Charles Erdman Petersdorff

Charles Erdman Petersdorff was a British legal writer and judge born in London on 4 November 1800. He was the third son of Christian F. Petersdorff, a furrier. Petersdorff studied law at Inner Temple, becoming a student on 24 September 1818 and being called to the bar on 25 January 1833. He served as counsel to the Admiralty, compiling statutes related to the navy, shipping, ports, and harbours. On 15 November 1847, he married Mary Anne, widow of James Mallock. He was appointed a Serjeant-at-law on 14 June 1858 and became a county court judge for North Devonshire and Somerset on 1 January 1863, resigning in December 1885.

Petersdorff authored several legal works, including "A General Index to the Precedents in Civil and Criminal Pleadings" (1822), "A Practical Treatise on the Law of Bail" (1824), and "A Practical and Elementary Abridgment of Cases in the King's Bench" (1825–30). His notable work includes a 15-volume series on common law and a treatise on bankruptcy. He died on 29 July 1886 after accidentally falling at his London home, 23 Harley Street.