Judgments in Vacation — Story, Setting & Ideas

The Judge as Observer of Language

Parry's essay on Podsnappery reveals his interest in the nuances of public speech. He quotes a “Town Vicar” who complains about a Dean using the phrase “not going to take it lying down” and Bishops referring to the “bottom dog.” Parry defends the Dean's sporting metaphor but is more ambivalent about the Bishops' language, noting that the vicar would prefer the euphemisms “submerged tenth” or “our poorer brethren.” He then recounts an anecdote about a Bishop reproving a workman for the adjective “bloody,” only to be told, “I call a spade a spade.” The Bishop retorts, “You call it ‘a bloody shovel.’” Parry uses this to critique both meaningless slang and pompous long-windedness, showing his ear for the social signals carried by word choice.

The County Court as a Living Institution

Several essays address the County Court directly. In “The Future of the County Court,” Parry argues that urban County Courts are “live business concerns, carrying on their business to the satisfaction of their customers.” He contrasts this with the High Court, where judges are “ermined” and distant. The preface recalls advice from a great Judge: “Better be strong and wrong than weak and right.” Parry suggests that spoken judgments, delivered forthwith, carry more weight than written ones—a principle he applies to umpires in cricket. The essays themselves, however, are written, suggesting a tension between the demands of the bench and the leisure of reflection.

The Range of Parry's Interests

The table of contents lists twenty-two pieces, including “Cookery Book Talk,” “Dorothy Osborne,” “The Debtor of To-day,” “The Folk-Lore of the County Court,” “The Playwright,” and “Advice to Young Advocates.” Parry moves from historical figures like an Elizabethan Recorder to contemporary social types like the Podsnap. The dedication to Lord Alverstone, Lord Chief Justice, signals his professional network, but the essays are aimed at a general reader. Parry's tone is conversational, anecdotal, and occasionally wry, as when he notes that a judge of the County Court is a “poor relation” compared to High Court judges. The excerpts show a writer who uses his legal experience as a lens on broader Edwardian culture.

Readers should approach Judgments in Vacation not as a systematic legal work but as a series of personal essays by a judge with a literary bent. Parry's observations on language, class, and the courtroom are grounded in specific incidents and quotations, though the excerpts do not reveal the full arc of any single argument. The book rewards those interested in Edwardian social history, the everyday workings of the County Court, and the intersection of law and letters.

Judgments in Vacation… I found myself lingering over the section on Podsnappery—how we shore ourselves up with pleasant fictions. It reminded me of a quieter, older voice, one that knew such shadows intimately: From the Darkness Cometh the Light, or Struggles for Freedom — A Reader’s Guide. Both speak of manners as a kind of armor, though one never quite forgets the dusk it hides.