Page:English Historical Review Volume 37.djvu/352

 344 THE COUNCIL UNDER THE TUDORS July to be secondary in the office of the privy seal. Langport was one of Kent's executors in 1481, and was himself displaced by Richard III in favour of William Lacy, who was appointed clerk of the council during pleasure on 26 June 1483. * The clerk of the council was also at this time given charge of the growing admiralty jurisdiction. Lacy was made ' chief judge in the admiralty courts ' on 10 March 1483, and Robert Rydon was associated with him in this office on 8 April 1484 ; in 1499 Rydon was vice-admiral of England as well as clerk of the council and plenipotentiary to conclude peace with Scotland. 2 Lacy was dispossessed by Henry VII, and John Baldeswell was appointed clerk of the council for life on 30 September 1485 at the usual salary of 40 marks. 3 He was succeeded by Robert Rydon, who remained clerk of the council until after Henry VIII's accession. So far we have been dealing with the one office of clerk of the council, though the practices of exercising it by deputy and describing both the deputy and his chief indifferently as clerks of the council create some confusion. But as early as 1483 we find a reference to a second clerk of the council which is of some importance. Professor Baldwin 4 noted this reference, but quoted the reason for John Harington's appointment as second clerk on 27 December 1483, at 20 a year ' for his good service. . . especially in the custody, registration, and expedition of bills, requests, and supplications of poor persons ' without giving the title of his office, which was ' clerk of the council of the said requests and supplications '. 5 Now Leadam, owing to the fact that the Patent Rolls for Richard Ill's reign had not seal with 40 marks for the first office and 40 for the second. On 15 July 1444 he was licensed to exercise his first office by deputy, but on 21 July 1446 was granted both offices for life (Calendar of Patent Rolls, 1441-6, pp. 235, 277, 448 ; Leadam and Baldwin, Cases before King's Council (Selden Soc.), p. 108 n. ; Rot. Parl, v. 237 b). The famous Lyndwood had been secondary in 1430 and succeeded as lord privy seal in 1433. Langport alone is described as clerk of the council in the act ol 1461, and Kent as secondary to the privy seal (Rot. Parl. v. 471 b, 474 a). 1 Calendar of Pale.nt Rolls, 1461-85, passim ; various minor ecclesiastical prefer- ments which these clerks held can be traced in Le Neve's Fasti. Lacy appears to have acted as clerk of the council as early as 1478 ; he was also sent by Richard III on a mission to Ireland in August 1483 (Gairdner, Letters and Papers of Richard III and Henry VII, i. 43). 2 Calendar of Patent Rolls, 1495-1509, p. 180. 3 Campbell, Materials, i. 339, ii. 77, 79, 298, 387, 392, 461, 508 ; Baldeswell appears as four different persons in Campbell's index. Langport was, however, archdeacon of Taunton in 1487 (Le Neve, i. 167) ; his will was proved in 1490 (Leadam, Star Chamber, I. xlviii, Ixxiii, 12 ; Palgrave, Essay on Jurisdiction of the Priv. Coun. p. 142). 4 King's Council, p. 435. 6 Calendar of Patent Rolls, 1476-85, p. 413 ; cf. p. 538, where he is styled ' clerk of the council of requests '. The original Latin (Pat. Roll, 1 Richard III, pars. 3, m. 16) is clericum confiilii nostri requisicionum ac supplicacionum. Preference had from early in the century been given by the council to the ' poorest suitors' bills ' (Rot. Parl. iv. 201 b ; Nicoks, Proc. of the Priv. Coun. m. xix. 149-52, 214-20, iv. 60-3).