 The 18th century was not a particularly prosperous time for the Inn or its members , and few notable barristers were members during this period . Some noted members include Sir Thomas Clarke , the Master of the Rolls , Sir James Eyre , Chief Justice of the Common Pleas and Samuel Romilly , a noted law reformer . In 1780 the Inn was involved in the case of R v the Benchers of Gray 's Inn , a test of the role of the Inns of Court as the sole authority to call students to the Bar . The case was brought to the Court of King 's Bench by William Hart , a student at the Inn , who asked the court ( under Lord Mansfield ) to order the Inn to call him to the Bar . Mansfield ruled that the Inns of Court were indeed the only organisations able to call students to the Bar , and refused to order the Inns to call Hart . 
