His Worship Richard Norton
KS JP (died 1420) was a British justice.
He was the son of Adam Conyers, who changed his name to Adam Norton when he married the heiress of
Norton-on-Derwent in
Yorkshire. Norton is first mentioned as an
Advocate
An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries' legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. However, ...
in 1399, and was created a
Serjeant-at-law in 1401. On 4 June 1405 he was appointed to the trial of those involved in
Richard le Scrope's rebellion, but was removed from the commission on 6 June. He served in 1406 as an
Assize justice for the
Palatinate of
Durham, and in the same year was made a
King's Serjeant. He was appointed as a justice for the
Court of Common Pleas by
Henry V on 23 May 1413, and
Chief Justice a month later on 26 of June, becoming Chief justice of the
Palatinate of
Lancaster at around the same time. Between November 1414 and December 1420 he also appeared as a regular Trier of Petitions in Parliament.
Norton served on many government commissions under
Henry IV and Henry V, most notably as a commissioner of
Oyer and terminer in
Durham,
Yorkshire,
Norfolk,
Suffolk
Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...
and
Devon, and as an officer tasked with hunting down escaped criminals in
Northumberland, Yorkshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. After his investigation into Richard le Scrope he was tasked with a similar commission into the lands of
Henry Percy in 1407. He also served as a justice of the peace from 1399 onwards, initially for the
North Riding of Yorkshire
The North Riding of Yorkshire is a subdivision of Yorkshire, England, alongside York, the East Riding and West Riding. The riding's highest point is at Mickle Fell with 2,585 ft (788 metres).
From the Restoration it was used as ...
but later for other areas. He died on 20 December 1420, and was buried in
Wath Wath may refer to:
Places in England
* Wath, Cumbria, a U.K. location
* Wath (near Ripon), a village in Harrogate district, North Yorkshire
* Wath, Ryedale, a village in North Yorkshire
* Wath-in-Nidderdale, a village near Pateley Bridge in Har ...
, Yorkshire.
References
1420 deaths
English barristers
Chief Justices of the Common Pleas
Serjeants-at-law (England)
Justices of the Common Pleas
Year of birth unknown
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