William St Julien Arabin
William St Julien Arabin was a British lawyer and judge who served as the Judge-Advocate-General of the Army for a three-and-a-half-month period.
Arabin was born abroad, the only surviving son of General William John Arabin of Ireland, who left him significant estates in Essex and Middlesex. He was descended from one of the oldest families in Provence. His Huguenot ancestor Bartholomew d'Arabin fled to Holland after the revocation of the edict of Nantes in 1685, and came over to England with King William III in 1688. Arabin attended St Paul's School, London and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He was admitted to Inner Temple in 1793, and was called to the bar in 1801. He was appointed serjeant-at-law in 1824.
He was Deputy Recorder of the City of London. He served as Judge-Advocate-General of the Army 183839. He was a judge of the Central Criminal Court and of Sheriffs' Court, London. He was a Verderer of the forests of Epping and Hainault.
As a judge, Arabin was known as an eccentric figure who was notorious for his confused pronouncements. Some of his most famous quotes include:
- If there ever was a case of clearer evidence than this of persons acting together, this case is that case... and
- They will steal the very teeth out of your mouth as you walk through the streets — I know it from experience...
Arabin married Mary Meux in Camden in 1802. He died at Arabin House in High Beech, Waltham Abbey, Essex, in 1841.
