Sir William Herle (1270–1347) was a British justice. He was first appointed as an attorney for the

Common Bench The Court of Common Pleas, or Common Bench, was a common law court in the English legal system that covered "common pleas"; actions between subject and subject, which did not concern the king. Created in the late 12th to early 13th century afte ...

in 1291, and was appointed as a

Serjeant-at-law A Serjeant-at-Law (SL), commonly known simply as a Serjeant, was a member of an order of barristers at the English and Irish Bar. The position of Serjeant-at-Law (''servientes ad legem''), or Sergeant-Counter, was centuries old; there are writ ...

for the Bench in 1299 and was in regular attendance until 1320. In 1315 he was made a

King's Serjeant A Serjeant-at-Law (SL), commonly known simply as a Serjeant, was a member of an order of barristers at the English and Irish Bar. The position of Serjeant-at-Law (''servientes ad legem''), or Sergeant-Counter, was centuries old; there are writ ...

, and in 1320 replaced John Benstead as a junior justice for the Common Bench, being

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in the same year. He was absent from the court for three terms in 1321 while sitting as a justice on an Eyre in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

with

Hervey de Stanton Hervey de Stanton (or Staunton) (1260 – November 1327) was an English judge (serving both as Chief Justice of the King's Bench and as Chief Justice of the Common Pleas) and Chancellor of the Exchequer. Origins and early career He was a desc ...

, but otherwise served continuously as a junior justice until he replaced Stanton as Chief Justice in 1327. He left in 1329 to serve on two Eyres in

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...

and

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 ...

, and returned in 1331. He left again in 1333, although he returned the same year, serving until 1335, making him one of only two Chief Justices of the Common Pleas to be appointed and then leave on three separate occasions; the other, Sir John Stonor, was his replacement on two of those occasions. He lived for another twelve years after retirement, dying in 1347.

Lord of the Manor

William Herle was The Lord of the Manor of Braunstone and overlord of Sir Simon Pakeman of

Kirby Muxloe Kirby Muxloe is a large village and civil parish that forms part of the Blaby district of Leicestershire, England. Located to the west of Leicester, its proximity to the city has resulted in its inclusion in the Leicester Urban Area. The Leic ...

Family

Herle had a son, Robert, who died in 1364. He also had a daughter, Margaret, who married Ralph Hastings (c. 1329-1346). Robert, who inherited titles, estates and possessions from his father, left the manor of Kirby to his sister's son, Sir Ralph Hastings when he died in 1364 being the last male of the ancestral line.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herle, William 14th-century English judges Chief Justices of the Common Pleas 1270 births 1347 deaths Serjeants-at-law (England) Knights Bachelor