Richard Pepper Arden, 1st Baron Alvanley

He was the son of Richard Pepper Arden, 1st Baron Alvanley and Anne Dorothea (née Wilbraham-Bootle)

Family and Education
b. 20 May 1744, 2nd s. of

John Arden of Stockport by Mary, da. of Cuthbert Pepper of Pepper Hall, nr. Northallerton, Yorks.,

sis. and h. of Preston Pepper. educ. Manchester g.s. 1752; Trinity Coll. Camb. 1761, BA 1762, fellow 1767, MA 1769;

M. Temple 1762,

called 1769, L. Inn 1779. m. 9 Sept. 1784, 

Anne Dorothea, da. of Richard Wilbraham Bootle† of Rode Hall, Cheshire, 3s. 4da. Kntd. 18 June 1788; cr. Baron Alvanley 22 May 1801.

Wikipedia Biographical Summary

Richard Pepper Arden, 1st Baron Alvanley PC, KC (20 May 1744 – 19 March 1804) was a British barrister and politician.

He was born on 20 May 1744 in Bredbury, the son of John Arden (1709–1787), and Mary Pepper, and baptised on 20 June 1744 in Stockport. Educated at The Manchester Grammar School, he matriculated at Trinity College, Cambridge in November 1761 and received his B.A. in 1766. Arden was admitted to the Middle Temple in 1769, and received his M.A. from Trinity the same year.

Invested as a King's Counsel in 1780, he was Solicitor General during the ministry of Shelburne, and again for a year under Pitt. At this time he entered Parliament, as MP for Newtown from 1783 to 1784. In 1784 he became MP for Aldborough, and was appointed Attorney General and Chief Justice of Chester, posts he would hold until 1788. On 9 September 1784, Arden married Anne Dorothea Wilbraham-Bootle, daughter of Richard Wilbraham-Bootle and Mary Bootle. They had two sons and two daughters:

• William Arden, 2nd Baron Alvanley (1789–1849)
• Richard Pepper Arden, 3rd Baron Alvanley (1792–1857)
• Katherine Arden,
• Fanny Arden.

On 4 June 1788, he was again advanced to become Master of the Rolls, and was knighted on 18 June 1788. He was also appointed to the Privy Council that year. In 1790, he left Aldborough to become MP for Hastings until 1794, and then for Bath until 1801.

In May 1801, he was appointed Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas, and on 22 May 1801, was created Baron Alvanley, of Alvanley, in the County of Chester. Alvanley died on 19 March 1804 and was buried a week later in Rolls Chapel, London. His will was probated in April 1804.

Quoting from Cokayne, The Complete Peerage: "He was not a man of great oratorical powers, but possessed the qualities of intelligence, readiness and wit... It would be vain to claim any great distinction for Lord Alvanley. He was a learned lawyer and a successful politician... the few productions that remain from his pen evince refinement, taste and facility of expression."

SOURCE: Wikipedia contributors, 'Richard Arden, 1st Baron Alvanley', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 5 January 2013, 02:40 UTC, <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_Arden,_1st_Baron_...> [accessed 6 February 2013]