Hardwicke, Philip Yorke, 1st earl of
Hardwicke, Philip Yorke, 1st earl of,
1690–1764, English jurist. As lord chancellor (1737–56) he did much to systematize the laws of equityequity,principles of justice originally developed by the English chancellor. In Anglo-American jurisprudence equitable principles and remedies are distinguished from the older system that the common law courts evolved.
..... Click the link for more information. and established the principle that equity must follow its precedents. An influential member of the government, he was active in suppressing the Jacobite uprising of 1745.