Thomas Bromley (chief justice)
Encyclopedia
Sir Thomas Bromley was an English judge and Chief Justice of the King’s Bench
.
(1530–1587). His father was Roger, son of Roger Bromley of Mitley, Shropshire, and his mother was Jane, daughter of Mr. Thomas Jennings. He was entered at the Inner Temple
, was reader there in the autumn of 1532, and again in the autumn of 1539, and was nominated in Lent term 1540, but did not serve.
in 1540, and king's serjeant
on 2 July of the same year, and on 4 November 1544 he succeeded Sir John Spelman as a judge of the king's bench. He was held in favour by Henry VIII
, who made him one of the executors of his will, and bequeathed him a legacy of £300. Hence he was one of the council of regency to Edward VI
; but, although he succeeded in avoiding political entanglements for some time, at the close of the reign he became implicated in Northumberland
's scheme for the succession of Lady Jane Grey
. The duke summoned to court Montagu, chief justice of the common pleas
, Bromley, Sir John Baker, and the attorney- and solicitor-general, and informed them of the king's desire to settle the crown on Lady Jane
. They replied that it would be illegal, and prayed an adjournment, and next day expressed an opinion that all parties to such a settlement would be guilty of high treason. Northumberland
's violence then became so great that both Bromley and Montagu were in bodily fear; and two days later, when a similar scene took place, and the king
ordered them on their allegiance to despatch the matter, they consented to settle the deed, receiving an express commission under the great seal
to do so and a general pardon. Bromley, however, adroitly avoided witnessing the deed, and consequently, when Mary
sent the lord chief justice
to gaol, she made Bromley chief justice of the King’s Bench
, in the room of Sir Roger Cholmeley
, on 4 October 1553. Burnet says of him that he was 'a papist at heart.'
and others were indicted for a plot and treason at Baynard's Castle
on 23 November 1553, and for a rising and march towards London with Sir Henry Isley and two thousand men. Bromley presided at the trial, and allowed the prisoner such unusual freedom of speech as to provoke complaints from the queen's attorney, and threats of retiring from the prosecution. Yet Bromley was not throughout impartial, but even refused the prisoner leave to call a witness, though he was in court, and denied him inspection of a statute on which he relied. His summing up was so defective, 'for want of memory or goodwill,' that the prisoner supplied its defects, as if he had been an uninterested spectator. Yet the prisoner was acquitted: so much to Mary
's annoyance that the jury were punished for their verdict. Sir William Portman
succeeded Bromley as chief justice on 11 June 1555; but the exact date of his death is not known.
. He is buried at Wroxeter
.
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,...
.
Early life and career
Bromley was of an old Staffordshire family, and a second cousin of Sir Thomas BromleyThomas Bromley
Sir Thomas Bromley was an English lord chancellor.-Life:He was born in Staffordshire, was educated at Oxford University and then called to the bar at the Middle Temple...
(1530–1587). His father was Roger, son of Roger Bromley of Mitley, Shropshire, and his mother was Jane, daughter of Mr. Thomas Jennings. He was entered at the Inner Temple
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
, was reader there in the autumn of 1532, and again in the autumn of 1539, and was nominated in Lent term 1540, but did not serve.
Judicial advancement
He was made serjeant-at-lawSerjeant-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 1540, and king's serjeant
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 2 July of the same year, and on 4 November 1544 he succeeded Sir John Spelman as a judge of the king's bench. He was held in favour by Henry VIII
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...
, who made him one of the executors of his will, and bequeathed him a legacy of £300. Hence he was one of the council of regency to 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...
; but, although he succeeded in avoiding political entanglements for some time, at the close of the reign he became implicated in Northumberland
John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland
John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, KG was an English general, admiral, and politician, who led the government of the young King Edward VI from 1550 until 1553, and unsuccessfully tried to install Lady Jane Grey on the English throne after the King's death...
's scheme for the succession of Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey , also known as The Nine Days' Queen, was an English noblewoman who was de facto monarch of England from 10 July until 19 July 1553 and was subsequently executed...
. The duke summoned to court Montagu, chief justice of the 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...
, Bromley, Sir John Baker, and the attorney- and solicitor-general, and informed them of the king's desire to settle the crown on Lady Jane
Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey , also known as The Nine Days' Queen, was an English noblewoman who was de facto monarch of England from 10 July until 19 July 1553 and was subsequently executed...
. They replied that it would be illegal, and prayed an adjournment, and next day expressed an opinion that all parties to such a settlement would be guilty of high treason. Northumberland
John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland
John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, KG was an English general, admiral, and politician, who led the government of the young King Edward VI from 1550 until 1553, and unsuccessfully tried to install Lady Jane Grey on the English throne after the King's death...
's violence then became so great that both Bromley and Montagu were in bodily fear; and two days later, when a similar scene took place, and the king
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...
ordered them on their allegiance to despatch the matter, they consented to settle the deed, receiving an express commission under the great seal
Great Seal of the Realm
The Great Seal of the Realm or Great Seal of the United Kingdom is a seal that is used to symbolise the Sovereign's approval of important state documents...
to do so and a general pardon. Bromley, however, adroitly avoided witnessing the deed, and consequently, when Mary
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
sent the lord chief justice
Roger Cholmeley
Sir Roger Cholmeley was Lord Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench from 1552 to 1553.-Background and early life:...
to gaol, she made Bromley 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,...
, in the room of 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:...
, on 4 October 1553. Burnet says of him that he was 'a papist at heart.'
Fall from favour
He did not hold this office long. On 17 April 1554 Sir Nicholas ThrockmortonNicholas Throckmorton
Sir Nicholas Throckmorton was an English diplomat and politician, who was an ambassador to France and played a key role in the relationship between Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots.-Early years:...
and others were indicted for a plot and treason at Baynard's Castle
Baynard's Castle
Baynard's Castle refers to buildings on two neighbouring sites in London, between where Blackfriars station and St Paul's Cathedral now stand. The first was a Norman fortification constructed by Ralph Baynard and demolished by King John in 1213. The second was a medieval palace built a short...
on 23 November 1553, and for a rising and march towards London with Sir Henry Isley and two thousand men. Bromley presided at the trial, and allowed the prisoner such unusual freedom of speech as to provoke complaints from the queen's attorney, and threats of retiring from the prosecution. Yet Bromley was not throughout impartial, but even refused the prisoner leave to call a witness, though he was in court, and denied him inspection of a statute on which he relied. His summing up was so defective, 'for want of memory or goodwill,' that the prisoner supplied its defects, as if he had been an uninterested spectator. Yet the prisoner was acquitted: so much to Mary
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
's annoyance that the jury were punished for their verdict. Sir William Portman
William Portman
Sir William Portman was an English judge and Chief Justice of the King’s Bench.-Origins and early career:Portman was the son of John Portman, who was buried in the Temple Church on 5 June 1521, by Alice, daughter of William Knoell of Dorset...
succeeded Bromley as chief justice on 11 June 1555; but the exact date of his death is not known.
Descendants
He left an only daughter, Margaret, who married Sir Richard Newport, ancestor of the earls of BradfordEarl of Bradford
Earl of Bradford is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was first created in 1694 for Francis Newport, 2nd Baron Newport. However, all the Newport titles became extinct on the death of the fourth Earl in 1762. The...
. He is buried at Wroxeter
Wroxeter
Wroxeter is a village in Shropshire, England. It forms part of the civil parish of Wroxeter and Uppington and is located in the Severn Valley about south-east of Shrewsbury.-History:...
.