Sir John Ernley (or Ernle; 1464 – 22 April 1520) was an English justice. He was educated at one of the Inns of Chancery from 1478 to 1480 before being admitted to

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

. By 1490 he was a particularly conspicuous member of the "Sussex circle" gathered around

Edmund Dudley Edmund Dudley (c. 1462Gunn 2010 or 1471/147217 August 1510) was an English administrator and a financial agent of Henry VII of England, King Henry VII. He served as a leading member of the Council Learned in the Law, Speaker of the House o ...

. In his home county of

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

he maintained a substantial legal practice, serving as

feoffee Under the feudal system in England, a feoffee () is a trustee who holds a fief (or "fee"), that is to say an estate in land, for the use of a beneficial owner. The term is more fully stated as a feoffee to uses of the beneficial owner. The use ...

, arbitrator, justice and commissioner, and joining the home assize circuit in 1496 and 1497 as an associate, followed by a position on the county bench in 1498. In the 16th century, he acted as a feoffee for Edmund Dudley, and was appointed

Attorney General for England and Wales His Majesty's Attorney General for England and Wales is the chief legal adviser to the sovereign and Government in affairs pertaining to England and Wales as well as the highest ranking amongst the law officers of the Crown. The attorney gener ...

on 12 July 1507 as a result of his influence with Dudley and, as an extension, Henry VII. He was reappointed when

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

came to power and under him became an important figure in the court. After Sir Robert Rede died in 1519, Ernley was selected to replace him as Lord Chief Justice of the Court of Commons Pleas, and was appointed on 27 January of that year. He served for barely a year, dying on 22 April 1520, and was buried in Sidlesham, near

Chichester Chichester ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in the Chichester District, Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher ...

. He left a son and heir, William Erneley, who also served as a Member of Parliament. William married Bridget Spring the only daughter of wealthy Thomas and Alice Spring, clothiers of Laverham.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ernley, John 1464 births 1520 deaths People from Chichester Chief justices of the common pleas 15th-century English judges 16th-century English judges Attorneys general for England and Wales Ernle family