Roger Hillary
Encyclopedia
Sir Roger Hillary was an English justice. He was one of five sons of William Hillary and his wife Agnes, a landowning family which held properties in Lincolnshire
, Warwickshire
, Staffordshire
, and Leicestershire
, and appear to have been related to Sir William Bereford
, the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas
; a useful connection for a nascent lawyer. In 1310 Hillary was recorded as a court attorney, and in 1324 he was made a Serjeant-at-law
. In the later years of Edward II
's reign Hillary kept a low profile. In spring 1320 he married Katherine, and added to his property portfolio the Manor of Fisherwick near Lichfield
in 1327 and a life-grant of a mill at Bentley at around the same time.
After Edward's deposition in 1327 his career began to advance; in 1329 he was made Chief Justice of the Irish Court of Common Pleas
, which he held for eight years. His position within the Irish judicial system seems to have been in name only; his commissions in England began to dramatically increase. In 1332 he was tasked with investigating Breakers of the Kings Peace in Staffordshire, and in 1335 he was investigated the activities of administrators in the West Midlands. He was knighted in 1336, and on March 18 1337 he became a justice of the English Court of Common Pleas
. In August 1338 he was tasked with investigating the fate of the wealth of Edmund FitzAlan, 9th Earl of Arundel
, who had been executed in 1326, and in 1340 he worked as a tax assessor and collector in Worcestershire
and Gloucestershire
. In 1341 he was made Chief Justice of the Common Pleas
to replace Sir John Stonor
, who had been removed following a purge of the administration. Stonor was returned to his position in 1342, however, and Hillary was instead made a Puisne Justice
. In 1344 he was part of a special commission investigating the demands of the House of Commons
in return for granting a tax, and in 1348 he was appointed a justice for an Eyre
in Kent
, one which never took place.
In 1351 he was tasked with enforcing the Statute of Labourers in Worcestershire, and after the retirement of Sir John Stonor in 1354 he was reappointed as Chief Justice, a position he held until his death in 1356.
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, and Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
, and appear to have been related to Sir William Bereford
William Bereford
Sir William Bereford was an English justice. He was the son of Walter de Bereford, with the family name coming from the village of Barford, Warwickshire. In 1287 his brother, Osbert de Bereford, a previous High Sheriff of Warwickshire and Leicestershire, bought a property in Wishaw, and after his...
, the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas
Chief Justice of the Common Pleas
The Court of Common Pleas, also known as the Common Bench or Common Place, was the second highest common law court in the English legal system until 1880, when it was dissolved. As such, the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas was one of the highest judicial officials in England, behind only the Lord...
; a useful connection for a nascent lawyer. In 1310 Hillary was recorded as a court attorney, and in 1324 he 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 the later years of Edward II
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
's reign Hillary kept a low profile. In spring 1320 he married Katherine, and added to his property portfolio the Manor of Fisherwick near Lichfield
Lichfield
Lichfield is a cathedral city, civil parish and district in Staffordshire, England. One of eight civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield is situated roughly north of Birmingham...
in 1327 and a life-grant of a mill at Bentley at around the same time.
After Edward's deposition in 1327 his career began to advance; in 1329 he was made Chief Justice of the Irish Court of Common Pleas
Court of Common Pleas (Ireland)
The Court of Common Pleas was one of the senior courts of common law in Ireland. It was a mirror image of the equivalent court in England...
, which he held for eight years. His position within the Irish judicial system seems to have been in name only; his commissions in England began to dramatically increase. In 1332 he was tasked with investigating Breakers of the Kings Peace in Staffordshire, and in 1335 he was investigated the activities of administrators in the West Midlands. He was knighted in 1336, and on March 18 1337 he became a justice of the English 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...
. In August 1338 he was tasked with investigating the fate of the wealth of Edmund FitzAlan, 9th Earl of Arundel
Edmund FitzAlan, 9th Earl of Arundel
Edmund FitzAlan, 9th Earl of Arundel was an English nobleman prominent in the conflict between Edward II and his barons. His father, Richard FitzAlan, 8th Earl of Arundel, died in 1302 while Edmund was still a minor. He therefore became a ward of John de Warenne, Earl of Surrey, and married...
, who had been executed in 1326, and in 1340 he worked as a tax assessor and collector in Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
and Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
. In 1341 he was made Chief Justice of the Common Pleas
Chief Justice of the Common Pleas
The Court of Common Pleas, also known as the Common Bench or Common Place, was the second highest common law court in the English legal system until 1880, when it was dissolved. As such, the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas was one of the highest judicial officials in England, behind only the Lord...
to replace Sir John Stonor
John Stonor
Sir John Stonor KS was a British justice and the first notable member of the influential Stonor family. He was the son of Richard Stonor, an Oxfordshire freeholder, with the family name coming from the village of Stonor...
, who had been removed following a purge of the administration. Stonor was returned to his position in 1342, however, and Hillary was instead made a Puisne Justice
Puisne Justice
A Puisne Justice or Puisne Judge is the title for a regular member of a Court. This is distinguished from the head of the Court who is known as the Chief Justice or Chief Judge. The term is used almost exclusively in common law jurisdictions such as England, Australia, Kenya, Canada, Sri Lanka,...
. In 1344 he was part of a special commission investigating the demands of the House of Commons
House of Commons of England
The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...
in return for granting a tax, and in 1348 he was appointed a justice for an Eyre
Eyre (legal term)
An Eyre or Iter was the name of a circuit traveled by an itinerant justice in medieval England, or the circuit court he presided over , or the right of the king to visit and inspect the holdings of any vassal...
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, one which never took place.
In 1351 he was tasked with enforcing the Statute of Labourers in Worcestershire, and after the retirement of Sir John Stonor in 1354 he was reappointed as Chief Justice, a position he held until his death in 1356.