Robert de Leycestre (died 1356) was an English cleric, judge and Crown official, who held office as

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 ...

. Little is known of his early life, although his surname suggests that he was born in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

. He may have enjoyed the patronage of Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel, since the living of

Keevil Keevil is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, about east of the centre of Trowbridge and a similar distance south of Melksham. The village lies on a slope between Great Hinton and Bulkington. Semington Brook forms much of the n ...

, Wiltshire, to which he was presented in 1347, was in the Earl's gift. He is first heard of in 1332 as a member of the household of

Eleanor of Woodstock Eleanor of Woodstock (18 June 1318 – 22 April 1355) was an English princess and the duchess of Guelders by marriage to Reginald II of Guelders. She was regent as the guardian of their minor son Reginald III from 1343 until 1344. She was ...

, sister of King

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...

; presumably he played a part in the preparations for her marriage to

Reginald II, Duke of Guelders Reginald II of Guelders ( nl, Reinoud), called "the Black" (c. 1295 – 12 October 1343), was Count of Guelders, and from 1339 onwards Duke of Guelders, and Zutphen, in the Low Countries, from 1326 to 1343. He was the son of Reginald I of Guelders ...

, in May of that year, and may have accompanied her to

Guelders The Duchy of Guelders ( nl, Gelre, french: Gueldre, german: Geldern) is a historical duchy, previously county, of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries. Geography The duchy was named after the town of Geldern (''Gelder'') in pr ...

. In 1350 he was sent to Ireland as Master of the Rolls; in 1352 he became second chamberlain of the

Exchequer of Ireland The Exchequer of Ireland was a body in the Kingdom of Ireland tasked with collecting The Crown, royal revenue. Modelled on the Exchequer, English Exchequer, it was created in 1210 after King John of England applied English law and legal structure ...

, although the appointment was later revoked on the ground that it had been a "mistake". He remained Master of the Rolls until his death in 1356.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Leycestre, Robert de People from Leicester 1356 deaths Year of birth missing Masters of the Rolls in Ireland