Stephen de Segrave (or Seagrove or Stephen Segrave or Stephen of Seagrave) (c. 1171 – 9 November 1241) was a medieval Chief Justiciar of England.

Life

He was born as the son of a certain Gilbert de Segrave of Segrave in Leicestershire, who had been High Sheriff of Warwickshire and Leicestershire in 1193. Stephen became a

knight 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 church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the G ...

and was made

constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

of 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 sepa ...

in 1220. He obtained lands and held various positions under Henry III. From 1221 to 1223 he served as

High Sheriff of Hertfordshire The High Sheriff of Hertfordshire was an ancient Sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the foundation of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years. On 1 April 1974, under the provis ...

and

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, from 1222 to 1224 as High Sheriff of Lincolnshire, from 1228 to 1234 as High Sheriff of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire and from 1229 to 1234 as High Sheriff of Warwickshire, Leicestershire and

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 ...

. In 1236, he became castellan of Beeston Castle and Chester Castle, jointly with Hugh de Spencer and Henry de Aldithley. He was given the manor where Caludon Castle was built, at Wyken near

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed ...

in 1232 or earlier, by Ranulph de Blondeville, 4th Earl of Chester. Ranulph also granted him Bretby in 1209. In 1232, he succeeded Hubert de Burgh as chief justiciar of England.Powicke ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 70 He officiated at the trial of de Burgh, in November 1232, which has been called the "first state trial" in England. As an active coadjutor of Peter des Roches,

bishop of Winchester The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat ('' cathedra'') is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. The Bishop of Winchester has always held '' ex officio'' (except ...

, Segrave incurred some share of the opprobrium which was lavished on the Poitevin royal favourites of

Henry III of England Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272), also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death in 1272. The son of King John and Isabella of Angoulême, Henry as ...

. In 1234, he was deprived of his office as Justiciar. Soon, however, he was again occupying an influential position at Henry's court, and he retained this until his death. However, uncertain about his personal safety, he became a canon at Leicester Abbey, where he died on 9 November 1241, and was buried.

Family

He married twice; firstly to Rohese le Despencer, daughter of Thomas Despenser, who bore him a son, Sir Gilbert de Segrave in 1202, and secondly to Ida de Hastings, daughter of William de Hastings and Margery Bigod of Norfolk. Gilbert died at

Pons The pons (from Latin , "bridge") is part of the brainstem that in humans and other bipeds lies inferior to the midbrain, superior to the medulla oblongata and anterior to the cerebellum. The pons is also called the pons Varolii ("bridge of ...

in the Prerogative County of Poitiers (''Comte apanage de Poitiers (de Poitou)''), in the province of Saintonge, in a region controlled by the

Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France ( fro, Reaume de France; frm, Royaulme de France; french: link=yes, Royaume de France) is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the medieval and early modern period ...

, on 8 October 1254, following his capture during a campaign in

Gascony Gascony (; french: Gascogne ; oc, Gasconha ; eu, Gaskoinia) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part ...

. His grandson,

Nicholas Nicholas is a male given name and a surname. The Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglican Churches celebrate Saint Nicholas every year on December 6, which is the name day for "Nicholas". In Greece, the name and it ...

, was 1st Baron, Segrave which is now Mowbray.Stourton, A.J. (1876) ''5 papers relating to ... Mowbray and Segrave'' Oxford University pg 17 (vi
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Notes

References

British History Online: Caludon
Retrieved 7 September 2007

Retrieved 7 September 2007 *

Retrieved 7 September 2007 * Powicke, F. Maurice and E. B. Fryde ''Handbook of British Chronology'' 2nd. ed. London:Royal Historical Society 1961
The Saint-Amand Connection Lines
Retrieved 7 September 2007
PDF South Derbyshire site – Grant of Bretby
Retrieved 7 September 2007 {{DEFAULTSORT:Segrave, Stephen de 1170s births 1241 deaths People from Leicestershire Justiciars of England High Sheriffs of Hertfordshire High Sheriffs of Essex High Sheriffs of Lincolnshire High Sheriffs of Bedfordshire High Sheriffs of Buckinghamshire High Sheriffs of Leicestershire High Sheriffs of Warwickshire High Sheriffs of Northamptonshire Sheriffs of Warwickshire