It is with great sadness that we report the death of Master Rampton on Saturday 23 December 2023, aged 82. The Inn’s flag will fly at half-mast on Thursday 4 January 2024 in his memory.

Master Rampton was called to the Bar in 1965 and joined One Brick Court where he worked for more than 50 years. He took Silk in 1987. A renowned British libel lawyer he was involved in several high-profile cases, including Lord Aldington vs Count Nikolai Tolstoy, Andrew Neil vs Peregrine Worsthorne, Gillian Taylforth vs News of the World, the “McLibel” trial, and George Galloway vs The Daily Telegraph. His most famous case was perhaps Irving vs Penguin Books and Lipstadt, where he defended Deborah Lipstadt and Penguin Books against David Irving.

Master Rampton was elected as a Bencher of the Inn in 1995. He sat on and subsequently chaired the initial fit and proper screening panels for Admission and Call in the early 2000s.

There will be a small private funeral with a memorial service later, the details of which will be circulated in due course as appropriate.