Roger Townshend (judge)
Encyclopedia
Sir Roger Townshend KS (died 1500) was a British judge and politician.
He was the son of John Townshend and Joan Lumford and studied at Lincoln's Inn
(of which he was elected a governor in 1461 and a reader in 1468 and 1471).
He was returned to Parliament for Bramber
in 1467 and for Calne
in 1472 and was made a Serjeant-at-Law
in 1477. In June 1483 he was made a King's Serjeant and in 1484 was made Third Justice of the Court of Common Pleas
after the promotion of John Catesby
. He was knighted in 1485 and after Catesby's death in 1486 he was made Second Justice.
He retired in 1493 and died in 1500, He had married Eleanor, daughter of William Lunsford, of Battle, Sussex . He was succeeded by his son Roger Townshend
, who became MP for Norfolk
He was the son of John Townshend and Joan Lumford and studied 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...
(of which he was elected a governor in 1461 and a reader in 1468 and 1471).
He was returned to Parliament for Bramber
Bramber (UK Parliament constituency)
Bramber was a parliamentary borough in Sussex, one of the most notorious of all the rotten boroughs. It elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons in 1295, and again from 1472 until 1832, when the constituency was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-History:The borough consisted of...
in 1467 and for Calne
Calne (UK Parliament constituency)
Calne was a parliamentary borough in Wiltshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1832, and then one member from 1832 until 1885, when the borough was abolished.-History:...
in 1472 and was made 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 1477. In June 1483 he was made a King's Serjeant and in 1484 was made Third Justice of 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...
after the promotion of John Catesby
John Catesby
John Catesby KS was a British judge. He was the uncle of William Catesby, another noted lawyer, and a member of the Inner Temple. He became a Serjeant-at-Law in 1463, allowing him to practice in the Court of Common Pleas and a King's Serjeant on 18 April 1469. On 20 November 1481 he was made Third...
. He was knighted in 1485 and after Catesby's death in 1486 he was made Second Justice.
He retired in 1493 and died in 1500, He had married Eleanor, daughter of William Lunsford, of Battle, Sussex . He was succeeded by his son Roger Townshend
Roger Townshend (1477-1551)
Sir Roger Townshend II MP was an English politician.He was the son of Roger Townshend I and Eleanor Lumford of Raynham, and studied at Lincoln's Inn....
, who became MP for Norfolk