George Henry Law

Law was the son of the bishop of Carlisle, educated at Cambridge where he graduated in 1781 with a BA as second wrangler, then being elected a fellow of Queen’s College and getting his MA in 1784 and DD in 1804. His father helped in his appointment ot a prebendal stall in Carlisle Cathedral, as well as the vicarage of Torpenhow in 1787. Law was rector of Kelshall, Hertfordshire and in 1791 rector of Willingham Cambridgeshire. Law would marry Jane Adeane in July of 1784. By 1812 he had been translated to the bishopric of Chester, which his brother the lord chief justice had influenced. He was deeply concerned about the suffering of the rural poor and children in factories, being the only bishop to support Robert Peel’s bill to lessen the hours that children could work in factories. He also supported small land grants, lower rents and tax concessions for the poor, Law was invested in the reform of the church primarily through rigorous theological training and was against the Catholic Emancipation.