Sir Richard de Willoughby Knight, Chief Justice of King's Bench

  Noted events in his life were:

• Web Reference: From Biography of Sir Richard Willboughby. Taken from Biography of Sir Richard Willoughby

Richard was the son of Sir Richard Willoughby of Willoughby-on-the-Wolds, a lawyer, who served as Chief Justice of the Bench in Ireland from 1323-1325. Richard attended Parliament in 1324 and inherited the estate from his father the following year. Richard was a successful lawyer and increased his wealth greatly by his legal career. He was appointed one of the justices of Common Pleas in 1328 and one of the justices of King's Bench in 1330. He was briefly Chief Justice between 1338-1340, but was demoted and charged with corruption. He threw himself on the King's mercy and was pardoned on payment of 1200 marks. In 1343 he was re-appointed as a justice, and served until 1357.

His father had purchased Wollaton Old Hall and its estate from Roger Morteyn in around 1314-1319. Through his marriage to Roger's daughter, Richard acquired land in Derbyshire and in Dunsby, Lincolnshire. He also purchased additional land in Nottinghamshire and other counties.

Sir Richard was buried at Willoughby-on-the-Wolds, where there is a monumental effigy. The core of the family estates at Willoughby and Wollaton were inherited by his son Edmund, but the Risley estate in Derbyshire passed to his son Hugh and his descendants.

• Background Information. ¹²⁶⁰
Sir Richard de Willughby, a Judge from 2 Edward III to 31 Edward III; Chief Justice when Galfr. de Scrop was abroad. He married first, Isabella, daughter of Roger de Mortein. His second wife was named Joan.

~Heraldic Visitation of the Northern Counties in 1530, p. 4

• Background Information. ¹³⁴²
"Roger had enfeoffed William, his son of the manor of Wollaton, before 1316, when his said son William was lord thereof. By 1323, the greater part of this fee had been alienated. In that year, William, son of Roger de Morteyn granted to Richard de Wylughby, the elder, the reversion of 14 messuages and 14 bovates in Wollaton, held the honor of Peverl, after the term of 21 years which the parson of Wollaton held in premises. Thoroton states that Richard de Willoghby, the younger married Isabel, sister and heir of William de Morteyn."

~Honors and Knights' Fees, pp. 158-161

• Background Information: Articles from the Transactions of the Thoroton Society The Family of Willoughby.
Sir Richard de Willughby's son, another Sir Richard, succeeded him, and also did much for advancing the family. He was a justice of the "Comon Bench," or Common Pleas, for a period of twenty-eight years in the days of Edward III., and acted as Chief Justice when "Galfr.de Scroof, the Chief Justice was gone on the king's business beyond the seas." In Stothard's Monumental Effigies, there is a fine engraving of the figure on his tomb in Willoughby Church, representing him in the legal costume of that period.

Sir Richard de Willughby married Isabel, sister and heir of William Mortein, of Wollaton, for his first wife, and through her became possessed of Wollaton and other properties in that neighbourhood. From this marriage descended the Willughbys of Risley, whose issue were not recognised. For his second wife he had Joana, or Matilda and by her had a son, Sir Edmund Willughby, who inherited the bulk of the property.

Richard married Isabel Morteyn, daughter of Roger de Morteyn and Isabel Tuchet.¹³⁴² (Isabel Morteyn was born about 1290 in Wollaton, Nottinghamshire, England and died in 1332 in Nottingham Castle, Nottinghamshire, England.)