The year 1759 was the year of wonders. Throughout that
year the bells of Lincoln rang out to welcome British victories
in the seven years war. Jephtha Foster, the founder of our firm,
was 28. On 7 June in that year he was admitted as a notary public
in the Court of Faculties of the Archbishop of Canterbury. That
is the earliest recorded event in our firm's history.
Being a notary was a secondary occupation. Foster was principally
a proctor, an ecclesiastical lawyer practising in the bishop's
Consistory Court at Lincoln (now the Cathedral Gift Shop) and
in the myriad of other Church courts in and around Lincoln. At
that time the Church courts had a much wider jurisdiction than
today; they granted marriage licences, probate of wills and judicial
separations. In addition we know that Foster drafted wills and
did conveyancing. We do not know much about Foster's early career
but he must have been successful enough to buy the lease of the
building which is still standing at 2-3 James Street, Lincoln
which became his house and offices in 1768. He paid £80 for the
lease and also bought the lease of some adjoining land. Those
premises were to be our offices from 1768 to 1861.
Foster married Mary Hutchinson on 5 June 1770 and had seven children. Neither
of his sons survived him and his only daughter to marry, married a surgeon.
In 1783 Foster was appointed Registrar of the Prebendal Court of Louth, an association
which the firm was to maintain until the demise of that court after World War
I.
In 1810, by then aged 79, Foster decided he needed a partner to lighten the load.
He selected John May Bromehead an attorney and solicitor of Spilsby, Lincolnshire.
Bromehead had not been a church lawyer at all. Although he was admitted as proctor
of Lincoln Consistory Court on 5 February 1810, it is likely that he needed a
lot of guidance from the senior partner.
The partnership agreement dated 13 March 1810 provided that Bromehead was to
be solely responsible for the management of the practice and the profits were
to be split one thirds-two thirds in Bromehead's favour. The firm became known
as Foster & Bromehead. It might be thought that Foster was going to retire but
it seems that that was not the case. Deeds continued to be drawn where Foster
witnessed his client's signature. As far as we are aware Foster was still in
harness when he eventually passed away on 8 August 1817 at 1am aged 86.
MORE HISTORY :-
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