Jump to content

John Catesby

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John Catesby KS (died 1486[1]) was a British judge.

Family

[edit]

The Catesby family had been settled for some time in Northamptonshire and held the manor of Lapworth in Warwickshire. He was the son of Edmund Catesby.[2] He was the uncle of William Catesby, another noted lawyer, and a member of the Inner Temple.

Career

[edit]

He became a Serjeant-at-Law in 1463, allowing him to practice in the Court of Common Pleas and a King's Serjeant on 18 April 1469. On 20 November 1481 he was made Third Justice of the Court of Common Pleas.[3] He served continuously from the reign of Edward IV to that of Henry VII, although the latter delayed his appointment for a month due to his relation to William Catesby, who had been a close ally of the previous king. On the death of Richard Neele in 1486 he became Second Justice of the Common Pleas but died later that year.

Personal life

[edit]

He married Elizabeth Green, daughter of William Green of Hayes, Middlesex[4] with whom he had seven sons and two daughters; Robert Catesby, the leader of the Gunpowder Plot, was a direct descendant.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ 'Parishes: Whiston', in A History of the County of Northampton: Volume 4, ed. L F Salzman (London, 1937), pp. 288-292. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/northants/vol4/pp288-292
  2. ^ Visitation (Warwickshire, 1619, Catesby)
  3. ^ Dictionary of National Biography, Volumes 1-20, 22 for John Catesby
  4. ^ Dictionary of National Biography, Volumes 1-20, 22 for John Catesby
  • Foss, Edward (1870). A Biographical Dictionary of the Justices of England (1066 - 1870). Spottiswoode and Company. p. 158.
Legal offices
Preceded by
Unknown
Third Justice of the Common Pleas
1481–1486
Succeeded by
Preceded by Second Justice of the Common Pleas
1486
Succeeded by