Stephen de Segrave

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

Life

He was born 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 and was made constable of the Tower of London in 1220. He obtained lands and held various positions under Henry III. From 1221 to 1223 he served as High Sheriff of Hertfordshire and Essex, 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.^[1] In 1236, he became castellan of Beeston Castle and Chester Castle, jointly with Hugh de Spencer and Henry de Aldithley.^[2]

He was given the manor where Caludon Castle was built, at Wyken near Coventry in 1232^[3] or earlier,^[4] by Ranulph de Blondeville, 4th Earl of Chester. Ranulph also granted him Bretby in 1209.^[5]

In 1232, he succeeded Hubert de Burgh as chief justiciar of England.^[6] He officiated at the trial of de Burgh, in November 1232, which has been called the "first state trial" in England.^[7] As an active coadjutor of Peter des Roches, bishop of Winchester, Segrave incurred some share of the opprobrium which was lavished on the Poitevin royal favourites of Henry III of England. In 1234, he was deprived of his office as Justiciar.^[6] Soon, however, he was again occupying an influential position at Henry's court, and he retained this until his death.

He died on 9 November 1241, and was buried in Leicester Abbey.

Family

He had married twice; firstly to Rohese le Despencer, daughter of Thomas Despenser (producing no children)* and secondly to Ida de Hastings, daughter of William de Hastings and Margery Bigod of Norfolk, who bore him a son, Sir Gilbert de Segrave in 1202.^[8][9] Gilbert died at Pons, Poitou on 8 October 1254, following his capture during a campaign in Gascony.

His grandson, Nicholas, was 1st Baron, Segrave which is now Mowbray.^[10]

Notes

References

• British History Online: Caludon accessed on September 7, 2007
• Caludon castle accessed on September 7, 2007
• Cawley, Charles, English Nobility Medieval: English Earls Created 1066-1122, Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, retrieved August 2012 ,
• Geneajourney: le Despenser accessed on September 7, 2007
• Powicke, F. Maurice and E. B. Fryde Handbook of British Chronology 2nd. ed. London:Royal Historical Society 1961
• The Saint-Amand Connection Lines accessed on September 7, 2007
• PDF South Derbyshire site - Grant of Bretby accessed on September 7, 2007