After 1824, the Home Office employed parliamentary draftsmen, but not in a formal position, to prepare and improve criminal law.
William Gregson was employed continuously between 1826 and 1833 in this capacity and received annual payments.
However the office was abolished in 1869 and its incumbent, Henry Thring, was appointed First Parliamentary Counsel to the Treasury.
[1][2] The Home Secretary, Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, felt that the office needed its own permanent legal adviser and Godfrey Lushington was appointed Counsel to the Home Office.
When Blackwell retired, the Home Office's senior civil servants took the opportunity to reorganise the department, and replaced his office with that of the Legal Adviser (with the rank of Under-Secretary),[9] the first of whom was Sir Oscar Dowson.