of all civil and political rights whatsoever". Later that same year, 1803, he was appointed to the Privy Council of the United Kingdom. In 1803, he introduced a bill to Parliament which went on to become the Malicious Shooting or Stabbing Act 1803 (often referred to as Lord Ellenborough's Act) which clarified the law on abortion in England and Ireland. In 1806, on the death of William Pitt the Younger, Lord Ellenborough served as Chancellor of the Exchequer for two weeks ad interim. On the formation of Lord Grenville's ministry "of all the talents", Lord Ellenborough declined the offer of the office of Lord Chancellor, but accepted a seat in the cabinet. His doing so while he retained the chief justiceship was much criticised at the time, and, though not without precedent, was open to such obvious objections on constitutional grounds that the experiment was never repeated. As a judge, his decisions displayed profound legal knowledge, and in mercantile law especially were reckoned of high authority. He was harsh and overbearing to counsel, and in the political trials which were so frequent in his time, such as that of Lord Cochrane for Stock Exchange fraud in 1814, showed an unmistakable bias against the accused. In the trial of William Hone for blasphemy in 1817, Ellenborough directed the jury to find a verdict of guilty, and their acquittal of the prisoner is generally said to have hastened his death. On the other hand, his humane and enlightened judgment in R. v. Inhabitants of Eastbourne that destitute French refugees in England have a fundamental human right to be given sufficient means to enable them to live, has been much praised and frequently followed. In the field of copyright, his judgment in Cary v Kearsley that " a man may fairly adopt part of the work of another for the promotion of science.....one must not put manacles on science" was extremely influential in developing the doctrine of fair use. He resigned his judicial office in November 1818, and died shortly after. Family Lord Ellenborough married, on 17 October 1789, Ann Towry (1769–1843), the daughter of George Phillips Towry of Foliejon Park at Winkfield in Berkshire and his wife, Elizabeth. They had five sons and five daughters who survived infancy: Hon. Elizabeth Susan (d. 31 March 1883) married Charles Abbot, 2nd Baron Colchester. They had one son, Reginald Hon. Anne (d. 30 May 1852)