William Henry Doyle

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Sir William Henry Doyle

| image = Sir William Henry Doyle.jpg

| office1 = Chief Justice of the Leeward Islands

}}

Sir William Henry Doyle (1823-1879) was a Bahamian lawyer, judge, Member of Parliament, and Chief Justice. He was appointed Chief Justice of the Bahamas in 1865, Chief Justice of the Leeward Islands in 1875 and Chief Justice of Gibraltar in 1877. He was also believed to be the first Bahamian to be knighted.

Early life

Doyle was born in Nassau, Bahamas in 1823, the son of Captain Edward Doyle{{Cite book |last=Hutchinson |first=John |url=https://archive.org/details/acataloguenotab00hutcgoog/page/n98/mode/2up. |title=A Catalogue of Notable Middle Templars, with Brief Biographical Notices |publisher=Butterworth and Co. for the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple. |year=1902 |location=London |pages=78 |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Bahamianologist |first=The |date=2022-02-08 |title=First Bahamian Knighted in 1873 Dies from Mystery Mental Illness 1879 · Bahamianology |url=https://bahamianology.com/first-bahamian-knighted-in-1873-dies-from-mystery-mental-illness-1879/ |access-date=2025-04-20 |website=Bahamianology |language=en-US}} and Annabella Amelia Yonge.{{Cite news |date=1 May 1879 |title=Obituary (The Death of Sir William Henry Doyle) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/33114468 |url-access=subscription |work=The Times |location=London, England}} He was called to the Bar of England and Wales at the Middle Temple on 8 May 1846.{{Cite news |date=11 May 1846 |title=Middle Temple |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/402167061 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2025-04-21 |work=The Morning Post |location=London, Greater London, England |pages=6}}

Career

Doyle served as a member of the House of Assembly of the Bahamas from 1848 to 1858, a member of the Executive Council from 1853 to 1865, and a member of the Legislative Council in 1859.

He was appointed to the position of Assistant Justice of the General Court in 1858.{{Cite news |date=14 Aug 1860 |title=The Irish Abroad |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3719389 |access-date=2025-04-20 |work=The Moreton Bay Courier |location=Brisbane, Australia |pages=4}}{{Cite journal |date=13 August 1858 |title=Downing Street Appointments |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/Edinburgh/issue/6831/page/1537 |journal=The Edinburgh Gazette |issue=6831 |pages=1537}} He was appointed acting Chief Justice of the Bahamas on 20 October 1864, after the resignation of John Campbell LeesThe Nassau Guardian, Nassau, Bahamas, 26 October 1864, p. 1 and Chief Justice in his own right on 14 September 1865.{{Cite journal |date=15 September 1865 |title=Appointment |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/23014/page/4465 |journal=The Gazette |location=London |issue=23014 |pages=4465}} It was said that he "distinguished himself professionally in certain notable cases of seizure in the Vice-Admiralty Court, and his success... led to his [later] promotion".{{Cite news |date=30 September 1916 |title=Death of Lady Doyle |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/211699261 |work=The Northam Advertiser |location=Western Australia |pages=4}}

Doyle was knighted by Queen Victoria in 1873 and he is believed to be the first Bahamian to be knighted by a British monarch.The Nassau Guardian, Nassau, Bahamas, 3 January 1874, pg. 1

In March 1875, Doyle was appointed Chief Justice of the Leeward Islands,{{Cite journal |date=6 April 1875 |title=Downing Street Appointment |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/Edinburgh/issue/8569/page/229 |journal=The Edinburgh Gazette |issue=8569 |pages=229}} and later served as Chief Justice of Gibraltar from 1877{{Cite journal |date=18 May 1877 |title=Downing Street Appointment |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/Edinburgh/issue/8792/page/374 |journal=The Edinburgh Gazette |issue=8792 |pages=374}} to 1879.

Personal life

Doyle married Mary Sarah Johnson in 1854. They had one daughter, Mary Amelia Doyle, who became a published poet and songwriter under the name May Kidson. Doyle's sister Mary married Edwin Charles Moseley, the founder of the Nassau Guardian. His son-in-law, Charles Barclay Kidson, became the Sergeant-at-Arms of the Legislative Assembly of Western, Australia.{{Cite news |date=11 January 1932 |title=Mr. C. B. Kidson Dead. |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/32401107 |work=The West Australian |location=Perth, Western Australia |pages=8}}

In 1860, Doyle attended a levee at St. James's Palace and was presented to the Queen by the Duke of Newcastle.{{Cite news |date=21 June 1860 |title=Her Majesty's Levee |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/396216305 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2025-04-20 |work=The Morning Post |location=London, England |pages=6}}

Doyle spent his final years in the English countryside. He died at Cheltenham, England on 27 April 1879;{{Cite news |title=Deaths (Doyle) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/396831434 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2025-04-20 |work=The Morning Post |location=London, England |pages=8}} aged 56. He was interred in Cheltenham on 30 April 1879 and was survived by his wife and daughter.

References

Category:Chief justices of Gibraltar

Category:1823 births

Category:People from Nassau, Bahamas

Category:Chief justices of the Bahamas

Category:19th-century Gibraltarian judges

Category:1879 deaths

Category:19th-century Bahamian people