John of Lexinton

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John of Lexinton (also John of Laxton ) († uncertain: January 16, 1257 ) was an English knight who served several times as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal .

Origin and education

John was a younger son of Richard of Lexinton and his wife Matilda. The family was named after Laxton in Nottinghamshire, formerly called Lexinton, where his father owned property. John attended high school in an unknown location. However, whether he really studied canon law as well as Roman law , as the Burton annalist claims, is questionable.

Rise as a royal knight

In the late 1220s, Lexinton served as a knight in the household of Earl Ranulf of Chester . After his death in 1232 he went to Ireland , where he was sheriff of Munster and constable of Limerick . In 1235 he returned to England and became a knight in the household of King Henry III. who paid him £ 20 a year for it. In 1238 he received the court office of the Knight Marshal . In 1240 he returned to Cheshire in the service of the king , where he served as justiciar . In 1241 he belonged to the king's embassy, ​​which was attended by one of Pope Gregory IX. convened council should attend. On the sea voyage, however, their ships were attacked in the Mediterranean Sea in the sea ​​battle of Giglio by a fleet of the Roman-German Emperor Friedrich II . The imperial fleet was able to board numerous enemy ships and thus capture many clergymen, but John was able to save his brother Stephen , Abbot of Savigny, from capture and escape with him. At the end of 1241 John was back in Cheshire and supported Henry III. during his campaign against the Welsh prince Dafydd ap Llywelyn . In 1242 he traveled to France as the king's envoy, where he met the French King Louis IX. because of alleged violations of the armistice by Heinrich III. negotiated. During the following Saintonge War , John fought in Gascony until 1243, during which time he de facto held the office of Lord Keeper of the Great Seal . Later, from 1247 to 1248 and from 1249 to 1250, he also officially served as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, without, however, being appointed royal chancellor .

Service as royal judge

In early 1245 Lexinton was back in Cheshire, trying to restore order after the failed campaign against Wales the previous year . Between March and July 1246 he was appointed Steward of the Household , in addition he served as a judge at the court . From November 1252, however, he served as chief judge of the Forests north of Trent . In addition, he had become his heir after the death of his eldest brother Robert in 1250, whereby he had inherited extensive lands in northern England. In 1253 he withdrew from the royal court, but he was administrator of the royal castles Scarborough , Pickering and Bamburgh . In 1255 he returned to the royal court after three leading judges had been given leave of absence. As a court judge, he accompanied Henry III when he visited Yorkshire and Lincolnshire from August to October . He had to investigate reports that Lincoln Jews crucified a Christian boy named Hugh . He forced a confession from the Jew Copin , whereupon 19 Jews were executed. 91 other Jews were banished for participating in the murder, but later pardoned on payment of a heavy fine. John's brother Henry of Lexinton , Bishop of Norwich, had the body of the allegedly murdered boy buried in Lincoln Cathedral, where it soon became a major pilgrimage destination.

Marriage and inheritance

Between 1239 and 1243 Lexinton married Magery de Merley, widow of Roger de Merlay, Lord of Morpeth in Northumberland and daughter of Richard de Umfraville , Lord of Prudhoe in Northumberland. The marriage remained childless. He died on or shortly before January 16, 1257. His heir became his brother Henry.

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personal data
SURNAME Lexinton, John of
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Laxton, John of
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English judge and Lord Keeper of the Great Seal
DATE OF BIRTH 12th century or 13th century
DATE OF DEATH uncertain: January 16, 1257