Farrer, Ouvry & Co. was a law firm established in
London, England in
1701. Over the centuries, many of their clients have been British royals and nobility. In
1869,
Angela Burdett-Coutts, the daughter of Sir Francis Burdett, hired lawyers from Farrer, Ouvry & Co. to assist
in
detailing the position of the [Society for Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts] in relation to policy and deeds of trust.
In
1870, Burdett-Coutts wrote to
Earl Granville to inform him of
the establishment of the Archdeaconries of British Columbia
and questioned
with whom the reversionary interest should rest
if the government were to
give up British Columbia.
Farrer, Ouvry & Co., sent a statement to the
Colonial Office explaining why suggested amendments to the rules [regarding deed titles] should not
be allowed to stand.
The Colonial Office finds the letter
puzzling.
In their minutes, staff recount that British Columbia
may long remain a British Colony,
but they
cannot blame any lawyer…who being employed as laywers [sic] are to provide for all
imaginable contingencies.