Sir Roger Townshend KS (died 1493) was an English landowner, judge, and politician . Though his ancestors had held lands in Norfolk for generations, their estates being centred on the village of Raynham , he was the first of his family to attain national prominence.
20-481: Roger Townshend may refer to: Sir Roger Townshend (judge) (c. 1430–1493), English landowner, Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, MP for Bramber Sir Roger Townshend (Norfolk MP, born 1477) (1477–1552), English landowner, MP for Norfolk, son of the above Sir Roger Townshend (courtier, died 1590) (c. 1544–1590), English landowner, courtier and soldier, great-grandson of
40-542: A considerable sum. After 1472 he pursued a purely legal career, being made a Serjeant-at-Law in 1478, a legal assistant to the House of Lords in 1480, and a King's Serjeant in 1481 In 1483 he was made Third Justice of the Court of Common Pleas by King Richard III , after the promotion of John Catesby , and the next King, Henry VII , kept him in post, knighting him at Worcester in 1486. After Catesby's death in 1486, he
60-467: A statute was enacted which formally defined four assize circuits. For centuries, many justices of the Court of King's Bench , those of the Court of Common Pleas , and barons of the Exchequer of Pleas in some seasons of the year travelled around the country contributing to five commissions: their civil commissions were those of assize and of nisi prius ; their criminal law commissions were those of
80-493: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Roger Townshend (judge) Probably born in the 1420s, he was the son of Sir John Townshend (died 1465) and his second wife Joan, daughter and heiress of Sir Robert Lunsford, of Romford in Essex . His sister was the wife of Francis Colville (died 1494), of Newton Colville . Sent to study at Lincoln's Inn in 1454, where he
100-498: Is recorded as the mother of his twelve children, the eldest son being Roger . She died on 31 October 1489 and he then married Eleanor, daughter of William Lunsford, of Battle in Sussex , who survived him, serving as his executrix and dying on 5 September 1500. Assizes The assizes ( / ə ˈ s aɪ z ɪ z / ), or courts of assize , were periodic courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with
120-561: The Assize of Clarendon of 1166 King Henry II established trial by jury by a grand assize of twelve knights in land disputes, and itinerant justices to set up county courts . Before Magna Carta was passed (enacted) in 1215, writs of assize had to be tried at Westminster or await trial at the septennial circuit of justices in eyre . The great charter provided for land disputes to be tried by annual assizes at more convenient places. This work soon expanded, becoming five commissions. In 1293,
140-665: The Supreme Court of Judicature , transferred the jurisdiction of the commissions of assize (e.g. the possessory assizes that heard actions relating to the dispossession of land) to the High Court of Justice , and established district registries of the High Court across the country, leaving a minimal civil jurisdiction to the (travelling) assizes. In 1956, crown courts were set up in Liverpool and Manchester , replacing
160-531: The quarter sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court . The assizes exercised both civil and criminal jurisdiction, though most of their work was on the criminal side. The assizes heard the most serious cases, most notably those subject to capital punishment or, later, life imprisonment . Other serious cases were dealt with by the quarter sessions (local county courts held four times per year), while
180-593: The 19th century. From 1832 onwards, Wales and the palatine county of Chester , served by the Court of Great Sessions , were merged into the circuit system. The commissions for (the City of) London and Middlesex were replaced with a Central Criminal Court , serving London's broadened metropolis, and county courts were established widely to hear many civil cases which had taken the writ-action form of nisi prius . The Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1873 , which merged judges of equity and common law competing systems into
200-469: The above Sir Roger Townshend, 1st Baronet (c. 1596–1637), English landowner, MP for Orford and Norfolk, grandson of the above Sir Roger Townshend, 2nd Baronet (1628–1648), English landowner, eldest son of the above Roger Townshend (Norfolk MP, died 1709) , English soldier, MP for Norfolk and Great Yarmouth, nephew of the above Roger Townshend (British Army officer, born 1708) (1708–1760), English soldier, MP for Great Yarmouth and Eye, nephew of
220-458: The above [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Roger_Townshend&oldid=956652112 " Category : Human name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
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#1732794546151240-546: The assizes and quarter sessions. This was extended nationwide in 1972 following the recommendations of a royal commission . From 1293, sets of judges toured across four circuits ; from 1328, six circuits which changed in content until an extra was added in 1876. As at 1831 they were: Yorkshire was for a time removed from the Northern Circuit and placed on the Midland Circuit. The North-eastern Circuit
260-866: The gaols. Historically, all justices who visited Cornwall were also permanent members of the Prince's Council, which oversees the Duchy and advises the Duke. Before the creation of the Duchy, the Earls of Cornwall had control over the assizes. In the 13th century Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall , feted as 'King of the Romans', moved the assizes to the new administrative palace complex in Lostwithiel but they later returned to Launceston . Few substantial changes occurred until
280-418: The more minor offences were dealt with summarily by justices of the peace in petty sessions (also known as magistrates' courts ). The word assize refers to the sittings or sessions ( Old French assises ) of the judges, known as "justices of assize", who were judges who travelled across the seven circuits of England and Wales on commissions of " oyer and terminer ", setting up court and summoning juries at
300-421: The peace, of oyer and terminer and of (or for) gaol delivery. The second commission heard cases which plaintiffs sought to receive priority. From an Act passed in the reign of King Edward I plaintiffs (claimants) could file pleadings at Westminster for the court to issue a writ to summon a jury to Westminster to appoint a time and place for hearing the causes there, stating the county of origin. Such writs used
320-474: The various assize towns. The courts of assize were the English equivalent of the still-existing French Cours d'assise . The term is derived by Middle English assise < Old French assise ("session, legal action" – past participle of asseoir , "to seat") < Vulgar Latin * assedēre < Latin assidēre ("to sit beside, aside, elsewhere") < ad + sedēre ("to sit"). By
340-418: The words and form of nisi prius (Latin: "unless before"). The writ called the parties to Westminster (on a longstop date) unless the king's justices had assembled a court in the county to deal with the case beforehand. The commission of oyer and terminer, was a general commission to hear and decide cases. The commission of gaol delivery required the justices to try all prisoners not yet tried by judges held in
360-466: Was first elected a Governor in 1461 and first elected a Reader in 1468, he was his father's heir in 1465. As well as legal practice, he was returned to Parliament for Bramber in 1467 and for Calne in 1472. Proceeds of his legal work were invested in rural land, extending the estates inherited from his father. In 1469 he bought numerous holdings in Norfolk from Sir John Paston , his client who owed him
380-528: Was formed in 1876 and contained Yorkshire, Durham and Northumberland. By 1960 these seven circuits saw no longer a Home nor a Norfolk Circuit, instead a South-eastern Circuit and a Wales and Chester Circuit. In 1972, the Midland Circuit and the Oxford Circuit were combined and became the Midland and Oxford Circuit . Each had its own bar and mess (also called a circuit mess or bar mess). The mess
400-480: Was made Second Justice. In addition to his High Court duties, he sat as a justice of the peace and as an assize judge for several counties. He made his will on 14 August 1493 and died on 9 November 1493. He married twice, his first wife being Anne, daughter and coheiress of Sir William Brewes (Braose in archaic spelling), of Stinton Hall at Salle , and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of John Hopton , of Blythburgh , and widow of Sir John Jermy, of Metfield . She
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