Simon Of Pattishall
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Simon of Pattishall (or Pateshull) (died 1217) was an English judge and civil servant who is considered the first
Chief Justice of the Common Pleas The chief justice of the Common Pleas was the head of the Court of Common Pleas, also known as the Common Bench or Common Place, which was the second-highest common law court in the English legal system until 1875, when it, along with the other ...
.


Life

The first appearance of Pattishall in the records was in 1190, where he served as the
escheat Escheat is a common law doctrine that transfers the real property of a person who has died without heirs to the crown or state. It serves to ensure that property is not left in "limbo" without recognized ownership. It originally applied to a ...
or for
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 ...
and also as a judge, serving in
Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...
and as a circuit justice or ''Eyre''. He entered the administration in 1193, most likely thanks to his association with
Geoffrey Fitz Peter Geoffrey Fitz Peter, Earl of Essex (c. 1162–1213) was a prominent member of the government of England during the reigns of Richard I and John. The patronymic is sometimes rendered Fitz Piers, for he was the son of Piers de Lutegareshale (born ...
, and was appointed
High Sheriff of Essex The High Sheriff of Essex was an ancient sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the invasion of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years. On 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the ...
and
Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...
, a position he held until 1194. In 1194 as part of
Richard I Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was overl ...
's reshuffling of sheriffs following his release from captivity, he was made
High Sheriff of Northamptonshire This is a list of the High Sheriffs of Northamptonshire. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the respo ...
until 1203. During the reigns of Richard I's and
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...
he served as an itinerant justice, and emerged as the senior justice of the Court of Common Pleas around 1190, a role that was only disrupted by the
First Barons' War The First Barons' War (1215–1217) was a civil war in the Kingdom of England in which a group of rebellious major landowners (commonly referred to as barons) led by Robert Fitzwalter waged war against King John of England. The conflict resulte ...
. He served with the court in 1204, and again in 1207 continuously until John's departure to Poitou in 1214. During the time Pattishall was working in the administration the separation between the judiciary and the exchequer was not yet complete, and he often performed financial tasks. He was Collector of the Carucage in 1198 and again in 1200, and one of the Keepers of the Jews in 1198. In 1213 he was a commissioner assessing damage done to churches in the
Diocese of Canterbury The Diocese of Canterbury is a Church of England diocese covering eastern Kent which was founded by St. Augustine of Canterbury in 597. The diocese is centred on Canterbury Cathedral and is the oldest see of the Church of England. The ''Report ...
following the 1208 Interdict, which was lifted after John submitted to
Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 J ...
. It was during the reign of King John that he emerged as senior judge of the Court of Common Pleas, and he accompanied John on his 1210 trip to Ireland to install English law and custom there. In a core of 15 professional royal justices, he was remembered by
Matthew Paris Matthew Paris, also known as Matthew of Paris ( la, Matthæus Parisiensis, lit=Matthew the Parisian; c. 1200 – 1259), was an English Benedictine monk, chronicler, artist in illuminated manuscripts and cartographer, based at St Albans Abbey ...
as one "who at one time guided the reins of the justices of the whole kingdom". His special position is also confirmed by the fact that, among the
plea rolls Plea rolls are parchment rolls recording details of legal suits or actions in a court of law in England. Courts began recording their proceedings in plea rolls and filing writs from their foundation at the end of the 12th century. Most files were ...
produced by the clerks of the various justices, it was those of Pattishall that were considered authoritative, and preserved for future reference.Judges, Administrators and the Common Law in Angevin England
p. 199. He fell foul of the King in 1207, however, and he and a colleague were fined 100
Marks Marks may refer to: Business * Mark's, a Canadian retail chain * Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain * Collective trade marks, trademarks owned by an organisation for the benefit of its members * Marks & Co, the inspiration for the novel ...
for allowing a compromise settlement on a criminal case, although they were later pardoned. In 1215 at the beginning of the First Baron's War Pattishall's lands were confiscated, not because of questions of his loyalty but most likely because they were in a county under rebel control. John was persuaded to relax his restrictions by the Abbot of Woburn, and Pattishall recovered his property by the end of 1215, beginning judicial work again in 1216. Starting with little land, Pattishall increased his holdings throughout his career, and accumulated six
Knight's fee In feudal Anglo-Norman England and Ireland, a knight's fee was a unit measure of land deemed sufficient to support a knight. Of necessity, it would not only provide sustenance for himself, his family, and servants, but also the means to furnish him ...
s and several smaller holdings near
Pattishall Pattishall, also known in antiquity as Pateshull, is a village and Parish in West Northamptonshire, England. The population of the civil parish (including Astcote, Dalscote and Eastcote) was 1,471 at the 2011 census. The village lies adjacent ...
. He was granted ownership of the Manor of
Rothersthorpe Rothersthorpe is a small village of medieval origin, in West Northamptonshire, England, with a population of 500 in the 2001 Census, reducing to 472 at the 2011 census. It is from the town of Northampton. Governance The village is currentl ...
by King John, and temporarily held
Fotheringhay Castle Fotheringhay Castle, also known as ''Fotheringay Castle'', was a High Middle Age Norman Motte-and-bailey castle in the village of Fotheringhay to the north of the market town of Oundle, Northamptonshire, England (). It was probably founded a ...
in 1212. He married Amice, and had two children;
Walter of Pattishall Walter of Pattishall (died 1231/32) was an English justice and administrator. He was the eldest son of Simon of Pattishall, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, and elder brother of Hugh of Pattishall, Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield. He inherited ...
and Hugh of Pattishall, both of whom became royal administrators themselves.Oxford DNB; Pattishall, Simon of
/ref> He also helped found a judicial dynasty; his clerk
Martin of Pattishall Martin of Pattishall (died 14 November 1229) was an English judge. He took his name from the village of Pattishall in Northamptonshire and was the clerk of Simon of Pattishall, although they were apparently unrelated. By 1201 he was already respe ...
later followed him as Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas, as did ''his'' clerk
William de Raley William de Raley (died 1250) was a medieval judge, administrator and bishop. Most historians now believe that he was the author of the great law book ''Bracton''. Life In 1212 Raley was presented by the King to the church living at Bratton Flemin ...
.


References

{{Authority control 12th-century births 1217 deaths Chief Justices of the Common Pleas High Sheriffs of Hertfordshire High Sheriffs of Essex High Sheriffs of Northamptonshire Justices of the Common Pleas