A full list of all Recorders (back to 1298) and Common Serjeants (to 1291) are listed at the spreadsheet which can be downloaded at the Past Masters’ archive. Go to extreme righthand columns.
The list below is of the permanent judges who have served full time at the Old Bailey. Additions and corrections are welcome. Please email nrpullman@btinternet.com
Dame Rose Heilbron was the first female judge to sit at the Old Bailey on 4th January 1972 in her capacity as a High Court Judge.
To learn more of Dame Heilbron QC, read the transcript of Nigel Pullman’s Oldie magazine article marking the 50th anniversary of her first sitting at the Central Criminal Court (ie in the January 2022 edition) at this link.
His Honour Judge Sir Carl Aarvold QC 1959 – 1975 Recorder of London, previously Common Serjeant
His Honour Judge Mervyn Griffith-Jones QC Common Serjeant 1964 – 1979
His Honour Judge Edward Clarke QC 1964 – 1981
His Honour Judge Edward Sutcliffe QC 1964 - 1984
His Honour Judge Alan King-Hamilton QC 1964 – 1979
His Honour Judge Bernard Gillis QC 1964 – 1980
His Honour Judge Norman Brodrick QC 1967 - 1982
His Honour Judge Neil McKinnon QC 1968 – 1982
His Honour Judge Alexander Karmel QC 1968 – 1979
His Honour Judge Christmas Humphries QC 1968 – 1976
His Honour Judge Stanley Price QC 1969 - 1983
His Honour Judge Derek Grant QC 1969 - 1984
His Honour Judge Michael Argyle QC 1970 - 1988
His Honour Judge Jack Abdela QC 1970 -
His Honour Judge Edward Cussen 1971 – 1973
His Honour Judge Geraint Rees 1971 - 1981
His Honour Judge John Marnan 1972 – 1980
His Honour Judge Gwyn Morris QC 1972 – 1981
His Honour Judge Charles Lawson QC 1972 - 1982
His Honour Judge Malcolm Morris QC 1972 -
His Honour Judge John Buzzard 1974 –
His Honour Judge Sir James Miskin QC 1975 – 1990 Recorder
His Honour Judge Richard Lowry QC 1977 – 1995
His Honour Judge John Leonard QC Common Serjeant 1979 - 1981, later Mr Justice Leonard
His Honour Judge David Tudor-Price, Common Serjeant 1981 – 1984, later Mr Justice Tudor-Price
His Honour Judge Peter Mason QC 1982
His Honour Judge Christopher Hilliard 1983-1985
His Honour Judge Thomas Pigot QC Common Serjeant 1984 – 1990
His Honour Judge James Rant QC 1984 -
His Honour Judge Brian Capstick QC 1985 – 1998
His Honour Judge Michael Coombe 1986 – 2003
His Honour Judge Brian Smedley QC, later Mr Justice Smedley 1987 - 1995
Her Honour Judge Nina Lowry 1987-1995, First permanent woman judge at CCC
His Honour Judge Henry Pownall QC 1988-1999
His Honour Judge Kenneth Richardson QC 1988 - 1994
His Honour Judge Bruce Laughland QC 1989 - 1996
His Honour Judge Robert Lymbery QC, Common Serjeant 1990 - 1993
His Honour Judge Sir Lawrence Verney 1990 – 1998 Recorder
His Honour Judge Richard Hawkins KC 1992 - 2012
His Honour Judge Denison KC, Common Serjeant 1993 - 2001
His Honour Judge Gerald Gordon 1994 - 2017
His Honour Judge Peter Beaumont KC 1995 - 2013, Recorder from 2004, previously Common Serjeant (2001-2004)
His Honour Judge Giles Forrester KC 1995 - 2011
His Honour Judge Graham Boal KC 1996-2005
His Honour Judge Paul Focke KC 1997 - 2007
Her Honour Judge Ann Goddard QC 1997 - 2008
His Honour Judge Michael Hyam 1998 – 2004 Recorder
His Honour Judge David Paget KC 1998 - 2012
His Honour Judge David Stokes KC 1999 - 2004
His Honour Judge Martin Stephens KC 1999 - 2012
His Honour Judge Brian Barker KC 2000 - 2015, Recorder from 2013, previously Common Serjeant (2004-2013)
His Honour Judge Jeremy Roberts KC 2000 - 2011
His Honour Judge Christopher Moss KC 2002 - 2018
His Honour Judge Anthony Morris KC 2003 - 2017
His Honour Judge Richard Hone KC 2005 - 2017
His Honour Judge Stephen Kramer KC 2005 - 2017
His Honour Judge Peter Rook KC 2005 - 2017
His Honour Judge Peter Thornton KC 2007 - 2016
His Honour Judge Paul Worsley KC 2007 - 2016
His Honour Judge Timothy Pontius 2008 - 2016
His Honour Judge John Bevan KC 2011 - 2017
His Honour Judge Charles Wide KC 2011 - 2016
His Honour Judge Nicholas Cooke KC 2012 - 2018
Her Honour Judge Wendy Joseph KC 2012 - 2022
His Honour Judge Richard Marks KC 2012, The Common Serjeant from 2015
Her Honour Judge Rebecca Poulet KC 2012 - 2020
His Honour Judge Nicholas Hilliard KC 2013 - 2019, Recorder from 2015, previously the Common Serjeant (2013-2015) later Mr Justice Hilliard
His Honour Judge Mark Lucraft KC 2017, Recorder from 2020
His Honour Judge Philip Katz KC 2017
Her Honour Judge Ann Molyneux 2017 - 2022
Her Honour Judge Anuja Dhir KC 2017
His Honour Judge Anthony Leonard KC 2017
Her Honour Judge Sarah Munro KC 2017
His Honour Judge Mark Dennis KC 2018
His Honour Judge Nigel Lickley KC 2018
Her Honour Judge Angela Rafferty KC 2019
His Honour Judge John Hillen 2020 - 2022
Her Honour Judge Rebecca Trowler KC 2021
His Honour Judge Simon Mayo KC 2021
Her Honour Judge Alexia Durran 2021
Her Honour Judge Rebecca Trowler KC 2021
A Decade of Criminal Justice
A compilation of the valedictory speeches given for those listed above who retired between 2010-2019. To order a copy, ISBN-978-1-5272-6969-9 please follow this link.
To read more of the Central Criminal Court, follow this link to the City of London website, or this for the Ministry of Justice.
For an historical record of all past Recorders and Common Serjeants, and Sheriffs, download the spreadsheet in the Past Masters’ archive.
5th November 2021 (updated 2nd January 2023)
