Manasseh Dawes

Manasseh Dawes (died 1829) was an English barrister and miscellaneous writer.

Life
Dawes was a barrister of the Inner Temple. He left the bar and lived quietly at Clifford's Inn for the last thirty-six years of his life. He died 2 April 1829.

Works
Dawes took the Whig side on the American War of Independence, and the law of libel; but defended William Blackstone against Jeremy Bentham, had doubts as to abolishing tests, and held that philosophical truth was beyond reach. His major works were:


 * 'Letter to Lord Chatham on American Affairs,' 1777 (in the title-page he describes himself as author of 'several anonymous pieces ').
 * 'Essay on Intellectual Liberty,' 1780; it criticised Jeremy Bentham's 'Fragment'.
 * 'Philosophical Considerations', on the controversy between Joseph Priestley and Richard Price, 1780.
 * 'Nature and Extent of Supreme Power', on John Locke's 'Social Compact', 1783.
 * 'England's Alarm, or the prevailing Doctrine of Libels,' 1785.
 * 'Deformity of the Doctrine of Libels,' 1785; this and the previous work refer to the Case of the Dean of St Asaph.
 * 'Introduction to a Knowledge of the Law on Real Estates,' 1814.
 * 'Epitome of the Law of Landed Property,' 1818.

Dawes also edited (1784) a posthumous poem by John Stuckey on 'The Vanity of all Human Knowledge,' with a dedication to Priestley.