William Yelverton
Encyclopedia
Sir William Yelverton was a judge in Norfolk
, England and twice a member of parliament for Great Yarmouth
, Norfolk.
, Norfolk, and mother Elizabeth (née Rede or Read), the second wife of his father. Elizabeth was the daughter of John Rede of Rougham
whose previous husband was Robert Clere of Stokesby
, Norfolk.
John Yelverton was involved with the legal profession and was the recorder for Norwich. Yelverton had two sons; John by his first wife Jane De Grosse and William by his second wife Ela (or Agnes) Brewes.
, Norfolk and made judge of the king's bench in 1444.
"in spite of some apparent reluctance to recognise the new king (Paston Letters, i. 131, 150, 172), he was continued in this office by Edward IV, who knighted him before September 1461. His name occurs in many judicial commissions | in the early years of Edward's reign, and he was annually appointed justice of the peace for Norfolk and Suffolk (Cal. Patent Rolls, 1461-7, passim)." Dictionary of National Biography, 1885–1900, Volume 63, by Arthur F Pollard.
Yelverton seems to have been capable of surviving the reigns of several monarchs and it was said of him that "This learned person seems to have stood equally well with the monarchs of both of the Roses, as we find him not only continued in his judicial office by King Edward IV
., but made a Knight of the Bath, in order to grace that kings coronation; and upon the temporary restoration of King Henry [sic VI], appointed by patent, dated October, 1470, one of the judges of the court of common pleas." John Burke from A general and heraldic dictionary of the peerages of England, Ireland and Scotland... OUP, 1831.
He died in either 1472 or 1477 and was buried in Rougham church. "The inscription on his tomb, printed by Weever, has no date. Rubbings of the monumental brasses to him and his second wife in the vestry of Rougham church are given in British Museum Additional MSS. 32478 ff. 50, 121, 122, 32479 H. 10."Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 63, by Arthur F Pollard. After his death he passed his estate to his son William.
, a Norfolk knight that died in 1459, who had taken counsel from John Paston Snr. in his later years. Fastolf's will was disputed by Yelverton and the other executors once it was discovered that Paston was to inherit the estates. The dispute between Yelverton and Paston was taken up by the Lord Chancellors office and went on for many years although most notable was the furore over Caister Castle which is written about in the Paston Letters. Other properties had been similarly fought for by Fastolf in previous years and Yelverton had played a part in securing at least one, Dedham manor, for him.
"In 1459 Sir John Fastolf [q. v.] had appointed Yelverton one of his executors, and he thus became involved in the prolonged disputes about the disposition of Fastolf's property; he generally acted in concert with William Worcester [q. v.] in opposition to the Pastons, and there is frequent mention of his name in the Paston Letters." John Burke from A general and heraldic dictionary of the peerages of England, Ireland and Scotland... OUP, 1831.
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, England and twice a member of parliament for Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
, Norfolk.
Personal life
Yelverton was born in Norfolk to his father John Yelverton of RackheathRackheath
Rackheath is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, and is roughly outside of Norwich City Centre.It covers an area of and had a population of 1,551 in 625 households as of the 2001 census....
, Norfolk, and mother Elizabeth (née Rede or Read), the second wife of his father. Elizabeth was the daughter of John Rede of Rougham
Rougham
Rougham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 152 in 69 households as of the 2001 census.For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of Breckland....
whose previous husband was Robert Clere of Stokesby
Stokesby with Herringby
Stokesby with Herringby is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It comprises the village of Stokesby and the surrounding rural area. It is situated on the banks of the River Bure, some 10 km west of the town of Great Yarmouth and 25 km east of the city of Norwich.The civil parish has an...
, Norfolk.
John Yelverton was involved with the legal profession and was the recorder for Norwich. Yelverton had two sons; John by his first wife Jane De Grosse and William by his second wife Ela (or Agnes) Brewes.
Career
Yelverton was a justice of the peace in Norwich in 1427 and recorder from 1433 to 1450. In 1435 and 1436 he was the member of parliament for Great Yarmouth and in 1439 he was made a sergeant-at-law. He was the under-steward of the Duchy of LancasterDuchy of Lancaster
The Duchy of Lancaster is one of the two royal duchies in England, the other being the Duchy of Cornwall. It is held in trust for the Sovereign, and is used to provide income for the use of the British monarch...
, Norfolk and made judge of the king's bench in 1444.
"in spite of some apparent reluctance to recognise the new king (Paston Letters, i. 131, 150, 172), he was continued in this office by Edward IV, who knighted him before September 1461. His name occurs in many judicial commissions | in the early years of Edward's reign, and he was annually appointed justice of the peace for Norfolk and Suffolk (Cal. Patent Rolls, 1461-7, passim)." Dictionary of National Biography, 1885–1900, Volume 63, by Arthur F Pollard.
Yelverton seems to have been capable of surviving the reigns of several monarchs and it was said of him that "This learned person seems to have stood equally well with the monarchs of both of the Roses, as we find him not only continued in his judicial office by King 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...
., but made a Knight of the Bath, in order to grace that kings coronation; and upon the temporary restoration of King Henry [sic VI], appointed by patent, dated October, 1470, one of the judges of the court of common pleas." John Burke from A general and heraldic dictionary of the peerages of England, Ireland and Scotland... OUP, 1831.
He died in either 1472 or 1477 and was buried in Rougham church. "The inscription on his tomb, printed by Weever, has no date. Rubbings of the monumental brasses to him and his second wife in the vestry of Rougham church are given in British Museum Additional MSS. 32478 ff. 50, 121, 122, 32479 H. 10."Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 63, by Arthur F Pollard. After his death he passed his estate to his son William.
Caister Castle and the Pastons
Yelverton was an executor and heir to the estate of Sir John FastolfJohn Fastolf
Sir John Fastolf KG was an English knight during the Hundred Years War, who has enjoyed a more lasting reputation as in some part being the prototype of Shakespeare's Sir John Falstaff...
, a Norfolk knight that died in 1459, who had taken counsel from John Paston Snr. in his later years. Fastolf's will was disputed by Yelverton and the other executors once it was discovered that Paston was to inherit the estates. The dispute between Yelverton and Paston was taken up by the Lord Chancellors office and went on for many years although most notable was the furore over Caister Castle which is written about in the Paston Letters. Other properties had been similarly fought for by Fastolf in previous years and Yelverton had played a part in securing at least one, Dedham manor, for him.
"In 1459 Sir John Fastolf [q. v.] had appointed Yelverton one of his executors, and he thus became involved in the prolonged disputes about the disposition of Fastolf's property; he generally acted in concert with William Worcester [q. v.] in opposition to the Pastons, and there is frequent mention of his name in the Paston Letters." John Burke from A general and heraldic dictionary of the peerages of England, Ireland and Scotland... OUP, 1831.