| Sir William Hussey | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1443 Grey's Inn, Holborn, London, Middlesex, England |
| Died | 8 September 1495 Semprington, Lincolnshire, England |
| Nationality | English |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Berkeley |
| Occupation | English judge |
| Profession | Chief Justice of the King’s Bench |
Sir William Hussey (or Huse or Husee), SL (1443 – 8 September 1495) was an English judge who served as Chief Justice of the King’s Bench.
Hussey was born at Gray's Inn, Holborn, London, Middlesex, England, the son of John Hussey of Sleaford, and Elizabeth Noffield.[1]
He was a member of Gray's Inn, and on 16 June 1471 was appointed Attorney General, with full power of deputing clerks and officers under him in courts of record. As Attorney General he conducted the impeachment of the Duke of Clarence for treason. In Trinity term of 1478 he was made a Serjeant-at-Law, and on 7 May 1481 was appointed Chief Justice of the King's Bench, in succession to Sir Thomas Billing, at a salary of 140 marks a year. This appointment was renewed at the ascension of each of the next three kings, and under Henry VII, he was also a commissioner to decide the claims made to fill various offices at the coronation.
In the first year of this reign, he successfully protested against the king's practice of consulting the judges beforehand upon crown cases which they were subsequently to try. In June 1492, he was a commissioner to treat with the ambassadors of the King of France. He died in 1495 at Semprington,[1] Lincolnshire, and on 24 November of that year, Sir John Fineux succeeded him as Chief Justice.
About 1474 Hussey married Elizabeth Berkeley (c. 1453 - 1504), daughter of Thomas Berkeley of Wymondham, Leicestershire, and Petronella Brooksby.[1] They had four sons, and two daughters:
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Hussey, William". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.