Legal and judicial career Richard Morgan (Tudor judge)

arthur plantagenet, viscount lisle, black book of garter, 1534. lisle letters, seized when accused of treason, important window 1530s , include correspondence richard morgan.

morgan moved private practice in london. late 1530s retained arthur plantagenet, 1st viscount lisle, lord deputy of calais. lisle s subsequent arrest , imprisonment, on suspicion of treason, led voluminous correspondence being seized, fortuitously preserving records of dealings morgan. dividing time between private practice, involvement lincoln s inn , politics in monmouthshire.

the duties undertook @ inn considerable , onerous. auditor in 1534-7, in 1538-9, when butler, , in 1541-2. autumn reader first time in 1542, lecturing on action of replevin, unusually using 2 texts source. in 1544-5 keeper of black book, records proceedings of governing council. gave second reading in 1549 on statute of marlborough.

meanwhile, morgan had become sufficiently prominent in own county appointed custos rotulorum - keeper of county s records , senior civil officer. appointment seems have occurred around 1543 , lasted end of life.

in june 1546 called order of serjeant-at-law henry viii, not formally appointed until february 1547 due death of henry. point recorder of gloucester, represented in parliament between 1545 , 1553: appointment dates 1544. retained duchy of lancaster, had large estates in monmouthshire.

portrait of mary, c. 1544, master john. henry viii s eldest daughter focus religious conservatism throughout brother edward s reign. morgan briefly imprisoned hearing mass @ chapel.

however, roman catholic, morgan s progress not assured under protestant regime of edward vi. sent fleet prison on 24 march 1551 hearing mass @ chapel of princess mary submitted privy council , released on 4 may warning. nevertheless, active parliamentarian throughout edward s reign , legal acumen ensured entrusted important investigative work , drafting.

after death of edward vi morgan joined mary , supporters @ kenninghall castle in norfolk, in successful act of resistance installation of lady jane grey queen protestant faction of john dudley, 1st duke of northumberland. rewarded loyalty being made privy councillor on 16 august 1553, chief justice of common pleas on 23 august , being knighted on 2 october. took part in november proceedings against lady jane grey. became mentally incapacitated @ point in 1555 , removed office in october of year. according john foxe , raphael holinshed breakdown result of lady jane grey s fate.