Lord Denning

Although he retired over a decade ago, Lord Denning remains Britain's best-known and, to many, most controversial judge. As Master of the Rolls, a position he occupied for 20 years, he saw his job as the making of law, not merely the interpretation of it, and he gave judgments which placed the judiciary at the centre of political and social change. From the time he became a judge at 45, the youngest on the Bench, he became known for his independence of mind, passion for justice, wry humour and considerable flair for publicity. Naturally conservative, he still liberalized social policy and stood up consistently for individual rights. A firm believer in Christian marriage, he nevertheless eased divorce procedures and brought about the protection of women's property-rights. His report on the Profumo Affair became one of the key documents of the 1960s. In preparing this biography Iris Freeman had access to Lord Denning and to members of his family.