NSW Silk appointments

Prior to 1993 silks were referred to as QC or KC (KC from 1901-1952) depending on the reigning sovereign – they commenced being referred to as SC on and from 1993. Please note that formal titles and/or post nominals that may have been held by an individual on their appointment as a silk have been omitted.

Note: An individual is not listed here if it is know he/she was appointed silk in another jurisdiction prior to taking silk status in NSW where this is known.

Name Date of appointment External links
Owen, William Francis Langer 1935 Australian Dictionary of Biography State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Crawford, Thomas Simpson 1935 Australian Dictionary of Biography State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Evatt, Clive Raleigh 1935 Australian Dictionary of Biography State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Fuller, Bryan Cecil 1938 Australian Dictionary of Biography State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Clancy, Brian Patrick 1938 State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Cassidy, Jack Evelyn 1938 Australian Dictionary of Biography State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Herron, Leslie James 1939 Australian Dictionary of Biography State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Newell, F J Kingsley 1940 State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Treatt, Vernon Haddon 1940 Australian Dictionary of Biography State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Miller, Eric Stanislaus Joseph 1940 Australian Dictionary of Biography State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Wallace, Gordon 1940 Australian Dictionary of Biography State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Barwick, Garfield Edward John 1941 State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Dwyer, Francis Aloysius 1941 State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Shand, John Wentworth 1942 Australian Dictionary of Biography State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Kitto, Frank Walters 1942 State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Sugerman, Bernard 1943 Australian Dictionary of Biography State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Taylor, Alan Russell 1943 Australian Dictionary of Biography State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Badham, Lennard Campbell 1944 State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Ferguson, Keith Aubrey 1944 State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Webb, Sydney George 1944 State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
McKell, William John 1945 Australian Dictionary of Biography State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
McClemens, John Henry 1945 Australian Dictionary of Biography State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Wilson, John Bowie 1946 State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Lloyd, Alan Stredwick 1946 State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Rainbow, Alfred Ernest 1946 State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Dignam, William John 1946 State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Hardie, Martin Francis 1947 State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Jenkyn, Norman Alexander 1947 State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Rooney, Charles Vincent 1948 State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Holmes, John Dashwood 1948 Australian Dictionary of Biography State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Stuckey, Geoffrey Philip 1949 State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Windeyer, (William John) Victor 1949 Australian Dictionary of Biography State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Myers, Frederick George 1949 State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Beale, Howard 1950 Australian Dictionary of Biography State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Kinkead, James John Benedict 1950 State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Moverley, Arthur John 1950 State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
McLelland, Charles 1950 State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Isaacs, Simon 1950 State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Ashburner, Richard 1951
Richardson, Athol Railton 1951
Maguire, Hugh 1951
Smyth, John William 1951 Australian Dictionary of Biography
Martin, Clarence Edward 1952 Australian Dictionary of Biography
Amsberg, George Frederick 1952
Snelling, Harold Alfred Rush 1952 Australian Dictionary of Biography
McIntosh, Noel Desmond 1952 State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Louat, Frank Rutledge 1952 Australian Dictionary of Biography
Clegg, Eric 1952
Macfarlan, Bruce Panton 1952
Asprey, Kenneth William 1952
Cahalan, Edward Bernard 1952
Stephen, Frank Carter 1952 State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Sheahan, William Francis 1953 Australian Dictionary of Biography
Loxton, Merlin Forster 1953 Australian Dictionary of Biography
Chambers, Rex 1953 State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Taylor, Robert Lindsay 1953
Bowen, Nigel Hubert 1953
Manning, James Kenneth 1953 Australian Dictionary of Biography
Pile, Marcel Emile 1953
Kerr, John Robert 1953
Meares, Charles Leycester Devenish 1954
Furnell, Lyn Cuthbert 1954
Smith, Robert Charles 1954
Kerrigan, Alan Bevly 1954 Australian Dictionary of Biography
Kidston, Roderick Robert 1955 State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales
Healy, Michael Desmond 1955
Larkins, Antony 1955
Knight, William James 1955
Goran, Alfred Joseph 1955
Newton, Russell Jack Miller 1955
Evans, John Dudley 1955
Else-Mitchell, Rae 1955
Bridge, Alan Bruce Keith Ian 1955
Moffitt, Athol Randolph 1956
Woodward, Philip Morgan 1956
St John, Edward Henry 1956
Langsworth, Christian Carruthers 1957
Reynolds, Raymond George 1958
Begg, Colin Elly 1958
Jacobs, Kenneth Sydney 1958
Shannon, Carl 1959
Hicks, David Stuart 1959
Nagle, John Flood 1959
Staff, Douglas Alger 1959
Riley, Bernard Blomfield 1960 Australian Dictionary of Biography
Allen, Phillip Harrison 1960
Ash, William Percy 1960
Byers, Maurice Hearne 1960
Selby, David Mayer 1960
Vizzard, Frederick William 1960
Head, Phillip Lyburn 1960
Sullivan, Gregory Thomas Aloysius 1960
Toose, Paul Burcher 1960
Rath, Arthur Francis 1960
Hope, Robert Marsden 1960
Murphy, Lionel Keith 1960 Australian Dictionary of Biography
Mahoney, Dennis Leslie 1960
Davoren, John Joseph 1960
Cohen, Alroy Maitland 1961
Little, Edy 1961
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Note for interest

William Charles Wentworth, admitted in 1824 with Robert Wardell as foundation barristers in the Supreme Court of New South Wales, was accorded the distinction of wearing a silk gown in February 1835 – the first in private practice to be so recognised (Sydney Gazette, 12 February 1835). That was a ‘patent of precedence’ but did not entitle him to use the term ‘King’s Counsel’. Senior law officers customarily wore silk gowns in court in the early decades of the Supreme Court.

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