The long European peace, which followed the Battle of Waterloo, resulted in many English children being sent to France for education, among them William Leece Drinkwater, who attended Angoulëme College and became fluent in French.
[1] He was called to the English Bar (Inner Temple) in 1837 and subsequently practised in the Northern circuit acting as a reporting barrister in the Common Pleas Division.
After retiring from the bench and Legislature, Drinkwater continued to take a great interest in the Isle of Man Hospital being Chairman of the Committee.
He died on 22 May 1909 and his funeral was a private affair with only seven family members present: at the time of his death he had one surviving child, George Leece Drinkwater (1852-1930).
[2] According to Burke's Landed Gentry, the Drinkwater's Crest is 'Three wheat ears, two in saltire, one in pale or, encircled by a ducal coronet ppr.'