Thomas Dickson Archibald

Sir Thomas Dickson Archibald (1817–1876) was judge of the High Court of Justice (Common Pleas Division) and lawyer from Nova Scotia. He served from 6 February 1875 until 1 November 1875. Life Archibald was born in 1817, the sixth son of nineteen children, to Samuel George Williams Archibald and Elizabeth Archibald. His grandfather was Charles Dickson of Onslow, Canada. Although he originally studied to be a surgeon at Pictou Presbyterian College, Archibald quickly switched to law and qualified as an attorney and barrister in 1837. Following his degree, he toured Europe and, in 1838, met his future wife, Sarah, in England. Her father, Richard Smith, a former Nova Scotian assembly manager, gave his consent to the marriage only if the couple agreed to stay in England. Sarah and Thomas had one son, Thomas, who died in 1867 of fever. In 1840, Archibald joined the Middle Temple and was called to the bar on 30 January 1852. He originally practised law in the northern circuit but later switched to the home circuit. As an attorney Archibald was praised by Serjeant Petersdorff for his work on the Common Law Abridgement.