William Gascoigne
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Sir William Gascoigne (c. 135017 December 1419) was Chief Justice of England during the reign of King Henry IV.


Life and work

Gascoigne (alternatively spelled Gascoyne) was a descendant of an ancient
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 ...
family. He was born in Gawthorp to Sir William Gascoigne and Agnes Franke. He is said to have studied at the
University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
, but his name is not found in any university or college records. According to Arthur Collins, Gascoigne was a law student 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 ...
. It appears from the year-books that he practised as an advocate in the reigns of
Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...
and
Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 â€“ ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father died ...
. When Henry of Lancaster was banished by Richard II, Gascoigne was appointed one of his attorneys, and soon after Henry's accession to the throne was made chief justice of the court of King's Bench. After the suppression of the rising in the north in 1405, Henry eagerly pressed the chief justice to pronounce sentence upon Richard Scrope (
Archbishop of York The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers th ...
), and the
Earl Marshal Earl marshal (alternatively marschal or marischal) is a hereditary royal officeholder and chivalric title under the sovereign of the United Kingdom used in England (then, following the Act of Union 1800, in the United Kingdom). He is the eig ...
Thomas Mowbray, who had been implicated in the revolt. This he absolutely refused to do, asserting the right of the prisoners to be tried by their peers. Although both were later executed, Gascoigne had no part in this. It has been doubted whether Gascoigne could have displayed such independence of action without prompt punishment or removal from office. His reputation is that of a great lawyer who in times of doubt and danger asserted the principle that the
head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...
is subject to law, and that the traditional practice of public officers, or the expressed voice of the nation in
parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
, and not the will of the monarch or any part of the legislature, must guide the tribunals of the country. The popular tale of his committing the Prince of Wales (the future Henry V) to prison must also be regarded as inauthentic, though it is both picturesque and characteristic. It is said that Gascoigne had directed the punishment of one of the prince's riotous companions, and the prince, who was present and enraged at the sentence, struck or grossly insulted the judge. Gascoigne immediately committed him to prison, and gave the prince a dressing-down that caused him to acknowledge the justice of the sentence. The King is said to have approved of the act, but it appears that Gascoigne was removed from his post or resigned soon after the accession of
Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...
. He died in 1419, and was buried in
All Saints' Church All Saints Church, or All Saints' Church or variations on the name may refer to: Albania *All Saints' Church, Himarë Australia * All Saints Church, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory * All Saints Anglican Church, Henley Brook, Western Aust ...
, the parish church of Harewood in Yorkshire. (This even attracted gazetteers in the 19th century, suggesting his tomb amongst places worthy of visit). Some biographies of him have stated that he died in 1412, but this is disproved by
Edward Foss Edward Foss (16 October 1787 – 27 July 1870) was an English lawyer and biographer. He became a solicitor, and on his retirement from practice in 1840, devoted himself to the study of legal antiquities. His ''Judges of England'' (9 vols., 1848†...
in his '' Lives of the Judges''. Although it is clear that Gascoigne did not hold office long under
Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...
, it is not impossible that the scene in the fifth act of
Shakespeare's William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
'' Henry IV, Part 2'', (in which Henry V is crowned king, and assures Gascoigne that he shall continue to hold his post), could have some historical basis, and that his resignation shortly thereafter was voluntary.


Family

He was born in Gawthorp - in the valley below Harewood House, in an area later flooded to facilitate the landscape at Harewood (not in Gawthorpe in the West Riding of Yorkshire) - to Sir William Gascoigne and Agnes Franke. He married, firstly, in 1369 Elizabeth de Mowbray (1350–1396), daughter of Alexander de Mowbray, son of
Roger de Mowbray, 1st Baron Mowbray Roger de Mowbray, 1st Baron Mowbray (1254 – 21 November 1297), was an English peer and soldier. The son of another Roger de Mowbray, and grandson of William de Mowbray, he served in the Welsh and Gascon Wars. He was summoned to the Parliamen ...
. He married, secondly, Joan de Pickering, widow of Henry de Greystock. The issue by his first marriage were: *Sir William Gascoigne II (1370–1422) m. Joan Wyman. *Elizabeth Gascoigne, m. John Aske * Margaret Gascoigne, m. Robert Hansard Issue by second marriage: *Sir Christopher Gascoigne (born 1407) *James Gascoigne (born 1404), ancestor of poet
George Gascoigne George Gascoigne (c. 15357 October 1577) was an English poet, soldier and unsuccessful courtier. He is considered the most important poet of the early Elizabethan era, following Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey and leading to t ...
*Agnes Gascoigne (c. 1401after 1466), m. Robert Constable. *Robert Gascoigne (born c. 1410) *Richard Gascoigne (born c. 1413) His brother, Nicholas Gascoigne, was ancestor of the
Gascoigne baronets The Gascoigne Baronetcy, of Barnbow and Parlington in the County of York, was a title in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia. It was created on 8 June 1635 for John Gascoigne. He had converted to Roman Catholicism in 1604. His daughter, Catherine G ...
. Another brother, Richard (c. 13651423), married Beatrice Ellis, and was possibly the father of Thomas Gascoigne, Wikisource:Gascoigne, Thomas (1403-1458) (DNB00) Chancellor of
Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
.


In popular culture

Gascoigne is portrayed by
Sean Harris Sean Harris (born 1965/1966) is an English actor and writer. He played Ian Curtis in '' 24 Hour Party People'' (2002), Micheletto Corella in '' The Borgias'' (2011–2013), Fifield in ''Prometheus'' (2012), Solomon Lane in '' Mission: Impossib ...
in ''
The King (2019 film) ''The King'' is a 2019 epic war film directed by David Michôd, based on several plays from William Shakespeare's Henriad. The screenplay was written by Michôd and Joel Edgerton, who both produced the film with Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy ...
.''


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gascoigne, William 14th-century English judges Lord chief justices of England and Wales 1350s births 1419 deaths Male Shakespearean characters 15th-century English judges Knights Bachelor