Robert Sadington (''fl''. 1340) was

Lord Chancellor The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. Th ...

of England.

Life

He is assumed to be a native of

Saddington Saddington is a village in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. It is close to Smeeton Westerby, Gumley, Kibworth and Fleckney. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 309. It is a small hilltop village clos ...

in Leicestershire, and perhaps a son of John de Sadington, a valet of

Isabella of France Isabella of France ( – 22 August 1358), sometimes described as the She-Wolf of France (), was Queen of England as the wife of King Edward II, and regent of England from 1327 until 1330. She was the youngest surviving child and only surviving ...

. He appears as an advocate in the year-books from 1329 to 1336. On 12 February 1332, he was placed on the commission of peace for Leicestershire and Rutland, and on 25 June 1332 was a commissioner for the assessment of the

tallage Tallage or talliage (from the French ''tailler, i.e. '' a part cut out of the whole) may have signified at first any tax, but became in England and France a land use or land tenure tax. Later in England it was further limited to assessments by the ...

in the counties of Leicester, Warwick, and Worcester. Previously to 8 August 1334 he was justice in eyre of the forest of Pickering and of the forests in Lancashire. During 1336, he was a justice of gaol delivery at Lancaster and Warwick. On 20 March 1337 he was appointed

Chief Baron of the Exchequer The Chief Baron of the Exchequer was the first "baron" (meaning judge) of the English Exchequer of Pleas. "In the absence of both the Treasurer of the Exchequer or First Lord of the Treasury, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, it was he who pre ...

, and appears to have been the first chief baron who was summoned to parliament by that title. On 25 July 1339 he was acting as lieutenant for the treasurer,

William de Zouche William de la Zouche (1299–1352) was Lord Treasurer of England and served as Archbishop of York from 1342 until his death. Origins He was the youngest son of Sir Roger de la Zouche (d.1302) of Lubbesthorpe in Leicestershire (younger brother ...

, and from 2 May to 21 June 1340 was himself treasurer, but retained his office as chief baron. On 29 September 1343 he was appointed chancellor, being the third layman to hold this position during the reign. He resigned the great seal on 26 October 1345. The reason for his resignation is not given, but he was reappointed chief baron on 8 December 1345. He had been a trier of petitions for England in the parliaments of 1341 and 1343, and was a trier of petitions from the clergy in 1347. In 1346, Sadington was one of the guardians of the principality of Wales, duchy of Cornwall, and earldom of Chester during the minority of

Edward, the Black Prince Edward of Woodstock, known to history as the Black Prince (15 June 1330 – 8 June 1376), was the eldest son of King Edward III of England, and the heir apparent to the English throne. He died before his father and so his son, Richard II, suc ...

. In 1347, he presided over the commission appointed to try the earls of Fife and Menteith, who had been taken prisoners in the

battle of Neville's Cross The Battle of Neville's Cross took place during the Second War of Scottish Independence on 17 October 1346, half a mile (800 m) to the west of Durham, England. An invading Scottish army of 12,000 led by King David II was defeated with heavy los ...

. His successor as chief baron was appointed on 7 April 1350, Sadington having been given leave to retire in 1349.''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'' He married Joyce, sister and heiress of

Roger de Mortival Roger Martival (died 14 March 1330) was a medieval Bishop of Salisbury in England. Martival was Archdeacon of Huntingdon (1286–1295), Archdeacon of Leicester (1295–1310) and Dean of Lincoln (1310–1315). From 1293 to 1294, he was Chancellor ...

, bishop of Salisbury. Isabel, his daughter and sole heir, married Sir Ralph Hastings.

Notes

References

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Sadington, Robert de Year of birth missing 1361 deaths People from Harborough District 14th-century English judges Lord chancellors of England Lord High Treasurers of England Chief Barons of the Exchequer Knights Bachelor