Sir Robert Sheffield (before 1462 – 10 August 1518) was an English lawyer and Member of Parliament. He was Speaker of the House of Commons between 1512–1513.

Family

Robert Sheffield was the son of Sir Robert Sheffield of South Cave,

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.

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 ...

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

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 f ...

in 1495, 1497 and 1504. Bernard Andreas states that Sheffield resigned the recordership in April 1508. He was a commander at Blackheath during the Cornish Rebellion of 1497, and knighted by Henry VII after the battle. Sheffield was chosen Knight of the Shire for

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, 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-we ...

in 1512 and 1513. During these years, he served as Speaker of the House of Commons. 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 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 The Star Chamber (Latin: ''Camera stellata'') was an English court that sat at the royal Palace of Westminster, from the late to the mid-17th century (c. 1641), and was composed of Privy Counsellors and common-law judges, to supplement the ju ...

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 sep ...

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 (p. 555).

Marriages and issue

Sheffield married firstly Ellen Delves, the daughter and heir of Sir John Delves of Doddington, Cheshire, by whom he had a son and heir, Robert Sheffield (d.1531), who married Jane Stanley, daughter of George Stanley, 9th Baron Strange, and sister of Thomas Stanley, 2nd Earl of Derby, and four daughters. Edmund Sheffield, the son of Robert Sheffield (d.1531) and Jane Stanley, became first Baron Sheffield 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. After Sheffield's death in 1518 his widow married secondly Sir John Grey of Blisworth,

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 ...

, a younger son of Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of Dorset 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 ...

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