It is with great sadness that Fountain Court announces the passing of Christopher Bathurst QC, the 3rd Viscount Bledisloe on Tuesday 12th May 2009 peacefully at home in London.
Born 24 June 1934, Christopher was the son of the second Viscount Bledisloe. He was educated at Eton, and Trinity College, Oxford. Between 1954 and 1955 he served as a Second Lieutenant of the 11th Hussars. He was called to the Bar by Gray’s Inn in 1959 and began practising at Fountain Court Chambers, becoming its Head of Chambers in 1989, a position he held until 1994. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1978. He practised in all areas of commercial Law, appearing in some of the leading cases of the times, with a particular specialism in accountancy and professional negligence, but including most areas of business common law and construction contracts. For example he led for the Plaintiffs in Caparo v Dickman – the seminal House of Lords case on duty of care. He became a Deputy High Court Judge trying civil cases and was an arbitrator in England and Singapore.
In 1979, Lord Bledisloe became a member of the House of Lords (legislative) and had the distinction of being one of the hereditary peers elected by the other hereditary peers to take a seat in the House of Lords, which most hereditary peers lost by the House of Lords Act 1999. He was also a member of the Select Committee on European Union and Sub-Committee on European Legal Affairs.
He was much admired by his friends and colleagues here and abroad. He will be greatly missed.
He is survived by two sons and one daughter.
His funeral service for family and friends will be held at St. Mary’s Church, Lydney on Monday 1st June 2009 at 2.00 pm.
A Memorial Service is to be held at Temple Church, Temple, London on Monday 19th October 2009 at 5.45 pm.
Donations to the ‘Friends of Lydney Hospital’ may be sent to Philip Blatchly & Son Ltd., Regents Court, Regents Street, Lydney, Glos. GL15 5RL.
Christopher’s obituary was published in The Times on 28 May 2009. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article6374216.ece
