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From Provincial to Professional: Attorney Robert Kelham (1717–1808) in Eighteenth-century London

From Provincial to Professional: Attorney Robert Kelham (1717–1808) in Eighteenth-century London Research Note From Provincial to Professional: Attorney Robert Kelham (1717-1808) in Eighteenth-century London ALBERT J. SCHMIDT Although attorneys were numerous and certainly important in eighteenth-century London, few details have emerged about them as individuals.1 This paper examines the 'lower branch' of the profession by focusing on the activities of one such person, Robert Kelham, a man of provincial origins whose narrative affords an opportunity to study the successful transition from country to city and the magnetism that drew such people to the capital.2 But far from provincial antecedents proving a hindrance to ambition, they in fact acted to his professional advantage.3 The professional world of Robert Kelham had undergone unprecedented change in the half century or so after the Restoration. A burgeoning economy, new wealth and development produced a society of sophisticates obsessed with consumption, entrepreneurs coping with complex transactions and an antiquated state adjusting to an array of problems conditioned by war and peace. It is not surprising that these new societal needs beckoned aspiring lawyers, notably attorneys and solicitors, who inevitably widened the range and often improved the quality of their services. Their payoff came in larger fees, enhanced social status, and respectability.4 Professional Life The Kelham http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png The London Journal: A Review of Metropolitan Society Past and Present Taylor & Francis

From Provincial to Professional: Attorney Robert Kelham (1717–1808) in Eighteenth-century London

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References (2)

Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Copyright
© 2000 Maney Publishing
ISSN
1749-6322
eISSN
0305-8034
DOI
10.1179/ldn.2000.25.2.96
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Research Note From Provincial to Professional: Attorney Robert Kelham (1717-1808) in Eighteenth-century London ALBERT J. SCHMIDT Although attorneys were numerous and certainly important in eighteenth-century London, few details have emerged about them as individuals.1 This paper examines the 'lower branch' of the profession by focusing on the activities of one such person, Robert Kelham, a man of provincial origins whose narrative affords an opportunity to study the successful transition from country to city and the magnetism that drew such people to the capital.2 But far from provincial antecedents proving a hindrance to ambition, they in fact acted to his professional advantage.3 The professional world of Robert Kelham had undergone unprecedented change in the half century or so after the Restoration. A burgeoning economy, new wealth and development produced a society of sophisticates obsessed with consumption, entrepreneurs coping with complex transactions and an antiquated state adjusting to an array of problems conditioned by war and peace. It is not surprising that these new societal needs beckoned aspiring lawyers, notably attorneys and solicitors, who inevitably widened the range and often improved the quality of their services. Their payoff came in larger fees, enhanced social status, and respectability.4 Professional Life The Kelham

Journal

The London Journal: A Review of Metropolitan Society Past and Present – Taylor & Francis

Published: Nov 1, 2000

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