Rumpole
Took this today on Fleet Street love the image and reflections...
Rumpole loves the courtroom. Despite attempts by his friends and family to get him to move on to a more respectable position for his age, such as a QC or a Circuit Judge, he only enjoys the simple pleasure of defending his clients at The Old Bailey, London's criminal court. A devotee of Arthur Quiller-Couch's Oxford Book of English Verse, he often quotes Wordsworth and secretly calls his wife Hilda "She Who Must Be Obeyed" (SWMBO), a reference to the novel She by H. Rider Haggard.
His skill at defending his clients is legendary among the criminal classes. The Timson clan of "minor villains" (primarily thieves) regularly rely on Rumpole to get them out of their latest bit of trouble with the law. Rumpole is proud of his successful handling of the Penge bungalow murders without a leader (that is, without a QC) early in his career and of his extensive knowledge of bloodstains and typewriters. Cross-examination is one of his favorite activities and he disdains barristers who lack either the skill or courage to ask the right questions. His courtroom zeal gets him into trouble from time to time. More than once, his investigations reveal more than his client wants him to know. Rumpole's most chancy encounters stem from arguing with judges, particularly those who seem to believe that being on trial implies guilt or that the police are infallible.
Rumpole also loves unhealthy habits. Despite attempts by his friends and family to better his health, he enjoys small cigars, cheap claret, and greasy food. He frequents Pommeroy's, a local tavern at which he contributes regularly to an ever-increasing bar tab by purchasing glasses of the local wine, which he dubs "Pommeroy's Plonk", "Pommeroy's Very Ordinary", "Chateau Thames Embankment", and "Chateau Fleet Street". His cigar smoking is often the subject of debate within his chambers. His peers sometimes criticise his attire, noting his old hat, imperfectly aligned clothes, cigar ash trailing down his waistcoat and faded barrister's wig, "bought second hand from a former Chief Justice of Tonga" (or the Windward Islands—Rumpole is occasionally an unreliable narrator).
Despite his affection for the criminal classes, Rumpole's character is marked by a firm set of ethics. Rumpole's motto is "never plead guilty", and he refuses to prosecute in court (there was one exception, but he proved that the defendant was innocent and then reaffirmed, "from now on, Rumpole only defends"
. This belief also prevents him from making deals that involve pleading guilty to lesser charges. He is a staunch believer in the presumption of innocence, the "Golden Thread of British Justice". The stories combine humour, mystery, and drama.
Apart from the legal drama, Rumpole also has to deal with his relationships with family and friends. His wife Hilda was proud of her daddy (as she calls him), C.H. Wystan, who was Rumpole's head of chambers, and pushes for Rumpole to achieve more: head of chambers, QC, judge. Rumpole unintentionally raises tensions with his American daughter-in-law because of their differing views. (Once again his ardour gets him into trouble as his daughter-in-law disapproved of him cross-examining a rape "victim" whom he believed to be lying.) His associates' dynamic social positions contrast with his relatively static one, which causes feelings between him and the others to shift over time.
Have a good day!
SM
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