William Portman
Encyclopedia
Sir William Portman was an English judge and Chief Justice of the King’s Bench
.
on 5 June 1521, by Alice, daughter of William Knoell of Dorset
. His family belonged to Somerset
, giving its name to the village of Orchard Portman
, and he was in the commission of the peace
for that county from time to time. He was a barrister who was successful enough to be personally known to the king
. In 1532 he acquired 270 acres (stretching from Oxford Street
to where Regents Canal is now to be found) which his descendents later developed as the Portman Estate
. In 1533 Henry
gave him a wardship, and he was one of the administrators of the will of Catherine of Aragon
.
. When Richard (afterwards Lord) Rich
was ill, Portman was one of those who, by patent of 26 October 1551, were commissioned to despatch chancery matters; and in the following January he was commissioned to aid the lord-keeper
, the bishop of Ely
, in similar affairs. He seems to have been of the old way of thinking in religious matters. He found no difficulty in keeping office under Mary
; and he followed Day, the Bishop of Chichester
, in persuading Sir James Hales to abjure Protestantism in 1554. The same year he was made Chief Justice
. He died early in 1556-7, and was buried, with a stately funeral, on 10 Feb. 1556-7 at St Dunstan-in-the-West
, London.
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,...
.
Origins and early career
Portman was the son of John Portman, who was buried in the Temple ChurchTemple Church
The Temple Church is a late-12th-century church in London located between Fleet Street and the River Thames, built for and by the Knights Templar as their English headquarters. In modern times, two Inns of Court both use the church. It is famous for its effigy tombs and for being a round church...
on 5 June 1521, by Alice, daughter of William Knoell of Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
. His family belonged to Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, giving its name to the village of Orchard Portman
Orchard Portman
Orchard Portman is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated south of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The village has a population of 150....
, and he was in the commission of the peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
for that county from time to time. He was a barrister who was successful enough to be personally known to the king
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...
. In 1532 he acquired 270 acres (stretching from Oxford Street
Oxford Street
Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, United Kingdom. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, as well as its most dense, and currently has approximately 300 shops. The street was formerly part of the London-Oxford road which began at Newgate,...
to where Regents Canal is now to be found) which his descendents later developed as the Portman Estate
Portman Estate
The Portman Estate is a property estate in Marylebone, Central London. It lies between Oxford Street and Edgware Road, and includes Portman Square, Manchester Square, and some parts of Baker Street and Gloucester Place....
. In 1533 Henry
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...
gave him a wardship, and he was one of the administrators of the will of Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon , also known as Katherine or Katharine, was Queen consort of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII of England and Princess of Wales as the wife to Arthur, Prince of Wales...
.
Judicial career
He was made a judge in 1547, and knighted by Edward VIEdward 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...
. When Richard (afterwards Lord) Rich
Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich
Sir Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich , was Lord Chancellor during the reign of King Edward VI of England. He was the founder of Felsted School with its associated alms houses in Essex in 1564....
was ill, Portman was one of those who, by patent of 26 October 1551, were commissioned to despatch chancery matters; and in the following January he was commissioned to aid the lord-keeper
Lord Keeper of the Great Seal
The Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England, and later of Great Britain, was formerly an officer of the English Crown charged with physical custody of the Great Seal of England. This evolved into one of the Great Officers of State....
, the bishop of Ely
Thomas Goodrich
Thomas Goodrich was an English ecclesiastic and statesman.-Life:He was a son of Edward Goodrich of East Kirkby, Lincolnshire and brother of Henry Goodricke of Ribston Hall, North Yorkshire....
, in similar affairs. He seems to have been of the old way of thinking in religious matters. He found no difficulty in keeping office under 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...
; and he followed Day, the Bishop of Chichester
Bishop of Chichester
The Bishop of Chichester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the Counties of East and West Sussex. The see is in the City of Chichester where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity...
, in persuading Sir James Hales to abjure Protestantism in 1554. The same year he was made Chief Justice
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,...
. He died early in 1556-7, and was buried, with a stately funeral, on 10 Feb. 1556-7 at St Dunstan-in-the-West
St Dunstan-in-the-West
The Guild Church of St Dunstan-in-the-West is in Fleet Street in London, England. An octagonal-shaped building, it is dedicated to a former bishop of London and archbishop of Canterbury.-History:...
, London.