Sir Robert Sheffield (before 1462 – 10 August 1518) was an English lawyer and Member of Parliament. He was

Speaker of the House of Commons Speaker of the House of Commons is a political leadership position found in countries that have a House of Commons, where the membership of the body elects a speaker to lead its proceedings. Systems that have such a position include: * Speaker of ...

between 1512–1513.

Early life

Robert Sheffield was born before 1462 in Butterwick, Lincolnshire to Sir Robert Sheffield (1432 – 18 August 1502) of

South Cave South Cave is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately to the west of Hull city centre on the A1034 road just to the north of the A63 road. North Cave is approximately to the north-wes ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

and Jane Lounde, the daughter and coheir of Alexander Lownde of Butterwick, Lincolnshire. Sheffield was educated in law at

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

Career

Sheffield served as

Recorder of London The recorder of London is an ancient legal office in the City of London. The recorder of London is the senior circuit judge at the Central Criminal Court (the Old Bailey), hearing trials of criminal offences. The recorder is appointed by the Cr ...

from at least 21 September 1495 to April 1508 to 1508, and was thus an ''ex officio'' Member of Parliament for the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

in 1495, 1497 and 1504. Bernard Andreas states that Sheffield resigned the recordership in April 1508. Sheffield held several governmental positions and commissions in

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, including commissioner of sewers in

from 1485 until his death, commissioner of

oyer and terminer In English law, oyer and terminer (; a partial translation of the Anglo-French , which literally means 'to hear and to determine') was one of the commissions by which a judge of assize sat. Apart from its Law French name, the commission was also ...

in London in 1495 and 1503, commissioner for

benevolence Benevolence or Benevolent may refer to: * Benevolent (band) * Benevolence (phrenology), a faculty in the discredited theory of phrenology * "Benevolent" (song), a song by Tory Lanez * Benevolence (tax), a forced loan imposed by English kings from ...

in 1500, commissioner for subsidy in Lincolnshire in 1504, 1512, 1514 and 1515, and in London in 1504. Sheffield held several stewardships, including Steward of the

Bishop of Durham The bishop of Durham is head of the diocese of Durham in the province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler (bishop), Paul Butler was the most recent bishop of Durham u ...

's liberty of Howden, Yorkshire from March 1493, Steward of the manor of

Stoke Bardolph Stoke Bardolph is a Village#United Kingdom, village and civil parish in the Borough of Gedling, Gedling district of Nottinghamshire, England. The population of the civil parish taken at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census was 170, incre ...

and others in

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...

from February 1508 until his death and Steward of the manor of

Kirton, Lincolnshire Kirton or Kirton in Holland is a historic market town and civil parish in the Borough of Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 5,371. History The Domesday Book of 1086 terms the village ''Ch ...

and crown lands in

Kingston-upon-Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually shortened to Hull, is a historic maritime city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Est ...

and elsewhere in

from July 20, 1509 until his death. Sheffield served as Justice of the Peace in Lincolnshire from 1495-7 and 1510-16 or later, and in Nottinghamshire from 1511-16 or later. Sheffield served was a commander at the Battle of Blackheath during the Cornish Rebellion of 1497, and was knighted by Henry VII on 17 June 1497 after the battle. Sheffield was joint keeper of

Lincoln Castle Lincoln Castle is a major medieval castle constructed in Lincoln, England, during the late 11th century by William the Conqueror on the site of a pre-existing Roman fortress. The castle is unusual in that it has two mottes. It is one of only ...

from 10 February 1501 until his death. In 1508, Sheffield was listed as a "councillor". Sheffield became Governor of the

in 1511, likely serving until his death. Sheffield was chosen

Knight of the Shire Knight of the shire () was the formal title for a member of parliament (MP) representing a county constituency in the British House of Commons, from its origins in the medieval Parliament of England until the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 ...

for

in 1512 and 1513. During these years, he served as

. By 1516, Sheffield served as Custos rotulorum (keeper of the rolls) for Lincolnshire (Lindsey).

Personal life

By 1485, Sheffield married Ellen Delves, the daughter and heir of Sir John Delves of Doddington, Cheshire. They had two sons and five daughters: * Robert Sheffield ( – 1532), married Jane Stanley, daughter of

George Stanley, 9th Baron Strange George Stanley, 9th Baron Strange, of Knockin, Order of the Garter, KG, Order of the Bath, KB (c. 1460–1503) was an English nobleman and heir apparent of Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby. He was also a notable soldier in his own right and held ...

, and sister of

Thomas Stanley, 2nd Earl of Derby Thomas Stanley, 2nd Earl of Derby (before 1485 – 23 May 1521) was an English nobleman, politician, and peer. Family Thomas Stanley was the eldest son of George Stanley, 9th Baron Strange and Joan Strange, daughter and heiress of John Strange, ...

, and father of

Edmund Sheffield, 1st Baron Sheffield Edmund Sheffield, 1st Baron Sheffield, of Butterwick (22 November 1521 – 1 August 1549) was an English nobleman who died in Kett's Rebellion. Early life Edmund Sheffield was born on 22 November 1521 in Butterwick, Lincolnshire to ...

* Jane Sheffield ( – 1528) * Edward Sheffield (born 1485) * Margaret Sheffield (born ) * Anne Sheffield (born 1489) * Elizabeth Sheffield (born 1489) * Bridget Sheffield (born 1494) After his first wife's death in or after 1509, Sheffield married secondly Anne Barley or Barlee (d. 1557 or 1558), the daughter of William Barley, of

Albury, Hertfordshire Albury is a village and civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England, about five miles west of Bishop's Stortford. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 537, increasing in the 2011 Census to 595. Albu ...

. After Sheffield's death in 1518 his widow married secondly Sir John Grey of

Blisworth Blisworth is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England. The West Coast Main Line, from London Euston to Manchester and Scotland, runs alongside the village partly hidden and partly on an embankment. The Grand Union Canal pass ...

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...

, a younger son of

Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of Dorset Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of Dorset, 1st Earl of Huntingdon, 7th Baron Ferrers of Groby, (145520 September 1501) was an English nobleman, courtier and the eldest son of Elizabeth Woodville and her first husband Sir John Grey of Groby. Her seco ...

by his second wife, Cecily Bonville, and thirdly Sir Richard Clement, of

Ightham Mote Ightham Mote (), at Ightham, is a medieval moated manor house in Kent, England. The architectural writer John Newman describes it as "the most complete small medieval manor house in the county". Ightham Mote and its gardens are owned by the ...

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

. Anne (née Barlee) left a will dated 1 October 1557, proved 7 May 1558.

Death

In 1515, Sheffield helped

Cardinal Wolsey Thomas Wolsey ( ; – 29 November 1530) was an English statesman and Catholic cardinal. When Henry VIII became King of England in 1509, Wolsey became the king's almoner. Wolsey's affairs prospered and by 1514 he had become the controlling f ...

in drafting legislation but later gave lead to

anti-clerical Anti-clericalism is opposition to religious authority, typically in social or political matters. Historically, anti-clericalism in Christian traditions has been opposed to the influence of Catholicism. Anti-clericalism is related to secularism, ...

forces in the House, earning him the Cardinal's enmity. In 1516, he was charged with negligence as a justice of the peace and was summoned before the

Star Chamber The court of Star Chamber () was an English court that sat at the royal Palace of Westminster, from the late to the mid-17th century (), and was composed of privy counsellors and common-law judges, to supplement the judicial activities of the ...

but negotiated a pardon. Six months later he was incarcerated in the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

after complaining against

, and brought before the Star Chamber again, and this time asked the King for mercy. However the pardon was revoked and Sheffield died in the

on 10 August 1518. Sheffield was buried in the Augustinian church ( Blackfriars),

. His will is in ''Testamenta Vetusta'' by

Nicholas Harris Nicolas Sir (Nicholas) Harris Nicolas (10 March 1799 – 3 August 1848) was an English antiquary. Life The fourth son of Commander John Harris Nicolas RN (1758–1844) and Margaret (née Blake), he was born at Dartmouth. He was the brother of Rear ...

(p. 555).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheffield, Robert 15th-century births 1518 deaths Year of birth unknown People from the Borough of Boston People from the East Riding of Yorkshire (before 1974) Prisoners in the Tower of London Speakers of the House of Commons of England 16th-century English lawyers Recorders of London Members of the Parliament of England for the City of London English MPs 1495 English MPs 1497 English MPs 1504 English MPs 1512–1514 English MPs 1515

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

Members of the Inner Temple English justices of the peace

Early life

Career

Personal life

Death

See also

References