Robert Braybrooke (1336/7-1404) was a medieval cleric and

King's Secretary The King's Secretary was an administrative role that developed in England in the Middle Ages as the monarchy developed in complexity. King's signet ring Robert Braybrooke was the first King's Secretary with the use of the king's signet ring, upo ...

. He was

Dean of Salisbury The Dean of Salisbury is the primus inter pares, head of the cathedral chapter, chapter of Salisbury Cathedral in the Church of England. The Dean assists the archdeacon of Sarum and bishop of Ramsbury in the diocese of Salisbury. List of deans ...

and

Bishop of London The bishop of London is the Ordinary (church officer), ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury. By custom the Bishop is also Dean of the Chapel Royal since 1723. The diocese covers of 17 boroughs o ...

Biography

Braybrooke was the son of Sir Gerard de Braybooke of

Castle Ashby Castle Ashby is a village and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the parish (including Chadstone) was 111. Historically, the village was set u ...

, MP for

Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...

Horsenden Horsenden is a hamlet and former civil parish, now in the parish of Longwick-cum-Ilmer, in Buckinghamshire, England. It is approximately one mile West of Princes Risborough, seven miles south of Aylesbury and three miles south-west of Chinnor ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

Colmworth Colmworth is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Bedford in the county of Bedfordshire, England about north-east of Bedford. The parish, including the hamlet of Duck's Cross, had a population of 393 at the 2011 census. Geography Co ...

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...

and his wife, Isabella, the daughter of Sir Roger Dakeny of

Clophill Clophill is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish nucleated village, clustered on the north bank of the River Flit, Bedfordshire, England. It is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Clopelle''. "Clop" likely means 'tree-st ...

King's Secretary

Braybrooke was a trained lawyer who became the first keeper of the King'

signet ring A seal is a device for making an impression in Sealing wax, wax, clay, paper, or some other medium, including an Paper embossing, embossment on paper, and is also the impression thus made. The original purpose was to authenticate a document, or ...

on the accession of the ten-year-old

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward, Prince of Wales (later known as the Black Prince), and Joan, Countess of Kent. R ...

to the

English throne The Throne of England is the throne of the Monarch of England. "Throne of England" also refers metonymically to the office of monarch, and monarchy itself.Gordon, Delahay. (1760) ''A General History of the Lives, Trials, and Executions of All t ...

in July 1377. Braybrooke thus became the first

using this signet ring. Whereas the

Great Seal A great seal is a seal used by a head of state, or someone authorised to do so on their behalf, to confirm formal documents, such as laws, treaties, appointments and letters of dispatch. It was and is used as a guarantee of the authenticity of ...

had been used to endorse the documentation of the Royal pardons Richard II offered the peasant rebels when he met them at

Mile End Mile End is an area in London, England and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in East London and part of the East End of London, East End. It is east of Charing Cross. Situated on the part of the London-to-Colchester road ...

to diffuse the

Peasants' Revolt The Peasants' Revolt, also named Wat Tyler's Rebellion or the Great Rising, was a major uprising across large parts of England in 1381. The revolt had various causes, including the socio-economic and political tensions generated by the Black ...

shortly before his

coronation A coronation ceremony marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power using a crown. In addition to the crowning, this ceremony may include the presentation of other items of regalia, and other rituals such as the taking of special v ...

. Despite bearing the imprint of the Great Seal, these pardon's were withdrawn. During the few years in which Braybrooke was the King's Secretary, most of the documents endorsed by the King's Signet Ring, most were later further endorsed by the Privy Seal, before being issued with the Great Seal in

Chancery Chancery may refer to: Offices and administration * Court of Chancery, the chief court of equity in England and Wales until 1873 ** Equity (law), also called chancery, the body of jurisprudence originating in the Court of Chancery ** Courts of e ...

. He was nominated 9 September 1381 and consecrated on 5 January 1382.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 258 Braybrooke was named

Lord Chancellor The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The lord chancellor is the minister of justice for England and Wales and the highest-ra ...

of England on 20 September 1382 and was out of the office by 11 July 1383.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 87 Braybrooke accompanied King

to Ireland in 1394 and was

Lord Chancellor of Ireland The Lord High Chancellor of Ireland, commonly known as the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, was the highest ranking judicial office in Ireland until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. From 1721 until the end of 1800, it was also the hi ...

for six months in 1397. Braybrooke died on 28 August 1404, and was buried in

St. Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

. His tomb was smashed during the

Great Fire of London The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through central London from Sunday 2 September to Wednesday 5 September 1666, gutting the medieval City of London inside the old London Wall, Roman city wall, while also extendi ...

in 1666, and his body was found inside intact and mummified.

Citations

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Braybrooke, Robert Deans of Salisbury Bishops of London Lord chancellors of England 1404 deaths People from the Borough of Bedford People from Wycombe District Year of birth unknown Year of birth uncertain

Biography

King's Secretary

See also

Citations

References