John Trice 1941-2022

John Trice, formerly a Lecturer in the Department of Law (as it then was) died in a nursing home in Pembrokeshire on December 1st, after a period of illness. He was 81 years old.

Born and brought up in Pembroke Dock, John went to read History at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, before changing to the study of Law. After a taste of practice in Manchester he joined the staff of the Law Department in 1966. His subject interests were centred on Land Law and Administrative Law, this latter area in particular still establishing itself as a discipline in its own right, and his early writings on it drew attention from far beyond Aberystwyth. He co-authored a book, English and Continental Systems of Administrative Law, with Zaim Nedjati, but probably his most important academic contribution was as one of the founders and prime movers of The Cambrian Law Review, a journal which established itself as being on the list of minimum holdings for law libraries and established an international reputation, adding considerably to the profile of the Department and University as a whole. It must also be said that many of his students were, and indeed remain, grateful for his genuine kindness and support.

John retired due to ill health in 1989 and was appointed to an honorary position thereafter. He retained his interest in the Department and the Review although he struggled with a number of health problems over the years. He was an enthusiastic and committed member, and Secretary, of the Music Club and his piano and library of recordings were important to him throughout. He was also a considerable expert on Parian Ware porcelain, of which he had an important collection which he bequeathed to The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. In earlier years he was also widely travelled.

John Trice was a man who was attached to Aberystwyth, to his roots in Pembrokeshire, and to his time in Cambridge. He was generous and supportive to his friends and to his extended family. He will be missed by many, not least by the cohorts of students who would discover in his tutorials that a beautiful sunset was always worth a moment of distraction from the intricacies of the Law of Property Act 1925.

Richard Ireland and John Williams