OBITUARY
SirGavynArthur
Waltzingjudgewithasenseofdutyandapassionforchocolatecakewho
becamelordmayorofLondonandgodfathertoten
July12016,12:01am,
TheTimes
SirGavynArthurwiththeQueenin2003
Askedtoidentifythetoughestaspectofhisroleaslordmayor,SirGavynArthur
claimedthatitwashostingtheannualMansionHousefancydresspartyfor600
children.“Thereisnomoredemandingaudience—andthatincludestheCourt
ofAppeal.”
Itwasanamusinganswergiventhathisjobalsoinvolvedhavingtosmilefor
photographsasheshookhandswithpresidentsPutinofRussiaandAssadof
Syria.
Inreality,Arthurwasastrongsupporterofchildren’scharities,selectingSave
theChildrenUKasthemainbeneficiaryofhisLordMayor’sAppeal.Hewasalso
anattentivegodfathertohissmallarmyofgodchildren,10ofthemaltogether.
Hetravelledagreatdealandwouldalwayssendthempostcards,which
amountedtohundredsovertheyears.
Whenhewassworninasthe675thlordmayorofLondoninNovember2002,
theoccasionwasmarkedwithabanquetandhemadesurethathisgodchildren
hadprideofplace—indeedhesatwiththematalargeroundtableinthemiddle
oftheEgyptianHallatMansionHouse.
Inhisspeechthatdaythelordchancellornoted:“Mylordmayor,thisweekend
youtakeoverthegovernanceoftheCityofLondon,oneofthefewplacesinthe
empireyourfamilyhavenotgovernedbefore.”
HewasalludingtothereputationthattheArthurfamilyenjoyedforhavingbeen
“thebackboneofcolonialadministration,withahabitofnamingportsafter
themselvesaroundtheworld”.Inthefirsthalfofthe19thcentury,itshouldbe
explained,Arthur’sgreat-greatgreatgrandfather,SirGeorgeArthur,servedas
governorofBombay,aswellaslieutenantgovernorofUpperCanadaandwhatis
nowTasmania.DuringhistimeinAustralia,hefoundedthenotoriousconvict
settlementofPortArthur.OthermembersoftheArthurfamilyfoughtanddiedat
Lucknow,avengedGeneralGordonattheBattleofOmdurmanin1898,and
orderedthestartoftheZulaWar.SirGavyn’sfavouritehymnwasIVowtoThee
MyCountry,which,perhapsnotsurprisingly,waswrittenbyacousinofhis,the
diplomatSirCecilSpring-Rice.
Hewouldalwayskneelatthefootofhisbedatnighttosayhisprayers
Arthurinheritedfromtheseillustriousforebearsaprofoundsenseofpublic
duty.Hewasthefirstholderoftheofficeoflordmayortobeaworkingbarrister,
andinassumingthisdemandingandunpaidrolehewalkedawayfromathriving
familylawpractice.
“AftersomanyyearsattheBar,Ineededabreak,”heexplained,“andthereis
suchathingaspublicservice.Therearemorethingsinlifethansimplygetting
thechequeattheendoftheweek.”
TheonlysurvivingchildofMajorLeonardArthurandhiswifeRaina,GavynFarr
Arthur,wasbornintheKwaZulu-NataldistrictofSouthAfricain1951.His
father,knownasMidge,workedfortheColonialServiceandservedatonestage
aschairmanoftheNatalProvincialAssembly.
ArthurwaseducatedatHarrow.Onleavingtheschoolhereadjurisprudenceat
ChristChurch,Oxford.Therehemadetwolifelongfriendships,withAlexander
“Johnny”DixonandBernardLever.AllthreewouldgoontojoinMiddleTemple
onthesamedayin1975andallendeduponthecircuitbench.Whenthey
arrivedatOxfordtheycomparednotesaboutwhattheyhaddoneintheirgap
years:DixonhadworkedasanavvyontheA38;Leverhadworkedthenightshift
ataKellogg’sfactory;theeccentricArthurhadpackedhistailsandwhitetieand
headedforVienna,wherehestayedasapayingguestinthehouseofCountess
Esterházy.Whiletherehelearnttowaltzanddevelopedapassionfor
Sachertorte,Viennesechocolatecake.
Afteraspellasacriminallawyer,heswitchedtofamilylaw,focusingonfinancial
mattersandpost-divorcearrangementsinparticular.
In1991,hebegana16-yearspellasanaldermanfortheWardofCripplegate.It
suitedhispersonalityandheappreciatedtheopportunityitgavehimtotalkto,
andspendtimewith,peoplewhohadlivedlivesmuchlessprivilegedthanhis
own.In1998,hebecamesheriffoftheCity,arolethatrequiredhimtoliveatthe
OldBaileyandopencourtproceedingseachmorning.
WithPresidentAssadin2002
Duringhisyearaslordmayor,Arthurlobbiedfortheabolitionofstampdutyon
sharedealings,whichhesawasadisincentivetoequitytrading.Whilehis
predecessorstendedtoavoidtheissueofcorporategovernance,Arthurwas
morethanhappytoairhisviewsonthesubject.Havingalreadyservedasa
recordersince2002,hewasappointedacircuitjudgein2007.Thefollowing
year,hebecameadeputyhighcourtjudgeinthefamilydivision.
Afineraconteurwithalivelyturnofphraseanda“fullfrontal”delivery,Arthur
wasmuchindemandasanafter-dinnerspeaker.In2014,tomarkthecentenary
oftheoutbreakoftheFirstWorldWar,hegaveanumberoflecturesonthe
assassinationofArchdukeFranzFerdinand.
HelivedattheBarbican,remainedabachelorandenjoyedentertaininghiswide
circleoffriendsathisclub,Brooks’sonStJames’s.
Hehadareputationforbeingabitofacard.Whenhewaslordmayorheoncesat
anonymouslyasarecorderinDerbyandservedallthejudgestheirteaand
coffee.Atonepoint,ashewasdoinghiswaiterlyrounds,hedelightedinhearing
oneofthejudgessaytoanother:“WehavethelordmayoroftheCityofLondon
sittingwithus,andIhavetotakehimtodinnerwiththelord-lieutenant.”
Thoughhehadacommandingpresence—hetoweredoverPutin—Arthuralso
hadaboyishfacewhichseemedtosuithischaracterandhispenchantforwhat
hisfriendSirBernardLevercharacterisedas“gallivantingandmakingmischief”.
HewasoneofthefewpeopleLeverknewwhomanagedtoliveouthisyouthful
fantasy“toonedayparadearoundLondoninagoldcoachinfancydresswaving
athisadoringpublic”.Thatsaid,“hewastheonlypersonofmygenerationI
knewwhokneeledatthefootofhisbedatnighttosayhisprayers”.
NotonlywasArthurinpossessionofaloftyintellect,hewasalsoafastidious
man,ahigh-maintenancehouseguestand,whenitcametogrammar,
punctuationandetiquette,anotoriouspedant.
Leverhadtwobestmenathiswedding,ArthurandDixon.InhisspeechArthur
said,“Bernardsaysandthinksthathehastwobestmenbutyoucan’thavetwo
bestofanything.SoIwanttomakeitcleartoyouallthatIamthebestman,
Johnnythebetterman.”
OneofArthur’shobbyhorseswastheiniquitiesofLondon’stransportsystem,
somethingwhichasmayorhewaspowerlesstotackle.Hewould,nevertheless,
“shoutaboutthemasloudlyasIcould”,arguingthattransportproblemswere
damagingthecapital’sreputationasabusinesshubandEurope’sleading
financialcentre.“ItaketheTubeeverydayofmyworkinglifeandI’mdelayed
everyday,”hetoldTheTimesinatoneofevidentfrustration.“It’sasimple
journeythathasbecomeamonster.”
Hewasperhapsmoreeffectiveinhislegalcareer,asacampaignerforfamily
justice.AnoteattachedtosomeflowersdeliveredtocourtatLutonafterhis
deathread:“HHJSirGavynArthur,restinpeace.Thankyouforgivingmemy
childrenback.Adad.”
SirGavynArthur,judgeandlordmayorofLondon,wasbornonSeptember13,
1951.HediedofanaorticaneurysmonMay16,2016,aged64