Simon Degge
Encyclopedia
Sir Simon Degge was born in Staffordshire but settled in Derby. He became a High Sheriff of Derbyshire
. It was said that he served his year as Sheriff in "barrister robes and with a sword by his side". Degge was a Royalist and wrote a reference book on the law and rights of a parson called the Parson's Councellor.... The book includes advice on the income from a glebe
, Jus patronatus and the crime of Simony
.
in Staffordshire
. He was the first son of Thomas Degge.
He was arrested as a Royalist during the Long Parliament
and released in 1643-4 on condition that he remained at Stafford
. Degge married Jane Orrell in 1652. He was called to the bar in 1653 and rose in seven years to be a judge in west Wales. He was a recorder ar the court in Derby in 1661 and the following year he became a steward of the manor court of Peverel and a justice of the Welsh marshes.
After he was knighted he was fined twice by the courts for failing to do his duties. He was fined 100 marks for failing to "come to the bench" but he was still a bencher
and by 1675 he was appointed by the King as High Sheriff of Derbyshire
after settling in Derby. His house in Derby was Babington Hall which had been the "most eminent in Derby". It was thought unusual that Degge served as Sheriff whilst being a successful barrister. It was said that he served his year as Sheriff in "barrister robes and with a sword by his side".
In 1674 he failed again in his duties but was able to avoid punishment as he has a letter from the King excusing him. In 1674 he was finded two hundred pounds after he failed to serve after being elected as Lent Reader. He was also removed from the list of judges.
It is reported that Simon Degge was involved with a case involving Noah Bullock of Derby. This man was reported to have given his sons the names of Shem, Ham, and Japhet, and to have built an ark which he kept on the River Derwent
. Bullock was said to have been reported to Degge as an alleged forger. Degge was a friend of Bullock and he warned him that is was known that he was forging coins and the consequences of his crime. Bullock is said to have sunk the ark and escaped justice. A pub of that name still exists in Derby. However Degge had already ceased to be a judge in 1676.
In 1676 the Parson's Counsellor and law of Tithes was published and that was well regarded as a text book going through seven editions before 1720. The book dealt with ecclesastical law
and custom concerning the parish, its vicar, his bishop and the causes and remedies for dispute. There were many chapters of the details of tithing as well as now obscure problems such as, the income from a glebe
, Jus patronatus and Simony
.
Degge purchased the "ancient mansion" of Bowden Hall near Chapel-en-le-Frith
in 1680. Degge's second wife died in 1696 and he died in 1703 leaving sons and a daughter. He was buried in a chapel he had had built at Kingston(e).
High Sheriff of Derbyshire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Derbyshire from 1568.The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been...
. It was said that he served his year as Sheriff in "barrister robes and with a sword by his side". Degge was a Royalist and wrote a reference book on the law and rights of a parson called the Parson's Councellor.... The book includes advice on the income from a glebe
Glebe
Glebe Glebe Glebe (also known as Church furlong or parson's closes is an area of land within a manor and parish used to support a parish priest.-Medieval origins:...
, Jus patronatus and the crime of Simony
Simony
Simony is the act of paying for sacraments and consequently for holy offices or for positions in the hierarchy of a church, named after Simon Magus , who appears in the Acts of the Apostles 8:9-24...
.
Life
Simon Degge was born on 5 January 1612 probably in Strangsall near UttoxeterUttoxeter
Uttoxeter is a historic market town in Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. The current population is approximately 13,711, though new developments in the town will increase this figure. Uttoxeter lies close to the River Dove and is near the cities of Stoke-on-Trent, Derby and...
in 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...
. He was the first son of Thomas Degge.
He was arrested as a Royalist during the Long Parliament
Long Parliament
The Long Parliament was made on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its dissolution until after the English Civil War and...
and released in 1643-4 on condition that he remained at Stafford
Stafford
Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies approximately north of Wolverhampton and south of Stoke-on-Trent, adjacent to the M6 motorway Junction 13 to Junction 14...
. Degge married Jane Orrell in 1652. He was called to the bar in 1653 and rose in seven years to be a judge in west Wales. He was a recorder ar the court in Derby in 1661 and the following year he became a steward of the manor court of Peverel and a justice of the Welsh marshes.
After he was knighted he was fined twice by the courts for failing to do his duties. He was fined 100 marks for failing to "come to the bench" but he was still a bencher
Bencher
A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher can be elected while still a barrister , in recognition of the contribution that the barrister has made to the life of the Inn or to the law...
and by 1675 he was appointed by the King as High Sheriff of Derbyshire
High Sheriff of Derbyshire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Derbyshire from 1568.The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been...
after settling in Derby. His house in Derby was Babington Hall which had been the "most eminent in Derby". It was thought unusual that Degge served as Sheriff whilst being a successful barrister. It was said that he served his year as Sheriff in "barrister robes and with a sword by his side".
In 1674 he failed again in his duties but was able to avoid punishment as he has a letter from the King excusing him. In 1674 he was finded two hundred pounds after he failed to serve after being elected as Lent Reader. He was also removed from the list of judges.
It is reported that Simon Degge was involved with a case involving Noah Bullock of Derby. This man was reported to have given his sons the names of Shem, Ham, and Japhet, and to have built an ark which he kept on the River Derwent
River Derwent, Derbyshire
The Derwent is a river in the county of Derbyshire, England. It is 66 miles long and is a tributary of the River Trent which it joins south of Derby. For half its course, the river flows through the Peak District....
. Bullock was said to have been reported to Degge as an alleged forger. Degge was a friend of Bullock and he warned him that is was known that he was forging coins and the consequences of his crime. Bullock is said to have sunk the ark and escaped justice. A pub of that name still exists in Derby. However Degge had already ceased to be a judge in 1676.
In 1676 the Parson's Counsellor and law of Tithes was published and that was well regarded as a text book going through seven editions before 1720. The book dealt with ecclesastical law
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
and custom concerning the parish, its vicar, his bishop and the causes and remedies for dispute. There were many chapters of the details of tithing as well as now obscure problems such as, the income from a glebe
Glebe
Glebe Glebe Glebe (also known as Church furlong or parson's closes is an area of land within a manor and parish used to support a parish priest.-Medieval origins:...
, Jus patronatus and Simony
Simony
Simony is the act of paying for sacraments and consequently for holy offices or for positions in the hierarchy of a church, named after Simon Magus , who appears in the Acts of the Apostles 8:9-24...
.
Degge purchased the "ancient mansion" of Bowden Hall near Chapel-en-le-Frith
Chapel-en-le-Frith
Chapel-en-le-Frith is a small town in Derbyshire, England, on the edge of the Peak District near the border with Cheshire, from Manchester. Dubbed "The Capital of the Peak District", the settlement was established by the Normans in the 12th century, originally as a hunting lodge within the Forest...
in 1680. Degge's second wife died in 1696 and he died in 1703 leaving sons and a daughter. He was buried in a chapel he had had built at Kingston(e).
Works
- Parson's Counsellor and Law of Tithes and Tithing, (1676)
- Observations upon the Possessors of Monastery Lands in Staffordshire, in Sampson ErdeswickeSampson ErdeswickeSampson Erdeswicke was an English antiquarian.-Life:He was born at Sandon in Staffordshire, and entered Brasenose College, Oxford, as a gentleman-commoner in 1553...
's Staffordshire.