Sir William Portman (died 1557) was an English judge, politician and

Chief Justice of the King's Bench Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

. He was MP for Taunton in 1529 and 1536.

Origins and early career

Portman was the son of John Portman, who was buried in the Temple Church on 5 June 1521, by Alice, daughter of William Knoell of Dorset. His family was long established in Somerset, having given its name to the former

manor Manor may refer to: Land ownership *Manorialism or "manor system", the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of medieval Europe, notably England *Lord of the manor, the owner of an agreed area of land (or "manor") under manorialism *Man ...

and present village of Orchard Portman, and he served as

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 ...

for that county from time to time. He was a barrister who was successful enough to be personally known to

King Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disag ...

. In 1532 he acquired 270 acres adjacent to the NW of the City of London, which estate stretching from today's Oxford Street to the Regents Canal, known as the Portman Estate, is still held by his descendants the Viscounts Portman. In 1533

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

gave him a wardship, and he was one of the administrators of the will of

Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 11 June 1509 until their annulment on 23 May 1533. She was previously ...

Judicial career

He was made a judge in 1547, and

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 ...

by King Edward VI. When Richard Rich, later 1st Baron Rich was ill, Portman was one of those who, by

letters patent Letters patent ( la, litterae patentes) ( always in the plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, president or other head of state, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, titl ...

of 26 October 1551, were commissioned to despatch

chancery Chancery may refer to: Offices and administration * Chancery (diplomacy), the principal office that houses a diplomatic mission or an embassy * Chancery (medieval office), responsible for the production of official documents * Chancery (Scotlan ...

matters; and in the following January he was commissioned to aid the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, Thomas Goodrich, Bishop of Ely, in similar affairs. He seems to have been reluctant to adopt the new protestant religion, and found no difficulty in keeping office under the catholic Queen Mary. He followed Day, the Bishop of Chichester, in persuading Sir James Hales to abjure Protestantism in 1554. The same year he was made

Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

. He died early in 1556–7, and was buried, with a stately funeral, on 10 February 1556–7 at

St Dunstan-in-the-West The Guild Church of St Dunstan-in-the-West is in Fleet Street in the City of London. It is dedicated to Dunstan, Bishop of London and Archbishop of Canterbury. The church is of medieval origin, although the present building, with an octagonal ...

, London.

Marriage and progeny

He married Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of John Gilbert, who was connected by descent with the eminent legal family of Fitzjames. By her he had a son and a daughter: *Sir Henry Portman, knight (died 1590), married Jane Mitchell and produced issue: **

Sir John Portman, 1st Baronet ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...

(d.1611/12) **Joan Portman, married pre-1613

Sir John Wyndham ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...

(1558–1645), of Orchard Wyndham, Somerset. **Margaret Portman, married (1) Sir Gabriel Hawley; (2) Sir John Acland, Sheriff of Devon 1608, son of John Acland by Margaret Redcliffe. *Mary, who married John Stowell.

References

External links

*
thepeerage.com
Portman baronets {{DEFAULTSORT:Portman, William 1557 deaths Year of birth unknown Lord chief justices of England and Wales William Justices of the King's Bench Knights Bachelor English MPs 1529–1536 English MPs 1536 16th-century English judges