Pollock, an illustrious family descended from Mr David Pollock, saddler to George III. in the later part of the 18th century, who kept a shop near Charing Cross. Three of his sons rose to eminence—Sir David Pollock, Chief-justice of Bombay (died 1847); Sir Frederick Pollock; and Field-marshal Sir George Pollock.—The second, FREDERICK, was born 23d September 1783, and in 1802 passed from St Paul's School to Trinity College, Cambridge, where in 1806 he graduated B.A. as senior wrangler and first Smith's prizeman. Next year he was elected a fellow of his college, and called to the bar at the Middle Temple. He travelled the northern circuit; in 1827 became a K.C.; in 1831 was returned as a Tory for Huntingdon; was Attorney-general 1834–35 and 1841–44; and in the last year succeeded Lord Abinger as Chief Baron of the Exchequer. He had been knighted in 1834, and on his retirement in 1866 he received a baronetcy. He died 23d August 1870.—His eldest son, SIR FREDERICK POLLOCK, born 3d April 1815, was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge (1832–36), and in 1838 was called to the bar at the Inner Temple. He was appointed a master of the Court of Exchequer (1846), and Queen's Remembrancer (1874); in 1876 became senior master of the Supreme Court of Judicature; in 1886 resigned his offices; and died 24th December 1888. Besides a good many quarterly and magazine articles, he published a blank verse translation of Dante (1854), and two pleasant volumes of Personal Remembrances (1887).—His eldest son, also SIR FREDERICK POLLOCK, third baronet, was born 10th December 1845, and from Eton passed to Trinity, where in 1868 he obtained a fellowship. He was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1871, and became professor of Jurisprudence at University College, London (1882), Corpus professor of Jurisprudence at Oxford (1883), and professor of Common Law (1884). Besides Spinoza (1880), he has published books on Contract (1875), Partnership (1877), Torts (1887; 4th ed. 1895), Oxford Lectures (1891); and, with Maitland, The History of English Law before Edward I. (2 vols. 1895).—His younger brother, WALTER HERRIES POLLOCK, born 21st February 1850, and likewise educated at Eton and Trinity, was called to the bar at the Inner Temple in 1874, and from 1884 till 1894 was editor of the Saturday Review. He is author of Lectures on French Poets, The Picture's Secret, Verses of Two Tongues, A Nine Men's Morrice, Old and New, &c.—GEORGE FREDERICK POLLOCK (born 1821), third son of the first baronet, became a master of the Supreme Court of Judicature; and the fourth son, SIR CHARLES EDWARD (born 1823), became a baron of Exchequer and judge of the High Court.
SIR GEORGE POLLOCK, field-marshal, was born in Westminster on 4th June 1786, and entered the army of the East India Company as lieutenant of artillery in 1803. Almost immediately after his arrival in India he was engaged in active warfare, in the battle and siege of Deig in Bhartpur (1804), at the siege of Bhartpur (1805), and in other operations in the war against Holkar. Nine years later he saw some service in the Nepal (Goorkha) campaigns of 1814–16, and in the first Burmese war (1824–26) he took an active share, winning his colony. In 1838 he reached the rank of major-general. After the massacre of General Elphinstone and his forces in the passes of Afghanistan (q.v.), the Indian government decided to send a force to the relief of Sir Robert Sale, who was shut up in Jelalabad. The command of the relieving force was given to General Pollock. In April 1842 (5th to 16th) he forced the formidable Khyber Pass, and reached Sir Robert Sale; then, after a few months' delay, he pushed on to Kabul, his object being to restore the prestige of the British arms and to rescue the British prisoners in the hands of Akbar Khan. Both purposes were crowned with success; he defeated the Afghan chief at Tezeen, and destroyed the bazaar in Kabul, and he recovered 135 British prisoners. Then, after being joined by the forces of General Nott, who had marched from Kandahar, he successfully conducted the united armies back to India. He was rewarded with a G.C.B. and a political appointment at Lucknow. He returned to England in 1846, was director of the East India Company for a couple of years (1854–56), and was created a field-marshal in 1870, and a baronet in 1872; in 1871 he was appointed to the honourable office of Constable of the Tower. He died on 6th October 1872, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. See Life by C. R. Low (Lond. 1873).