Inns of Chancery

With the founding of the Society of Gentleman Practisers in 1739 and the Law Society of England and Wales in 1825, a single unified professional association for solicitors, the purpose of the Inns died out, and after a long period of decline the last one (Clement's Inn) was sold in 1903 and demolished in 1934.

A papal bull in 1218 prohibited the clergy from practising in the secular, common law courts.

A student would first join one of the Inns of Chancery, where he would be taught in the form of moots and rote learning.

[8] At the end of each legal term, particularly promising students would be transferred to the parent Inn of Court and begin the next stage of their education.

[9] At the same time, the Inns of Chancery was used as accommodation and offices by solicitors, the other branch of the English legal profession.

In 1897 a popular book reported that nobody could remember the purpose of the buildings and that an 1850 investigation had failed to uncover their origins.

[17] In its later years the Inn was a poor one, and had no library or chapel, with most of the funds being spent on repairs and maintenance for the building.

[19] By the time it was dissolved it was inhabited only by the lowest lawyers and those struck off the rolls, and when surveyed it was found that it was run by only two Ancients, neither of whom had any idea what their duties were, and the Inn had not dined for over a century.

[22] As a note of that "independence" it became custom for the Inner Temple to send them a message once a year, which would be received but deliberately not replied to.

"[22] Noted students include John Selden; Sir Edward Coke was also said to have studied there, but historical records find no evidence of this, and he was always associated with Lyon's Inn more than Clifford's.

[23] The first lawyers to occupy the premises which later became the Middle Temple came from St George's Inn,[24] arriving by 1346.

Noted tenants include Charles Dickens, who began to write The Pickwick Papers whilst living there.

[34] The Inn was shut down and the building sold to the Prudential Assurance Company in 1884, and part of it is now used as the headquarters of the Institute of Actuaries.

[38] A large Inn, Barnard's had 112 students a year during the reign of Elizabeth I with 24 in permanent residence.

[38] The Inn was badly damaged in the Gordon Riots after a rioter set fire to the distillery next door.