Tony Clarke, Baron Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony

The Right Honourable
The Lord Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony
PC QC
Official portrait, c. 2016
Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
In office
1 October 2009 – 30 September 2017
Nominated byJack Straw
Appointed byElizabeth II
Preceded byPosition created
Succeeded byLord Lloyd-Jones
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
Life peerage
29 May 2009 – 14 September 2020
Master of the Rolls
In office
3 October 2005 – 30 September 2009
Preceded byThe Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers
Succeeded byThe Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury
Lord Justice of Appeal
In office
1998–2005
High Court Judge
In office
1993–1998
Personal details
BornAnthony Peter Clarke
(1943-05-13)13 May 1943
Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland
Died16 April 2026(2026-04-16) (aged 82)
Spouse(s)Rosemary, Lady Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony
Children3
EducationOakham School
Alma materKing's College, Cambridge
OccupationJudge
ProfessionBarrister

Anthony Peter Clarke, Baron Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony, PC QC (13 May 1943 – 16 April 2026) was a British lawyer and senior judge.[1] He was one of the 11 founding Justices of the newly created Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, and was the first to be appointed directly to that court without previously having heard cases, as a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary, in the House of Lords. He retired from the Supreme Court in September 2017 at the age of 74.

Clarke was also a non-permanent judge of the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong from 11 April 2011.[2] Clarke was previously Master of the Rolls and Head of Civil Justice in England and Wales.

Early life and education

Clarke was born in Ayr on 13 May 1943, to Harry and Isobel (née Kay) Clarke.[3] The family later moved to Lincolnshire. He was educated at Oakham School.[4] In 1957 the trial of suspected serial killer John Bodkin Adams first made him interested in pursuing a career in the law.[5] He read Economics and Law at King's College, Cambridge.[3]

Career

Clarke was called to the Bar at Middle Temple in 1965. He developed a commercial and maritime law practice.

He became a Queen's Counsel in 1979, and was a Recorder sitting in both criminal and civil courts from 1985 to 1992. In 1993, Clarke became a High Court judge and, as is customary, was appointed a Knight Bachelor. He was allocated to the Queen's Bench Division and, in April 1993, he succeeded Mr Justice Sheen as the Admiralty Judge. He sat in the Admiralty Court, the Commercial Court and the Crown Court, trying commercial and criminal cases respectively.

Clarke was promoted to the Court of Appeal of England and Wales in 1998 and sworn of the privy council. Shortly thereafter, he led the Thames Safety Inquiry[6] and in the following year the judicial inquiry into the Marchioness disaster. He was Master of the Rolls from 2005 until 2009.

On 15 April 2009, it was announced that he would be created a life peer,[7] his appointment was gazetted on 29 May 2009[8] with the title of Baron Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony, of Stone-cum-Ebony, in the County of Kent.[9] He took his seat, as a crossbencher, in the House of Lords on 1 June 2009.[10]

It was announced on 20 April 2009 that Clarke was to be appointed to the Supreme Court with effect from 1 October 2009.[11] He retired from the Supreme Court in September 2017. From that point, he was then able to sit in the House of Lords, which he did until his retirement from the House on 14 September 2020.[12]

A member of the Shipwrights' Company, Clarke was an Assistant from 2000 and Prime Warden for 2014–15.

Personal life and death

Clarke lived in Kent and London with his wife, Rosemary, née Adam, whom he married in 1968. They had three children—Ben, Thomas and Sally—and six grandchildren.[3]

Clarke suffered from Alzheimer's disease in his later life. He died on 16 April 2026, at the age of 82.[13][14]

Arms

Coat of arms of Tony Clarke, Baron Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony
Crest
Emerging from rosemary foliage Proper a griffin's head erased and holding in the beak Gules a key in bend sinister the ward downwards Or.
Escutcheon
Or on a fess between three griffin's heads erased Gules a lion passant guardant dimidiating the hulk of an ancient ship Or.
Motto
Festina Lente (Diligently But Not Hurriedly)[15]

List of decided cases

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Rainey, Simon. The Law of Tug and Tow and Offshore Contracts Preface & King's College Cambridge – New Honorary Fellows (Accessed 5 April 2018)
  2. ↑ "Cheung named next Chief of High Court". The Standard. Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 15 October 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 "Clarke of Stone-Cum-Ebony, Baron, (Anthony Peter Clarke) (born 13 May 1943)". WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. 2007. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u11052. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4. Retrieved 22 September 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: periodical has ISBN (link)
  4. ↑ Bowcott, Owen (27 April 2026). "Lord Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  5. ↑ Kessell, Sandra. "The Law of the Sea". Seafarer. Marine Society & Sea Cadets. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013.
  6. ↑ Thames Safety Enquiry: final report by Lord Justice Clarke. Stationery Office. 2000. ISBN 9780101455824.
  7. ↑ "Life Peerage for Sir Anthony Clarke". number10.gov.uk. 15 April 2009. Archived from the original on 28 December 2009.
  8. ↑ "No. 59079". The London Gazette. 3 June 2009. p. 9433.
  9. ↑ "Crown Office". The London Gazette. 3 June 2009.
  10. ↑ House of Lords – Minutes of Proceedings
  11. ↑ "Justice of the UK Supreme Court". number10.gov.uk. 20 April 2009. Archived from the original on 18 October 2009.
  12. ↑ "Lord Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony". Parliament of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  13. ↑ UK Supreme Court [@UKSupremeCourt] (17 April 2026). "It is with sadness that we learnt today of the death of our colleague, Lord Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony. Lord Clarke was a Justice of the UKSC from its opening in 2009 until 2017. He was an excellent colleague & the kindest of men. Our thoughts are with his family at this sad time" (Tweet). Retrieved 17 April 2026 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  14. ↑ "The Right Honourable the Lord Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony". The Telegraph. 18 April 2026. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
  15. ↑ Debrett's Peerage. 2019.

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