Garrow’s Law is a television series which ran on British television (BBC) for three seasons.
2009 = season one
2010 = season two
2011 = season three
This courtroom drama and period piece is inspired by a true story: the life and career of the English lawyer William Garrow (who lived 1760-1840).
Here is some basic information about this series:
** Created and produced by Tony Marchant
** Directed by:
Peter Lydon (season 1)
Ashley Pearce (season 2)
Bryn Higgins (season 3)
** Screenplay written by Tony Marchant and Damian Wayling
The series was released on DVD:
** Season 1 in 2010
(2 discs)
** Season 2 in 2011
(2 discs)
** Season 3 in 2012
(2 discs)
** A special box set with all three seasons was released in 2012 (6 discs)
** The number of episodes: 3 x 4 = 12
** Run time: almost 12 hours
The cast includes the following:
** Andrew Buchan as William Garrow – a barrister
** Alun Armstrong as John Southouse (pronounced: Soothouse) – a solicitor
** Aidan McArdle as Silvester – a prosecutor
** Michael Culkin as Judge Buller
** Lyndsay Marshall as Lady Sarah Hill
** Rupert Graves as Sir Arthur Hill
William Garrow was an English barrister, politician and judge. He plays an important role in the legal history of England and later the United Kingdom.
He coined the phrase:
“A suspect is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.”
Garrow was called to the bar in 1783; elected to Parliament in 1805; named Solicitor General in 1812; named Attorney General in 1813; and named a judge in 1817. When he resigned in 1832, he was made a privy councillor.
His personal life was complicated and quite unusual for his time: he had “an irregular relationship” with Sarah Dore (1752-1808).
This means they lived together, even though they were not married. They had a son (David) in 1781 and a daughter (Eliza Sophia) in 1784. They were eventually married in 1793.
The series is inspired by Garrow’s life and career and by some remarkable court cases which took place in his lifetime.
But the series is not a documentary film, it is a dramatized version of events. Not everything happened exactly as shown here.
In fact, Garrow was not involved in every case which is presented in the series, but all cases are real.
Here are some examples:
Case # 1
The Zong was a slave ship whose captain ordered 133 slaves thrown overboard because he claimed there was not enough water to keep them alive.
The captain and the owners of the ship were not accused of murder, because slaves were regarded as “cargo.”
You are allowed to throw your own cargo overboard if you want to.
But the owners of the ship had insured the cargo before the voyage began and they wanted the insurance company to compensate them for the cargo they had lost.
The insurance
company refused to pay. The insurance company accused the owners of the ship of
committing fraud when they demanded compensation.This is why the case was tried in a court of law.
This case took place in 1781. Garrow did not take part in this case. At that time, he had not yet been called to the bar, but it happened in his lifetime.
The story of the Zong plays an important role in the historical drama Belle which premiered in 2013.
The adoptive father of the main character Belle is the presiding judge in the case of the Zong.
The episode is the subject of a painting by the famous painter J. M. W. Turner (1775-1851).
His painting The Slave Ship was completed in 1840. It shows the moment when the “unwanted cargo” is thrown overboard.
Case # 2
The Spitalfield Riots, 1765-1769. Two men were accused of causing a riot. They were executed in 1769. Garrow did not take part in this case. At that time, he had not yet been called to the bar, but it happened during his lifetime.
Case # 3
The attack on King George III. A man was accused of trying to kill the king during a performance in a theatre.
This episode took place in 1800. The king survived. When the case was tried in court, the man was found not guilty by reason of insanity.
Case # 4
Torture in Trinidad. Thomas Picton was the governor of Trinidad 1797-1803.
While he was governor, a free mulatto girl (Louisa Calderon) was accused of stealing from a white man. She denied the charge.
In order to make her confess, she was tortured. This happened in 1801 when the girl was only 13.
The case was tried in a court in London in 1806 when Louisa Calderon had become a young woman of 18.
Garrow prosecuted Picton. The jury found him guilty, but no punishment was announced. The army protected him. In fact, he was promoted.
Two years later, in 1808, a court of appeal found him not guilty. And he continued his career as a soldier. He was killed during the battle of Waterloo in 1815.
What do reviewers say about this television series?
Here are some results:
On IMDb it has a rating of 83 per cent.
On Amazon there are at the moment more than 150 ratings of the special box set with all three seasons, including more than 100 with reviews.
The average rating is 4.5 stars, which corresponds to a rating of 90 percent.
In my opinion, the rating on IMDb is too low, while the rating on Amazon is more appropriate.
I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).
Why?
I have four reasons:
# 1. The script is well-written
# 2. The actors play their roles well
# 3. The story is captivating, dramatic and emotional
# 4. The story is inspired by a real lawyer and by a series of remarkable court cases
Although Garrow did not participate in every case which is presented in the series, all cases are real and they offer a good impression of how the court system operated at the time, around 200 years ago.
The character Lady Sarah Hill demonstrates the deplorable situation in which women found themselves at the time.
A man could divorce his wife, if he wanted. He could even throw her out of his house. Once she was out, she had no rights, because legally, she was not a person.
A woman was the daughter of her father or the wife of her husband. The woman herself was nothing. If a couple had any children, the father had full custody of them. The mother had no rights to her own children.
If you like a courtroom drama, if you like a historical drama, this series is definitely something for you.
It is entertaining as well as educational.
William Garrow fights for human rights, a concept that was not very well developed at the time. He does not always win, but he makes his mark on history.
He is a trailblazer. He paves the way for others who can follow in his footsteps later on. That is why this series is highly recommended.
PS # 1. For information about the life and career of William Garrow, see the following book:
Sir William Garrow:
His Life, Times and Fight for Justice
by John Hostettler and Richard Braby
(2009 = hardcover)
(2010 = paperback)
PS # 2. For information about the case of the slave ship, see the following book:
The Zong:
A Massacre, the Law and the End of Slavery
by James Walvin
(2011)
*****
Garrow's Law
BBC period drama at its very best
This is a poster for season 3
(2011)
*****
William Garrow
(1760-1840)
A barrister, a politician, and a judge
*****
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