Charles Babbage

“ William Hayes.—The late Mr. Hayes, who died on the 31st ult., should not be suffered to pass away without a somewhat fuller record than the brief notice which describes him as Senior Conveyancing Counsel of the Court of Chancery. Long in the first rank of a branch of the profession whose fame rarely passes beyond the privacy of Chambers, he enjoyed among lawyers a degree of authority and reputation which the general public, accustomed to the more conspicuous names, can hardly be expected to appreciate. ”

“ All his qualities, both of thought and style, came out in his contributions to the literature of the profession, both in his more elaborate works, such as his treatise on the "Elements of Conveyancing", which reached a fifth edition, and was highly and justly esteemed, and in the little brochures which he scattered freely about, and several of which he contributed to the Solicitors' Journal down to within the last two or three years. ”

“ Hayes was called to the Bar in 1818, but, as was then usual, he had before his call practised as a conveyancer under the Bar from 1813. During the earlier part of is career the business of conveyancing was replete with the technical learning which modern reforms, and especially the statues passed under the auspices of the Real Property Commission of the reign of King William IV., have now thrown far into the background, and Mr. Hayes was one of the few lawyers of recent times who were conversant with the old real property law. ”