Ancestry’s recent update to the UK and Commonwealth, Law Examination Records, 1836-1949 contains 563,872 entries. This extensive database led me to discover the early career records of Oswald Henry Cochrane, the stepfather of my maternal grandmother. Let’s use him as a case study, exploring what these records add to my previous knowledge of the man who had been captain of the Middlesbrough Football Club, and I recall as infirm.
The records, which give address and age, detail his qualification process while he was an articled clerk working for J. T. Belk in Middlesbrough. There are 19 entries for Cochrane in total; the first two list him as an Employee, and the remaining 17 as an Employer.
1. Intermediate Examination (1882)
This first hurdle centred on Stephen’s Commentaries, the principal legal textbook of the era. The exam was based on this work, although the three-part structure of the test doesn’t neatly align with the four volumes of Henry John Stephen’s treatise.
| Detail |
Score |
Max |
| Head I |
74 |
100 |
| Head II |
78 |
100 |
| Head III |
55 |
100 |
| Total |
211 |
300 |
2. Final Examination (1884)
Two years later, Oswald (listed as age 26 with his B.A. qualification) sat for the exam that would admit him as a solicitor.
The Essentials section covered core legal knowledge:
| Subject |
Score |
Max |
| A (Likely Practice of the Courts or Principles of Law) |
76 |
150 |
| B (Likely Equity and Principles of Chancery) |
92 |
150 |
| Conveyancing |
90 |
150 |
| Total |
258 |
450 |
His total score was slightly below the median, more than sufficient for qualification. It opened the way to a successful career. A 1890 trade directory lists him in partnership with Belk, who was a coroner, while Oswald was a magistrate. He went on to serve as the coroner for Middlesbrough and area. Oswald Henry Cochrane died at age 97.
This collection, sourced from the 
The Ottawa Citizen of November 16, 1994, had a front-page