Roger Hillary

  Information about this person:

• Background Information. ⁷⁹²
Roger Hillary of a very ancient family, which possessed large property in the counties of Lincoln, Warwick and Stafford, was the son of William and Agnes Hillary, and is frequently mentioned as an advocate in the Year Books of Edward II and Edward III. He was raised to the Irish bench as chief justice of the Common Pleas in 3 Edw., where he remained for eight years. He was constituted a judge of the same counrt in England on 18 Mar 1336, to the head of which he was advanced on 8 Jan 1371. Dugdale, In his "Chronic Series" makes William Scot supersede him in that office on April 27; but his is evidently an error, as the latter was then and for some years afterwards chief justice of the King's Bench. On 9 May 1342, however, Roger Hillary made way for John de Stonore, on his restoration to the chief justiceship, receiving himself, on June 4, a new patent as a judge on the bench. On the death of Stonre, Roger Hillary was, on 20 Feb 1354, again constitued in his place, and continued to preside in the court for the short remainder of his life.

Roger Hillary's death occurred in Jun 1357, and he was buried in the church of Saints in Staffordshire. By his wife Katherine, he had, besides orther children, a son Roger, who was probably the sergeant-at-law mentioned in the Year Books of 40 Edward III.

[Sources cited by the author: Parl. Wrtis, ii. p. i 333; Cal. Rot. Pat. 106; Rot. Parl. ii. 119-254]

~Biographia Juridica. A biographical Dictionary of the Judges of England from the Conquest, pp. 347-348

Roger married Katherine.⁷⁹²