
information. Several of these people have had personal experience at the
English bar, so it may even be accurate in some cases :-)
B4. What are the Rumpolean Lists?
A separate posting, containing lists of things judged by the harsh jury of
Internet opinion ("They Who Must Be Obeyed") to be too boring to put in the
FAQ.
In particular, the Rumpolean Lists include:
* John Clifford Mortimer bibliography,
* List of Rumpole stories and the books in which they were published,
* Contents of the First and Second Rumpole Omnibus,
* Rumpole Audio Book List,
* Leo McKern's filmography,
* "Rumpole Of The Bailey" actor and episode lists,
* Availability of Rumpole Video Tapes, and
* Contributors to the FAQ and Lists.
B5. How do I get something into the FAQ?
If it is a question, post it to alt.fan.rumpole newsgroup (e-mail a copy to
aj...@freenet.carleton.ca as well) and it'll be entered in the Partially
Asked List. If it is information, post it with the acronym "FAQ" in the
Subject: header to the alt.fan.rumpole newsgroup (and e-mail a copy to
aj...@freenet.carleton.ca).
After a suitable trial by flame, the item will be included in the FAQ if
nobody refutes it.
B6. Where can I find others who share my irrational fixation on this funny
little man?
You can write to the Rumpole Society at the following address:
Rumpole Society
P.O.Box 906
San Mateo, CA 94403
U.S.A.
Telephone: (415) 571-5957.
Membership dues are US$20 per year.
It's a lot cheaper than a psychiatrist. :-)
B7. Who is Leo McKern?
The actor who plays Rumpole, and, after many episodes, also a friend of
John Mortimer. He has appeared in a number of movies and on TV; some of his
better-known credits are "The Omen," "King Lear," "The Blue Lagoon,"
"Candleshoe," and of course, his role as the first Number Two in "The
Prisoner." Here's his biography from Cinemania, Microsoft's database of
movies:
Leo McKern (1920- )
Occupation: Actor
Birth Name: Reginald McKern
Born: March 16, 1920, Sydney, Australia
In England since 1946. Popular character player of stage, TV and film,
often in garrulous, blustery roles.
B8. Who is "She Who Must Be Obeyed," and where did the phrase come from?
Rumpole covertly refers to his wife, Hilda, as "She Who Must Be Obeyed,"
"She," or "S.W.M.B.O." The phrase is from H. Rider Haggard's adventure
novel, "She." The title character, Ayesha, Queen of Kor, is known to her
subjects as SWMBO.
B9. How did Rumpole meet She?
Hilda Rumpole was originally Hilda Wystan, the daughter of C. H. Wystan,
the head of Rumpole's chambers when he first began practicing. Rumpole has
described the senior Wystan as a competent civil lawyer, but one who had
"no head for bloodstains." Hilda often compares Rumpole unfavorably to
"Daddy," much to Rumpole's chagrin.
B10. What's the difference between a barrister and a solicitor?
The simplest way to describe this is to compare doctors and surgeons. If
you feel ill, or need healthcare advice, you consult a doctor. The doctor
may also specialise in some aspect of medicine, but for major surgery you
will be referred to a surgeon.
In the same way a solicitor will handle a property purchase, draft a will
or a contract, arrange a divorce, or act as your lawyer in court in a road
traffic case or shoplifting, but for serious advocacy, if you are accused
of a major crime, have a complicated divorce or a major accident, the
solicitor calls on a barrister to represent you in court. In the past year
solicitors have been given rights of audience in all the Higher Courts, but
during the period covered by the Rumpole stories only barristers could
argue a case before a jury.
The best way to annoy a solicitor is to ask when they are going to be
promoted to barrister. The two careers have separate training and exams.
People do transfer from one profession to the other but they have to take
fresh exams and be removed from the records of the other branch.
Barristers in England & Wales are called to the bar at one of the four Inns
of Court. Two of these were taken over from the Knights Templar (Inner
Temple, Middle Temple), and two were formerly the London palaces of great
noblemen, Lord Gray and the Earl of Lincoln. "Inn" in medieval times had
the same meaning as "hotel" in old French -- a town house.
Northern Ireland has the same laws as England & Wales, although since the
recent troubles the court system is rather different. Scottish law is
entirely different, and barristers there are called advocates. It is easier
for a barrister from Eire (the Republic of Ireland) to re-qualify in
England than for a Scottish advocate to become an English barrister.
Paradoxically, the head of the English legal system, the Lord Chancellor,
is at the moment (December 1994) a Scottish advocate, but his is a
political appointment.
In the Rumpole stories, the barristers are at the mercy, financially, of
the solicitors who bring them cases. If the solicitors don't like you, or
if they aren't good at paying, you could find yourself like Rumpole, a
"Distinguished member of the Bar" who is always broke! Vincent Price, the
host of "Mystery!" at the time, explained this well when introducing the
first episode of Rumpole (in 1981), and further explained it in an episode
dealing with Rumpole trying to collect from his solicitors.
[clarification provided by Nick Gillies]
B11. What is the Old Bailey?
The Old Bailey is a street in the western part of the City of London, where
the Central Criminal Court (London's principal criminal court) is situated.
The CCC gets its common name from the English custom of referring to
buildings by their location. For example the phrase "You'll find yourself
in Carey Street" refers to the former location of the bankruptcy court.
The CCC does not get all the most serious cases in England and Wales.
Outside London they are dealt with at local Crown Courts, and even some of
the most serious London cases are tried at newer courts where security is
better, such as Winchester Crown Court.
[contributed by Nick Gillies]
More on the Old Bailey in the Rumpolean Trivia, below.
B12. What does "taking silk" mean?
Being promoted to a QC, by the Lord Chancellor. QCs are appointed from
those barristers who have had roughly 10-15 years of experience. Taking
silk is really just a process of specialising in litigation rather than the
background work on cases. It is an indication of success at the Bar, and
carries with it higher fees and status.
It is *not* necessary to be a QC to be a judge. In fact, having sat as a
part-time judge is virtually a pre-requisite of taking silk.
An ordinary barrister (a 'junior') like Rumpole wears a cotton gown. A QC
wears a silk gown and a swallow-tail jacket. Silks only wear knee-britches
and silk stockings during the ceremony of appointment.
B13. What is a QC?
A QC, or "Queen's Counsel," is a barrister who has taken silk. See question
above. Note that the title would change to "KC" if a King were crowned.
Rumpole views QCs with some disdain; to him, they are "Queer Customers."
What he would say about KCs is anyone's guess.
B14. Is Rumpole a silk?
No. For some reason, he either never applied for silk or was passed over.
Perhaps it's because he always defended criminal cases (rather than taking
more prestigious civil work.) Despite his age and experience, this
technically makes him a "junior barrister."
See [Rumpole and the Heavy Brigade] for the tale of Hilda's attempt to get
Rumpole a silk dressing-gown!
B15. Occasionally, the silks in Rumpole's chambers take it upon themselves
to "lead" him (much to his irritation, and usually to their regret.) Is
this a matter of rank?
No. Solicitors hire barristers, and decide whether or not a silk is
necessary. The silk has no say, because he cannot suddenly thrust himself
onto a case and expect to be paid.
Of course, the client has some say, but will likely act on the advice of
the solicitor. The solicitor and the silk can try to convince the client
that a silk is needed for the job.
B16. What is a QC MP (as in Guthrie Featherstone?)
QC MP stands for Queen's Counsel, Member of Parliament. The two titles are
separate. MP is an elective title; a QC would have to stand for election to
Parliament to become an MP as well. For further details, see the Rumpolean
Trivia below.
B17. How is Chambers organized?
Chambers are *not* like a law office. The public cannot go directly to a
barrister's chambers, and there is no profit- sharing as there is in a law
firm partnership. Barristers are freelancers who club together to share
rent, administrative services and a library. This has one important
consequence: as they are independent, barristers from one chambers can act
for both sides in a case. This happens all the time in practice, as well as
in the Rumpole stories. In the US, Canada and England, a law firm can only
act for one side.
The Head of Chambers is elected by the residents, and is traditionally (to
judge from Rumpole Of The Bailey) the most senior member of Chambers,
except that a QC outranks a junior barrister. The Head of Chambers runs
meetings and has office manager duties; in particular, he can hire and fire
the clerks. See the incident where Ballard tried to fire Henry over a 50
pound cheque he supposedly pilfered.
From the Rumpole stories, one might also conclude that the Head of Chambers
has no other particular duties beyond adjudicating disputes among members
of Chambers and throwing the occasional dull party.
The Head Clerk (pronounced "clark" in Britain) handles the business details
of the Chambers. Solicitors contact barristers, pass briefs and pay the
barristers through him (from which he takes his 10% cut). Since the clerk
has some control over which barristers get which briefs, Rumpole makes
special efforts to be kind to the clerk of his Chambers, Henry, and buys
him drinks at Pommeroy's regularly.
B18. Rumpole is the most senior barrister in his Chambers (with the
possible exception of Uncle Tom). Why isn't he the Head of Chambers?
He was under serious consideration for it when his father- in-law, C. H.
Wystan, retired. But Guthrie Featherstone took silk, and Wystan recommended
Featherstone over Rumpole. Rumpole wanted the job, and the fact that he was
passed over also rankled him [Rumpole and the Younger Generation].
Contributed by Richard Schultz:
In addition, in "Rumpole and the Old Boy Net," Rumpole is passed over a
second time when Guthrie Featherstone leaves to become a judge and invites
his "fag master from Marlborough," that eminent Christian QC, Sam Ballard,
to join chambers. As Ballard is a QC, he got the nod over Rumpole,
especially since Fiona Allways had slipped the name of the plaintiff in
Rumpole's blackmail case (previously known as "Mr. X.") to a news reporter
who had been at her school. This was in direct disobedience of Judge
Bullingham's instructions in the case and, as Ballard put it, "we wouldn't
want anyone who could be accused of sharp practice" to be head of chambers.
Even Rumpole's impassioned plea on behalf of "someone who has been here far
longer than any of you" (i.e. SWMBO) left his fellow-barristers unmoved.
In "Rumpole and the Case of Identity," Erskine-Brown was preparing a coup
to displace Featherstone and put Rumpole in his rightful place. Rumpole
ended that plot by having the secretary with whom Featherstone was having a
affair "take a note" in a case where Featherstone was prosecuting some
cannabis dealers -- she walked out and was never seen again, and things
returned to normal in Chambers, quashing all talk of Featherstone's
replacement.
Contributed by Paul Ruschmann:
Two of the stories, "Rumpole and the Golden Thread" and "Rumpole and the
Female of the Species," describe how Sam Ballard, QC, who practiced in the
Midlands, was invited to Number 3 Equity Court while Rumpole was defending
a political trial in the fictitious African country of Neranga. Ballard was
elected Head of Chambers over Rumpole, much to the chagrin of She (who
wasn't aware he was passed over until the Chambers party at which Ballard's
selection was officially announced).
B19. Why does Rumpole call Phillida Erskine-Brown (nee Trant), "Portia?"
After the character Portia, in Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice," who
dons legal garb and masquerades as a (male) Doctor of Law named Balthazar
and pleads for clemency for another character, Antonio, the "Merchant of
Venice" of the title. Shylock is suing for a pound of Antonio's flesh,
which was collateral for a loan. Portia's speech is the source of the
famous quotation "The quality of mercy is not strained..."
B20. Do Rumpole and SWMBO have any children and grandchildren?
The Rumpoles have one son.
Nicholas Rumpole was conceived in a night of passion (unusual for Horace
and Hilda) that Rumpole blamed on the oysters. Nick attended Oxford as
well, and began an academic career in the United States at the sociology
department of the University of Baltimore, although by the time of
[Rumpole's Return], he had moved to the University of Miami, where he was
the youngest department head ever. Nicholas is married to Erica, and they
have a child, Sam, the first (and so far only) Rumpole grandchild.
B21. Why does Rumpole carry his gown and wig in a red bag?
In [Rumpole and the Golden Thread], we see Rumpole staggering through the
customs hall at Mabile Airport, more dead than alive after the long flight
from London. He is carrying, among other things, a *red* bag which contains
his gown and wig. Why a red bag? Isn't that a bit loud for a crusty old
barrister?
Contributed by Peter Guest:
All barristers when they start can put their robes and wig into a blue bag,
if they wish. You must be *given* a red bag. It's a reward from a QC
(Queen's Counsel) for exceptional service as a junior in a difficult case.
Contributed by Nick Gillies:
Young barristers start carrying their gown, wig and bands in a blue bag.
After they have been useful in a case where they have been 'led' by a
Queen's Counsel, they are presented by the QC with a red bag. It is a mark
that they are no longer wet behind the ears. In practice a young
barrister's clerk will arrange to have the bag presented after a couple of
years.
B22. What were Rumpole's early triumphs at court, and when were they?
From Ramaswamy:
The Penge Bungalow Murders case (1936?) is mentioned in many Rumpole
stories ([Rumpole and The Man Of God], [Rumpole's Return], for example),
but John Mortimer has yet to sketch out the case in any detail. This was
made known in interviews with the author during his book tour promoting
"Murderers and Other Friends."
From Richard Schultz:
One other "early Rumpole triumph" was the Great Brighton Benefit Club
Forgery trial, which he won due to his extensive knowledge of typewriters.
In [Rumpole and the Man of God], as he is going through his old mementos,
Rumpole comes across "the analysis of bloodstains from the old Brick Lane
Billiard Hall Murder when [he] was locked in single combat with a former
Lord Chief Justice of England and secured an acquittal."
In that same episode, of course, Rumpole is revealed to have been the
junior counsel for Mrs Ida Tempest's former husband in the Saracen's Head
Hotel Arson case. In that case, he wasn't so lucky; Mr Tempest got seven
years, and Mrs Tempest three, although Rumpole didn't think that she had
applied the match. The revelation that she was an ex-con put the kibosh on
her nuptials with the newly-appointed Judge Frobisher.
Contributed by Richard Schultz:
In [Rumpole and the Younger Generation], the Streatham Co-op Robbery case
is mentioned as having happened prior to the Second World War. In this
case, a Molloy had grassed on a Timson, and there was, in Rumpole's words,
"little honour among thieves." In [Rumpole and the Heavy Brigade], Rumpole
mentions in passing that 1938 is the year he did the "Euston Bank Robbery"
led by SWMBO's father. (She had asked him if the year was familiar, because
that was when he had proposed to her.)
B23. Did John Mortimer or his father do anything notable as barristers?
John Mortimer was a QC but is no longer a practicing barrister, and has not
been since very early in the Rumpole saga. I think he was still practicing
at the time of the first series, when, according to a possibly apocryphal
story, he threatened judges who said or did something stupid with inclusion
in the Rumpole series. I believe that he had given up the bar by the second
series. As far as I know, he took primarily civil rights cases.
Contributed by Don MacColl:
John Mortimer had already made his greatest contribution as a barrister
long before Rumpole hit the bookshelves.
In 1960, Penguin Books (UK) published the unexpurgated edition of D.H.
Lawrence's "Lady Chatterley's Lover". They were, consequently, charged with
publishing obscene literature and in this landmark (seminal?), case
Mortimer led the defence. When the charges were dismissed as being
unfounded -- the work was literary and, although sexually descriptive, was
not necessarily prurient -- this marked a change in the approach to the
definitions of obscenity and pornography in published material in English
Law. The case is still required reading for students of English (Case) Law.
Echoes of the arguments are to be found in Chapter 11 of Rumpole's Return.
While it is true that Mortimer had a preference for "civil rights" cases,
it would be more accurate to describe him as a defender of liberal (small
"l"), causes. Again, while it is true that he is no longer active at the
bar, currently he is being touted as member of a Labour Party study group
on law reform in preparation for Labour's next electoral programme and
election manifesto.
B24. What is Vim? Rumpole is always complaining that Hilda buys it
constantly!
"I have in front of me a bottle of Vim from the cleaning supplies in our
bathroom, so here goes. It is a cream cleanser (very light pinkish colour)
containing a mild abrasive along the lines of Comet or Ajax, and comes in a
tall, slim, opaque green 500ml plastic bottle (#2 recycleable). I believe
the stuff in the green bottle is the "with bleach" variety; the regular
stuff I think is in an off-white or white bottle, but don't quote me on
that. In Canada, at least, it is made by Lever. Very good for cleaning
things like stove tops, sinks, taps, porcelain.
[Contributed by Bill Kinkaid]
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C. Rumpolean Glossary
C1. Bar (in the Inns of Court)
[definition 24, OED, vol 1, p. 941]
A barrier or partition separating the seats of the benchers or readers from
the rest of the hall, to which students, after they had attained a certain
standing, were 'called' from the body of the hall, for the purpose of
taking a principal part in the meetings or exercises of the house. Hence
the phrases:
* to be called to the bar: to be admitted a barrister.
* to be cast over the bar: to be deprived of the status of a barrister,
* to disbar: generally, to reject.
After 1600, when utter-barristers as well as sergeants and
apprentices-at-law were allowed to plead in the law-courts, "bar" in these
phrases seems to have been popularly assumed to mean the bar in a court of
justice, outside of which ordinary barristers appear to plead, while King's
Counsel and Sergeants-at-Law have places within it. Hence the modern phrase
"to be called within the bar" means: to be appointed King's (or Queen's)
Counsel.
C2. Barrister
Probably from the Latin "barrasterius." A student of the law, who, having
been called to the bar, has the privilege of practising as advocate in the
superior courts of law. The former title is "barrister-at-law;" the
equivalent designation in Scotland is "advocate."
The name originated in the ancient internal arrangements of the Inns of
Court. But by 1600, it was currently associated with the bar of the courts
of justice, at which utter-barristers had before that date secured the
right to plead, formerly possessed only by sergeants and
apprentices-at-law.
In addition, "utter-barristers" are so called because they sit uttermost on
the forms which are called the bar, and this degree is chief... this was in
1545.
C3. Inns of Court
The four sets of buildings in London (the Inner Temple, the Middle Temple,
Lincoln's Inn, and Gray's Inn) belonging to the four legal societies which
have the exclusive right of admitting persons to practise at the bar, and
hold a course of instruction and examination for that purpose; hence, these
four societies themselves.
C4. Claret, a.k.a. "Chateau Fleet Street" or "Chateau Thames Embankment"
Claret is technically Bordeaux wine. Bordeaux are generally blends based on
Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot grapes. Most of the claret admired by the
English is from individual estates, many of which have several centuries of
winemaking tradition. The English are said to particularly enjoy clarets
because they complement beef and lamb dishes (both of which are popular in
English cuisine), and because it requires aging, and is thus in keeping
with the English love of tradition.
Other Europeans occasionally ridicule the English for their taste for
claret, because there are so many other good wines available, and also
because (supposedly) nobody else ages wine as long as the British. It's
said that the French drink bordeaux too soon out of impatience, the British
drink it too late out of stodginess, and the Americans drink it at the
right time out of ignorance. From this, ladies and gentlemen of the jury,
we must conclude that wine snobbery knows no national boundaries. :-)
[We owe Randy Cox a bottle of Pommeroy's plonk for the above research!]
The reason the English drink so much claret is that the King of England
used to own Bordeaux, the region claret comes from. The wine trade between
the two countries is so deeply entrenched that the change of sovereignty,
numerous wars and the passage of 500 years has not been enough to alter
this. [contributed by Nick Gillies]
C5. Plonk
Originally meaning "a cheap white wine," from a mispronun- ciation of the
French "blanc," it has come to mean *any* cheap wine. Rumpole mentions that
he drinks it "because it is all that I can afford."
"Plonk" is Australian slang for rotgut wine. It has been adopted by the
English -- possibly helped along by McKern, himself an Australian. Note
that claret is a red wine, not a blanc.
C6. Pommeroy's
The wine bar frequented by Rumpole and other members of Chambers, where
they invariably sample the house claret. In real-life, the wine bar is El
Vino's, very de rigeur. While no reviews are available on the claret, the
house champagne has an excellent reputation, and the port and brandy as
well. Perhaps Rumpole should have celebrated his victories in a different
way...
[contributed by Nick Gillies]
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D. Rumpolean Trivia
D1. The Old Bailey
Over the Old Bailey is inscribed,
"Defend the Children of the Poor and Punish the Wrongdoer."
This is most appropriate for Rumpole, who makes his living defending the
children of the poor.
The Old Bailey in the following nursery rhyme was a church. The nursery
rhyme pre-dates the building of the Central Criminal Court by a century or
more. The CCC was built on the site of the notorious Newgate Prison.
Oranges and lemons,
Say the bells of St. Clement's.
You owe me five farthings,
Say the bells of St. Martin's.
When will you pay me?
Say the bells of Old Bailey.
When I grow rich,
Say the bells of Shoreditch.
When will that be,
Say the bells of Stepney.
I'm sure I don't know,
Says the great bell at Bow.
Which concludes, eerily:
Here comes a candle to light you to bed,
Here comes a chopper to chop off your head.
There are a lot of versions of "Oranges and Lemons;" it's an old rhyme and
it has mutated over the centuries. There's a childrens' game that goes
along with the rhyme, somewhat akin to "pass the parcel."
The above version of "Oranges and Lemons" is given in the "The Oxford
Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes." The Oxford Dictionary also tells of a
possible violent hidden meaning:
"The execution formula has been seen by some folk-lorists as a relic of the
gory past, and origins of the nature of those linked with 'London Bridge is
falling down' have been suggested. The days of public executions have been
cited, when the condemned were led along the street to the accompaniment of
the tolling of bells. It has also been suggested that the words refer to
Henry VIII's many marriages and the speedy demise of some of his wives.
Whether or not the terminating lines have special significance, they do not
appear in the song's earliest recording..."
D2. British Legal Procedures and Customs
Oyez
"Oyez" is the last remaining vestige of the French verb "ouir," meaning "to
listen." "Ouir" was still used in the time of Cyrano de Bergerac.
Bailiff
English and American bailiffs differ enormously. In England a bailiff
siezes the property of someone who the court has declared owes a debt. The
person who calls out: 'be upstanding!' and administers the oath is an usher
(and in fact these days is more likely to say 'all rise' as the judge
enters or leaves court).
Usher
In England, the usher calls "be upstanding," (or, recently, "all rise")
announcing the judge's entry into the courtroom. The former was an better
admonition for the members of the Court and the jury, who are presumed to
be upstanding citizens, and are called upon to stand up for justice.
Dining at One's Inn
Before one is called to the Bar, in addition to the examinations, one has
to dine a certain number of times in one's Inn. Not enough dining? Then no
call to the Bar! This is a relic from the past, when the ONLY requirement
was dining.
This is one of those dazzlingly stupid English customs that foreigners, who
believe in human logic, find hard to believe. Like many things in England
it made sense 500 years ago, so why change it now?
Barristers arose from the clergy (which is why they still wear clerical
bands in court), as the only educated people who were independant of the
King and the local rulers, and also well- educated, and consequently able
to intercede for the common man brought before the court.
Clergy in olden times assembled at dinner, during which a learned man would
read a paper on an important subject. The new legal profession did the
same. After dinner the students would listen as their elders discussed
points of law and practice. Students would have to do this for five years
when the courts were in session (only about six weeks a year). Also the
barristers would have a chance to assess the character of candidates.
That was an admirable system when there were only a couple of hundred
barristers in the whole country, and a much smaller body of law. Nowadays
each of the four Inns has two or three hundred students a year, all of whom
have taken a rigourous course of legal education administered by a separate
body. It is a waste of time.
[contributed by Nick Gillies]
D3. Rumpole's Academic Career
Rumpole went to Linklater's (a "minor" public school) along with the
Scottish judge Jimmie Jameson. In Rumpole and the Younger Generation, he
says that he got a "dubious third" at Keble College, Oxford. In Rumpole and
the Gentle Art of Blackmail, however, he says that he went to "St. Joseph's
College, Oxford" (which may not really exist). There he met his old cronies
Simpson and Fosdick. Also, in that story, Guthrie Featherstone remarks that
he attended St. Joseph's as well.
[contributed by Richard Schultz]
Incidentally, Rumpole could not train as a barrister today. The entrance
requirement is a First Class or Upper Second degree, and Rumpole's degree
was Third Class, the lowest category of honours degree.
[contributed by Nick Gillies]
D4. QC MPs
About an eighth of Members of Parliament are lawyers, and most of those are
barristers. Most of the barristers, if they are not Ministers, sit as
judges for a few weeks during Parliament's summer recess.
In addition to becoming a QC MP, a QC can also aspire to becoming a Privy
Councillor. This is an appointed, not an elected, position. There is some
room for confusion here, as a lot of Privy Councillors are MPs, but not
all. In fact, the Privy Council is an older body which has really been
superseded by Parliament for all practical purposes.
Even the rubric at the start of an Act of Parliament --
"Be it enacted by the Queen's most excellent majesty, by and with the
advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in
this present Parliament assembled, as follows:"
-- has replaced the "Privy Council" with "Parliament."
The Lords Spiritual are the bishops of the Church of England, and the Lords
Temporal are hereditary peers and appointed life peers. The judicial
function of the Privy Council reposes in the Judicial Committee of the
Privy Council - composed of Privy Councillors who hold/have held high
judicial office. They are the highest appellate court for certain
commonwealth countries. The number of countries where this is so is
decreasing, due to the cost of taking an appeal to London.
Decisions of the Privy Council are not technically binding in English law,
but they are highly persuasive; the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
contains the "Law Lords," who also sit in the House of Lords.
Note that, in Rumpole and the Rotten Apple, Featherstone is described as a
"Commissioner of Assize, or type of part- time judge." In Rumpole on Trial,
it is mentioned that Guthrie Featherstone stepped down as MP before
becoming a judge.
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This concludes the Rumpolean FAQ. Be upstanding, and of course,
NEVER PLEAD GUILTY !
Send updates to: aj...@freenet.carleton.ca (Brenda Sharpe)
FAQ Originator: Steve Masticola [mast...@scr.siemens.com]
HTML version of the FAQ created by Ramaswamy
Newsgroup: alt.fan.rumpole
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