Richard Lyster
Encyclopedia
Sir Richard Lyster was an English
judge and Chief Justice of the King’s Bench
.
in Yorkshire
. His mother was a daughter of Beaumont of Whitley
in the same county. He had his legal training in the Middle Temple
, where he arrived at the dignity of reader in Lent, 1516, and of double-reader in Lent, 1522, and he was appointed treasurer of the society in the following year.
on 8 July 1521. He was succeeded in this post by Christopher Hales
on 14 August 1525; and although he is not introduced into the list of attorneys general
in Dugdale's
Chronica Series, there is little doubt that he then followed Ralph Swillington
in that office; as he is mentioned with the title in the will of Cicily Marchioness of Dorset, dated 6 May 1527; and as Christopher Hales
was made attorney-general immediately after Lyster's elevation to the bench as chief baron of the Exchequer
on 12 May 1529, apparently as his successor. On his promotion he was knighted and was named as a commissioner on the trials both of Bishop Fisher
and Sir Thomas More
; but he does not appear to have taken any prominent part in either.
on 9 November 1545; and in this character he attested the submission and confession of Thomas Duke of Norfolk
on 12 January 1547, a fortnight before the king's
death. On the accession of Edward VI
he was reappointed, and his first duty on the Thursday after was to address a batch of new serjeants
on their inauguration at Lincoln's Inn
. This he did, as the reporter significantly says, in "a godly thowghe sumwhate prolix and long declaration of their duties and exhortation to their full following and execution of the same." He resigned at the end of the first five years of the reign on 21 March 1552, when he was succeeded by Sir Roger Cholmeley
. The remainder of his life he spent at his mansion in Southampton
, which John Leland describes as being "very fair"; and dying on 14 March 1554, where he was buried in St. Michael's Church
.
and Surrey
, together with various other lands and tenements. His monument represents him in scarlet robes (the colour of which has now disappeared), with a collar of S. S. round his breast, a judge's cap on his head, and a book in his hand. A part of the inscription remains which records its erection by his widow Elizabeth. This lady, who was a daughter of — Stoke, was his second wife; and by her he had a daughter Elizabeth, married to Sir Richard Blount, and a son Michael, knight of the Bath
, who died in his father's lifetime, leaving a son Richard, who married Mary the second daughter of Lord Chancellor Wriothesley
and widow of Sir William Shelley
of Michelgrove. His first wife was Jane, daughter of Sir Ralph Shirley of Wistneston, Sussex, and widow of Sir John Dawtrey of Petworth. Her portrait by Holbein
is in the Royal Collection
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
judge and Chief Justice of the King’s Bench
Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
The Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales is the head of the judiciary and President of the Courts of England and Wales. Historically, he was the second-highest judge of the Courts of England and Wales, after the Lord Chancellor, but that changed as a result of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005,...
.
Origins and early career
Sir Frederick Madden in his "Remarks on the Monument of Sir Richard Lyster in St. Michael's Church Southampton," describes both the judge's grandfather, Thomas, and his father, John, as of WakefieldWakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. His mother was a daughter of Beaumont of Whitley
Whitley, North Yorkshire
Whitley is a village in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England, close to the Aire and Calder Navigation and the M62 motorway....
in the same county. He had his legal training in the Middle Temple
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...
, where he arrived at the dignity of reader in Lent, 1516, and of double-reader in Lent, 1522, and he was appointed treasurer of the society in the following year.
Professional advancement
Of his early professional employment there is no account, the year books and other reports entirely omitting his name; but that he had acquired considerable legal eminence may be concluded from his being placed in the office of solicitor-generalSolicitor General for England and Wales
Her Majesty's Solicitor General for England and Wales, often known as the Solicitor General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, and the deputy of the Attorney General, whose duty is to advise the Crown and Cabinet on the law...
on 8 July 1521. He was succeeded in this post by Christopher Hales
Christopher Hales
-Origins:The family of Hales was a most ancient one, deriving its name from Hales in Norfolk, where Roger de Hales possessed property in the reign of Henry II. Before the close of Edward III's reign, it had removed into Kent and was settled at Halden near Tenterden. The unfortunate Robert de Hales...
on 14 August 1525; and although he is not introduced into the list of attorneys general
Attorney General for England and Wales
Her Majesty's Attorney General for England and Wales, usually known simply as the Attorney General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown. Along with the subordinate Solicitor General for England and Wales, the Attorney General serves as the chief legal adviser of the Crown and its government in...
in Dugdale's
William Dugdale
Sir William Dugdale was an English antiquary and herald. As a scholar he was influential in the development of medieval history as an academic subject.-Life:...
Chronica Series, there is little doubt that he then followed Ralph Swillington
Ralph Swillington
Ralph Swillington was Recorder of Coventry and Attorney General to Henry VIII.Swillington was Attorney General for the short period of time between 1524 and his death in the following year. In his will , he left land in Driffield, Yorkshire, to his nephew, George Swillington. A monument in St...
in that office; as he is mentioned with the title in the will of Cicily Marchioness of Dorset, dated 6 May 1527; and as Christopher Hales
Christopher Hales
-Origins:The family of Hales was a most ancient one, deriving its name from Hales in Norfolk, where Roger de Hales possessed property in the reign of Henry II. Before the close of Edward III's reign, it had removed into Kent and was settled at Halden near Tenterden. The unfortunate Robert de Hales...
was made attorney-general immediately after Lyster's elevation to the bench as chief baron of the Exchequer
Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer
The Chief Baron of the Exchequer was the first "baron" of the English Exchequer of pleas. "In the absence of both the Treasurer of the Exchequer or First Lord of the Treasury, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, it was he who presided in the equity court and answered the bar i.e...
on 12 May 1529, apparently as his successor. On his promotion he was knighted and was named as a commissioner on the trials both of Bishop Fisher
John Fisher
Saint John Fisher was an English Roman Catholic scholastic, bishop, cardinal and martyr. He shares his feast day with Saint Thomas More on 22 June in the Roman Catholic calendar of saints and 6 July on the Church of England calendar of saints...
and Sir Thomas More
Thomas More
Sir Thomas More , also known by Catholics as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman and noted Renaissance humanist. He was an important councillor to Henry VIII of England and, for three years toward the end of his life, Lord Chancellor...
; but he does not appear to have taken any prominent part in either.
Chief Justice of the King’s Bench
After presiding in the Exchequer above sixteen years, he was advanced to the office of chief justice of the King's BenchLord Chief Justice of England and Wales
The Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales is the head of the judiciary and President of the Courts of England and Wales. Historically, he was the second-highest judge of the Courts of England and Wales, after the Lord Chancellor, but that changed as a result of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005,...
on 9 November 1545; and in this character he attested the submission and confession of Thomas Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, KG, Earl Marshal was a prominent Tudor politician. He was uncle to Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, two of the wives of King Henry VIII, and played a major role in the machinations behind these marriages...
on 12 January 1547, a fortnight before the king's
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
death. On the accession of Edward VI
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
he was reappointed, and his first duty on the Thursday after was to address a batch of new serjeants
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...
on their inauguration at Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
. This he did, as the reporter significantly says, in "a godly thowghe sumwhate prolix and long declaration of their duties and exhortation to their full following and execution of the same." He resigned at the end of the first five years of the reign on 21 March 1552, when he was succeeded by Sir Roger Cholmeley
Roger Cholmeley
Sir Roger Cholmeley was Lord Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench from 1552 to 1553.-Background and early life:...
. The remainder of his life he spent at his mansion in Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, which John Leland describes as being "very fair"; and dying on 14 March 1554, where he was buried in St. Michael's Church
St. Michael's Church, Southampton
St. Michael's Church is the oldest building still in use in the city of Southampton, England, having been founded in 1070, and is the only church still active of the five originally in the medieval walled town. The church is a Grade I Listed building....
.
Family and legacy
By the inquisition after his death taken at Andover, he was found to be possessed of eleven manors in the counties of HampshireHampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
and Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, together with various other lands and tenements. His monument represents him in scarlet robes (the colour of which has now disappeared), with a collar of S. S. round his breast, a judge's cap on his head, and a book in his hand. A part of the inscription remains which records its erection by his widow Elizabeth. This lady, who was a daughter of — Stoke, was his second wife; and by her he had a daughter Elizabeth, married to Sir Richard Blount, and a son Michael, knight of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, who died in his father's lifetime, leaving a son Richard, who married Mary the second daughter of Lord Chancellor Wriothesley
Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton
Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton, KG , known as The Lord Wriothesley between 1544 and 1547, was a politician of the Tudor period born in London to William Wrythe and Agnes Drayton....
and widow of Sir William Shelley
Sir William Shelley
-Life:Born about 1480, he was the eldest son of Sir John Shelley and his wife Elizabeth , daughter and heir of John de Michelgrove in the parish of Clapham, Sussex...
of Michelgrove. His first wife was Jane, daughter of Sir Ralph Shirley of Wistneston, Sussex, and widow of Sir John Dawtrey of Petworth. Her portrait by Holbein
Hans Holbein the Younger
Hans Holbein the Younger was a German artist and printmaker who worked in a Northern Renaissance style. He is best known as one of the greatest portraitists of the 16th century. He also produced religious art, satire and Reformation propaganda, and made a significant contribution to the history...
is in the Royal Collection
Royal Collection
The Royal Collection is the art collection of the British Royal Family. It is property of the monarch as sovereign, but is held in trust for her successors and the nation. It contains over 7,000 paintings, 40,000 watercolours and drawings, and about 150,000 old master prints, as well as historical...
.