Sir Gilbert of Preston (1209–1274) was a British justice. He was the son of Walter of Preston, who was

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between 1206 and 1208. Gilbert acted as a collector of aid in

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

between 1235 and 1236, and in 1240 was appointed as a

royal justice Royal justices were an innovation in the law reforms of the Angevin kings of England The Angevins (; "from Anjou") were a royal house of French origin that ruled England in the 12th and early 13th centuries; its monarchs were Henry II, Richa ...

, acting almost continuously until 1254 as a

Puisne justice A puisne judge or puisne justice (; from french: puisné or ; , 'since, later' + , 'born', i.e. 'junior') is a dated term for an ordinary judge or a judge of lesser rank of a particular court. Use The term is used almost exclusively in common law ...

on the Eyre circuits of

William de York William de York was a medieval Bishop of Salisbury. William was provost of Beverley as well as holding prebends in the dioceses of Lincoln, London, and York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rive ...

Roger of Thirkleby Roger of Thirkleby (died 1260) was an English judge. The "Thirkleby" of his name was a hamlet in the parish of Kirby Grindalythe, Yorkshire. The first record of his work in the judicial system is in 1230, when he was appointed a clerk of the bench ...

and

Henry of Bath Henry de Bada (or Henry de Bathonia) (died November 1260) was an English judge and administrator. Life He began his career under his relative Hugh of Bath, who died in 1236, leaving his chattels to Henry. Henry started his administrative c ...

, and in the common bench at

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

. He also received many miscellaneous judicial and administrative commissions, but was not given a regular salary (of £40) until 1253, despite having worked as a judge for 13 years.Oxford DNB: Preston, Sir Gilbert of
/ref> In 1254 Gilbert served as senior justice on an Eyre circuit for the first time, although when not on Eyre he continued to sit as a Puisne judge at Westminster. In 1260 he was made

Chief Justice of the Common Pleas The chief justice of the Common Pleas was the head of the Court of Common Pleas, also known as the Common Bench or Common Place, which was the second-highest common law court in the English legal system until 1875, when it, along with the other ...

, where he sat almost continuously at court, except when sessions of the court were suspended because of political disturbances. In 1268 he left to travel another Eyre circuit, returning to his position in 1272, only because the death of Henry III halted all Eyre's. He remained Chief Justice of the Common Bench until his death in 1274. In 1239 he had married Alice, daughter of

Henry of Braybrooke Henry of Braybrooke (died 1234) was an English High Sheriff and justice. Biography He was the son of Robert of Braybrooke, who had served as High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland, as well as Master of the Gr ...

, with whom he had no children. As a result he left his possessions to his nephew Laurence of Preston, son of his younger brother William who had predeceased him. He had, through the grant of land in

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

to the Prior of Sempringham, arranged for a Canon at Sempringham for himself, his ancestors and heirs.

References

1209 births 1274 deaths Chief Justices of the Common Pleas Justices of the Common Pleas {{England-law-bio-stub