Sir Roger Leche (1361-1416) was a medieval British courtier, Member of Parliament, and Lord High Treasurer.

Biography

Early

Leche was born into a well-to-do Derbyshire family and benefitted from being a Lancastrian supporter. He is a son of DAWKINS II LEECH.

Offices

After

Henry Bolinbroke Henry IV ( April 1367 – 20 March 1413), also known as Henry Bolingbroke, was King of England from 1399 to 1413. He asserted the claim of his grandfather King Edward III, a maternal grandson of Philip IV of France, to the Kingdom of Fran ...

's return from exile in 1399, and subsequent coronation as King Henry IV, Leche started to acquire property and income from public offices such as Royal commissioner,

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

, and High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire for 1400–01. He became a member of the King's household, spending time in 1403 securing Carmarthen Castle against the Welsh. He was knighted by 1404. In 1402 he represented

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

for the first time. He would represent the county again in 1406, 1413, and 1414. He was made Controller of the Household of Henry IV in 1404 and Steward of the household of Henry, Prince of Wales from 1407 to 1413. Over the next decade he acquired a large number of positions in the royal household administration. He was Keeper of the city of York for the Crown (1405-1406), Steward of the Duchy of Lancaster, Lordship of the High Peak, Derbyshire (1405-death), Steward of the duchy lordship of Tutbury, Staffordshire (by 1407-death), Bailiff of the High Peak (by 1413-death), Chief Steward of the Duchy of Lancaster north parts (1413-death) and Chamberlain of the Duchy of Lancaster (1416-death).

Lord High Treasurer

He was also

Constable of Flint Castle Flint Castle ( cy, Castell y Fflint) in Flint, Flintshire, was the first of a series of castles built during King Edward I's campaign to conquer Wales. The site was chosen for its strategic position in North East Wales. The castle was only one ...

from 1407 to his death. After the accession to the throne of Henry V he was appointed Keeper of the household wardrobe in 1413 and promoted to

Lord High Treasurer The post of Lord High Treasurer or Lord Treasurer was an English government position and has been a British government position since the Acts of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third-highest-ranked Great Officer of State in ...

on 17 April 1416. Ill health forced his retirement on 23 September of the same year and he died two months later.

Family

He had married twice. From his first marriage he had a son and heir, Sir Philip Leche (died 1420), and four daughters. He secondly married Katherine, the widow of Sir John Bromwich and Sir

Hugh Waterton Sir Hugh Waterton, (born circa 1340 efore 1373– died 2 July 1409) was a trusted servant of the House of Lancaster. Family Waterton's date of birth is not known. Some would have it, he was the second son of William Waterton of Waterton, Linco ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leche, Sir Roger 1416 deaths People from Derbyshire Dales (district) English justices of the peace English courtiers Members of the Parliament of England for Derbyshire Lord High Treasurers High Sheriffs of Nottinghamshire High Sheriffs of Derbyshire