Edmund de Grimsby, or de Grymesby (died 1354) was an English cleric, Crown official and judge. While his career in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

lasted only about a year, he is notable as having been the first

Master of the Rolls in Ireland The Master of the Rolls in Ireland was a senior judicial office in the Irish Chancery under English and British rule, and was equivalent to the Master of the Rolls in the English Chancery. Originally called the Keeper of the Rolls, he was respons ...

. He derived his name from his birthplace of

Grimsby, Lincolnshire Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town and the administrative centre of North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes directly to the south-east forming a conurbation. Grimsby is north-east of Linco ...

.Ball, F. Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921'' John Murray London 1926 Vol.1 p.73 It is likely that he spent his last years there: certainly he retained close links with the town throughout his life, building several houses and endowing a

chantry A chantry is an ecclesiastical term that may have either of two related meanings: # a chantry service, a Christian liturgy of prayers for the dead, which historically was an obiit, or # a chantry chapel, a building on private land, or an area i ...

. In 1343 he agreed to make a grant of land, the rent from which would pay for a chaplain attached to St. James' Church, Grimsby (now Grimsby Minster). National Archives C 143/263/10

He was parish priest of

East Keal East Keal is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated approximately north from the town of Boston, south from the town of Spilsby, and on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, an Area of ...

in 1322 and of Preston in 1325; he also held the Scottish living of

Moffat Moffat ( gd, Mofad) is a burgh and parish in Dumfriesshire, now part of the Dumfries and Galloway local authority area in Scotland. It lies on the River Annan, with a population of around 2,500. It was a centre of the wool trade and a spa town. ...

Dumfriesshire Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries or Shire of Dumfries (''Siorrachd Dhùn Phris'' in Gaelic) is a historic county and registration county in southern Scotland. The Dumfries lieutenancy area covers a similar area to the historic county. I ...

. In later life, he received several further clerical preferments, notably as

prebendary A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of th ...

of St. Paul's Cathedral. St Helen, East Keal - geograph

In 1330, he was mentioned as being a royal clerk. In 1333 the Crown decided that the Lord Chancellor of Ireland required a Keeper or Master of the Rolls to assist him. Grimsby was appointed the first Master by letters patent: he did go to Ireland but returned to England a year later. He resumed his English position as a clerk in Chancery and had custody of the Great Seal in 1340 and 1351. He died in 1354.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grimsby, Edmund De People from Grimsby 1354 deaths Year of birth unknown Masters of the Rolls in Ireland