The Lord Neill of Bladen
Neill in 2012
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford
In office
1985–1989
Chancellor
Preceded bySir Geoffrey Warnock
Succeeded bySir Richard Southwood
Warden of All Souls College, Oxford
In office
1977–1995
Preceded byJohn Hanbury Angus Sparrow
Succeeded byJohn Davis
Member of the House of Lords
Life peerage
28 November 1997  18 May 2016
Personal details
Born
Francis Patrick Neill

(1926-08-08)8 August 1926
Died28 May 2016(2016-05-28) (aged 89)
Political partyCrossbencher
Spouse
Caroline Susan Debenham
(m. 1954; died 2010)
Children6
Parent
EducationHighgate School
Alma materUniversity of Oxford

Francis Patrick Neill, Baron Neill of Bladen, QC (8 August 1926 28 May 2016) was a British barrister and a crossbench member of the House of Lords.

Early life and education

A son of Sir Thomas Neill, Patrick Neill was educated at Highgate School and Magdalen College, Oxford.

He became a barrister in 1951 and took silk in 1966. After heading One Hare Court, he became head of chambers of Serle Court in Lincoln's Inn when the two merged in 1999.[1] He worked alongside Henry Fisher, Roger Parker, Gordon Slynn, and Richard Southwell QC. Lord Neill left Serle Court in 2008 to join his elder brother Sir Brian Neill, a former Court of Appeal judge, at 20 Essex Street.[2]

University of Oxford

He was Warden of All Souls College, Oxford, from 1977 until 1995, and appointed an Honorary Fellow in 1995. He was Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University from 1985 until 1989,[3] and played a major part in the University's decision to undertake The Campaign for Oxford. He was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2003 University of Oxford Chancellor election.

Family life

In 1954, he married Caroline Susan Debenham, daughter of Sir Piers Kenrick Debenham.[4] They had six children: He died in May 2016 at the age of 89.[5]

Honours

Having been knighted in 1983,[6] Neill was made a Life Peer as Baron Neill of Bladen, of Briantspuddle in the County of Dorset, on 28 November 1997.[7] He sat in the House of Lords as a crossbencher until 18 May 2016, at which point he ceased to be a member pursuant to section 2 of the House of Lords Reform Act 2014, having failed to attend during the whole of the 2015–16 session without being on leave of absence.[8]

Coat of arms of Patrick Neill, Baron Neill of Bladen
Crest
A mount Vert thereon between two harps Or an oak tree Proper fructed Or.[9]
Escutcheon
Gyronny of six Or and Sable three cinquefoils two and one Gules and three lilies one and two Argent slipped and seeded Or.
Motto
Respice Finem

References

  1. "One Hare Court and Serle Court merge". The Lawyer. 1999.
  2. "New Head of Chambers". Serle Court. 2007. Archived from the original on 2 March 2012.
  3. "Previous Vice-Chancellors". University of Oxford, UK. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
  4. The Times, 26 April 1954, page 8.
  5. "Lord Neill of Bladen". Daily Telegraph. 2016.
  6. "No. 49575". The London Gazette. 20 December 1983. p. 16802.
  7. "No. 54967". The London Gazette. 3 December 1997. p. 13561.
  8. "Four absent peers cease to be House of Lords members". BBC News. 19 May 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  9. Debrett's Peerage. 2015. p. 904.
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