John Catesby KS  was a British judge. He was the uncle of William Catesby

William Catesby

William Catesby, esq. was one of Richard III of England's principal councillors. He also served as Chancellor of the Exchequer and Speaker of the House of Commons during Richard's reign....

, another noted lawyer, and a member of the Inner Temple

Inner Temple

The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...

. He became a Serjeant-at-Law

Serjeant-at-law

The Serjeants-at-Law was an order of barristers at the English bar. The position of Serjeant-at-Law , or Sergeant-Counter, was centuries old; there are writs dating to 1300 which identify them as descended from figures in France prior to the Norman Conquest...

 in 1463, allowing him to practice in the Court of Common Pleas

Court of Common Pleas (England)

The Court of Common Pleas, or Common Bench, was a common law court in the English legal system that covered "common pleas"; actions between subject and subject, which did not concern the king. Created in the late 12th to early 13th century after splitting from the Exchequer of Pleas, the Common...

 and a King's Serjeant on 18 April 1469. On 20 November 1481 he was made Third Justice
of the Court of Common Pleas. He served continuously from the reign of Edward IV

Edward IV of England

Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...

 to that of Henry VII

Henry VII of England

Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....

, although the latter delayed his appointment for a month due to his relation to William Catesby, who had been a close ally of the previous king. On the death of Richard Neele

Richard Neele

Richard Neele KS was a British judge. He was educated at Gray's Inn, and was made a Serjeant-at-Law in 1463. A year later he was made a King's Serjeant and on 9 October 1470 he was made a Justice of the Court of King's Bench...

 in 1486 he became Second Justice of the Common Pleas but died later that year.

Personal life

He married Elizabeth Green, with whom he had seven sons and two daughters; Robert Catesby

Robert Catesby

Robert Catesby , was the leader of a group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605....

, the leader of the Gunpowder Plot

Gunpowder Plot

The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I of England and VI of Scotland by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby.The plan was to blow up the House of...

, was a direct descendant.