Sir Robert Sheffield (before 1462 – 10 August 1518) was an English lawyer and Member of Parliament. He was

Speaker of the House of Commons Speaker of the House of Commons is a political leadership position found in countries that have a House of Commons, where the membership of the body elects a speaker to lead its proceedings. Systems that have such a position include: * Speaker of ...

between 1512–1513.

Family

Robert Sheffield was the son of Sir Robert Sheffield of

South Cave South Cave is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately to the west of Kingston upon Hull, Hull city centre on the A1034 road just to the north of the A63 road. ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

, by Jane Lounde, the daughter and coheir of Alexander Lownde of

Butterwick, Lincolnshire Butterwick is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Boston, Lincolnshire, England, It is situated approximately east from the market town of Boston. Butterwick is one of eighteen civil parishes which, together with Boston, form the Bo ...

Career

He was trained in the law at the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

, and became Governor of the Inner Temple in 1511. He served as

Recorder of London The Recorder of London is an ancient legal office in the City of London. The Recorder of London is the senior circuit judge at the Central Criminal Court (the Old Bailey), hearing trials of criminal offences. The Recorder is appointed by the Cr ...

from 1495 to 1508, and was thus an ''ex officio''

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

in 1495, 1497 and 1504. Bernard Andreas states that Sheffield resigned the recordership in April 1508. He was a commander at

Blackheath Blackheath may refer to: Places England *Blackheath, London, England ** Blackheath railway station **Hundred of Blackheath, Kent, an ancient hundred in the north west of the county of Kent, England *Blackheath, Surrey, England ** Hundred of Blackh ...

during the Cornish Rebellion of 1497, and knighted by Henry VII after the battle. Sheffield was chosen

Knight of the Shire Knight of the shire ( la, milites comitatus) was the formal title for a member of parliament (MP) representing a county constituency in the British House of Commons, from its origins in the medieval Parliament of England until the Redistributio ...

for

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 ...

in 1512 and 1513. During these years, he served as

. In 1515, Sheffield helped

Cardinal Wolsey Thomas Wolsey ( – 29 November 1530) was an English statesman and Catholic bishop. When Henry VIII became King of England in 1509, Wolsey became the king's almoner. Wolsey's affairs prospered and by 1514 he had become the controlling figur ...

in drafting legislation but later gave lead to

anti-clerical Anti-clericalism is opposition to religious authority, typically in social or political matters. Historical anti-clericalism has mainly been opposed to the influence of Roman Catholicism. Anti-clericalism is related to secularism, which seeks to ...

forces in the House, earning him the Cardinal's enmity. In 1516, he was charged with negligence as a justice of the peace and was summoned before the Star Chamber but negotiated a pardon. Six months later he was incarcerated in the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...

after complaining against

, and brought before the Star Chamber again, and this time asked the King for mercy. However the pardon was revoked and he died in the

on 10 August 1518. He was buried in the Augustinian church (Blackfriars), London. His will is in ''Testamenta Vetusta'' by

Nicholas Harris Nicolas Sir (Nicholas) Harris Nicolas (10 March 1799 – 3 August 1848) was an English antiquary. Life The fourth son of Commander John Harris Nicolas R.N. (1758–1844) and Margaret née Blake, he was born at Dartmouth. He was the brother of Rear Ad ...

(p. 555).

Marriages and issue

Sheffield married firstly Ellen Delves, the daughter and heir of Sir John Delves of

Doddington, Cheshire Doddington is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, which lies to the north east of Audlem and to the south of Crewe. Nearby villages include Blakenhall, Bridgemere, Checkley, ...

, by whom he had a son and heir, Robert Sheffield (d.1531), who married Jane Stanley, daughter of

George Stanley, 9th Baron Strange George Stanley, 9th Baron Strange, of Knockin, KG, KB (1460–1503) was an English nobleman and heir apparent of Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby. He was also a notable soldier in his own right and held a number of senior offices of state. Lif ...

, and sister of

Thomas Stanley, 2nd Earl of Derby Thomas Stanley, 2nd Earl of Derby (before 1485 – 23 May 1521) was an English nobleman, politician, and peer. Family Thomas Stanley was the eldest son of George Stanley, 9th Baron Strange and Joan Strange, daughter and heiress of John Strange, ...

, and four daughters. Edmund Sheffield, the son of Robert Sheffield (d.1531) and Jane Stanley, became first

Baron Sheffield Baron Sheffield is a title that has been created four times: once in the Peerage of England, twice in the Peerage of Ireland, and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation, as ''Baron Sheffield of Butterwick'', was in the Pe ...

in 1547. After his first wife's death in or after 1509, Sheffield married secondly Anne Barley or Barlee (d. 1557 or 1558), the daughter of William Barley, of

Albury, Hertfordshire Albury is a village and civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England, about five miles west of Bishop's Stortford. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 537, increasing in the 2011 Census to 595. Albur ...

. After Sheffield's death in 1518 his widow married secondly Sir John Grey of

Blisworth Blisworth is a village and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire, England. The West Coast Main Line, from London Euston to Manchester and Scotland, runs alongside the village partly hidden and partly on an embankment. The Grand Union Canal ...

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 ...

, a younger son of

Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of Dorset Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of Dorset, 1st Earl of Huntingdon, 7th Baron Ferrers of Groby, (145520 September 1501) was an English nobleman, courtier and the eldest son of Elizabeth Woodville and her first husband Sir John Grey of Groby. Her secon ...

by his second wife, Cecily Bonville, and thirdly Sir Richard Clement, of

Ightham Mote Ightham Mote (), Ightham, Kent is a medieval moated manor house. The architectural writer John Newman describes it as "the most complete small medieval manor house in the county". Ightham Mote and its gardens are owned by the National Trust a ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. Anne (née Barlee) left a will dated 1 October 1557, proved 7 May 1558.

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sheffield, Robert 15th-century births 1518 deaths Year of birth unknown People from the Borough of Boston People from the East Riding of Yorkshire (before 1974) Prisoners in the Tower of London Speakers of the House of Commons of England 16th-century English lawyers Recorders of London Members of the Parliament of England for the City of London English MPs 1495 English MPs 1497 English MPs 1504 English MPs 1512–1514 English MPs 1515

Family

Career

Marriages and issue

See also

Notes

References