Robert of Lexinton

Robert of Lexinton (* before 1198, † May 29, 1250 ) was an English clergyman. From 1236 to 1244 he was one of the chief justices of the Court of King's Bench .

Origin and advancement to judge

Robert was the eldest son of Richard of Lexinton and his wife Matilda. He got his nickname after the village of Laxton (formerly Lexinton ) in Nottinghamshire , where his father held a fiefdom . Robert became a clergyman and received a good education. During the reign of King John Ohneland he entered the service of the well-known judge Brian de Lisle , who was his father's successor as the owner of Laxton from 1210 to 1215. He often came into contact with the Exchequer on behalf of his master . The king rewarded his services in 1214 with the transfer of a benefice at Southwell Minster in Nottinghamshire. That same year, Lexinton was appointed administrator of the Archdiocese of York on a vacancy . Since the king was in conflict with a noble opposition, Lexinton was given the command of a group of soldiers with whom he should keep Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire under royal control. The conflict led to an open war between the barons and the king.

Service as royal judge

Several years after the War of the Barons ended in 1217, Lexinton became royal judge in 1221. Together with other judges, he should hold court sessions in the western Midlands . He also took on other important tasks. In early 1221, he shadowed the rebellious William de Forz, Count of Aumale , when he fled to northern England. He informed the royal justiciar Hubert de Burgh in writing about his observations . Between 1221 and 1244 Lexinton chaired 64 court sessions in several counties , from 1234 he was presiding judge or sole judge who ruled together with assisen . In 1240 he was responsible for one of the two judicial districts into which England had been divided. In addition, he served between 1227 and 1244 as a judge of the King's Bench in Westminster , where he was presiding judge from 1236. This made him one of the chief judges in England.

As a reward for his services, he had received numerous other benefices, including a pastoral position in Rotherham and at Wells Cathedral . However, he resigned the office in Wells in 1243 because it was too far from his home. According to the Dunstable Annalist , he was elected Bishop of Lichfield in 1239 . However, since the election was controversial, as both the Lichfield Cathedral Chapter and the monks of Coventry Abbey claimed the right to vote, he did not accept the election. In addition to his ecclesiastical offices, he managed to acquire a sizeable estate, which mainly included lands in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, but also in Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire . His father died after 1229, whereupon Robert inherited his possessions. Since he was a clergyman unmarried and childless, he gave parts of his property to his younger brother John of Lexinton . Chronicler Matthew Paris accused him that his main concern as a judge was to collect fines for the king. When a dean denounced him for holding public hearings on Sundays, Lexinton allegedly mistreated him, for which he was sharply reprimanded by Bishop Grosseteste of Lincoln.

Resignation and death

In 1244 Lexinton resigned his offices and retired to his estates. He succeeded in getting his trusted official Robert of Nottingham to take over as judge of the King's Bench. Probably through the influence of his brother Stephen of Lexinton , he wished to be buried in the Cistercian Abbey of Rufford Abbey . Already paralyzed, he died in 1250. He bequeathed part of his property to various monasteries, the remainder his brother John inherited.

Web links

• David Crook: Lexinton, Robert of (d. 1250). In: Henry Colin Gray Matthew, Brian Harrison (Eds.): Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , from the earliest times to the year 2000 (ODNB). Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 0-19-861411-X , ( oxforddnb.com license required ), as of 2004