Richard Keble
Encyclopedia
Richard Keble was a supporter of the Parliamentarian cause during the English Civil War. He was a fellow of All Souls College, Oxford
and a bencher
of Gray's Inn
. From 1648 until 1654 Keble, along with Bulstrode Whitelocke
and John Lisle
, was a Parliamentary appointee as Lord Commissioner of the Great Seal, they each having a salary of £1000 per annum. In 1660 at the restoration of the monarchy it was reported that, during the Interregnum, Keble had acted arbitrarily against Royalists; and he was excepted, along with twenty others, from the general pardon under the Indemnity and Oblivion Act
, to suffer punishment such as penalties, and forfeitures, not extending to life.
Richard Keble was of an old family settled at Newton, Suffolk
. He was admitted a member of Gray's Inn
, 7 August 1609, called to the bar 14 July 1614, and became an ancient of the inn in 1632 and Lent Reader in 1639. He first appears in reported cases in Croke's 'Reports' in 1636. Parliament appointed him a judge in Wales in March 1647, and he became a serjeant-at-law
in 1648. After the execution of Charles I
he was appointed the junior of the three commissioners who had the custody of the Great Seal, a position he held until April 1654. An opponent calls him "an insolent, mercenary pettifogger," who without jury or evidence sent to the gallows any he suspected of royalism. In 1651 Kebel presided at the trials of Colonel John Lilburne
, Christopher Love
, and John Gibbons. A near contemporary and historian, Laurence Echard
, in his History of England speaks of Keble as being then a man of "little practical experience". His salary was irregularly paid, and his petition for payment of what was owing, part of which amounted to one thousand guineas, was presented in 1655, and still disregarded in 1658. At the Restoration he was excepted out of the Indemnity and Oblivion Act. The date at his death, as of his birth, is unknown.
All Souls College, Oxford
The Warden and the College of the Souls of all Faithful People deceased in the University of Oxford or All Souls College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England....
and a bencher
Bencher
A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher can be elected while still a barrister , in recognition of the contribution that the barrister has made to the life of the Inn or to the law...
of Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
. From 1648 until 1654 Keble, along with Bulstrode Whitelocke
Bulstrode Whitelocke
Sir Bulstrode Whitelocke was an English lawyer, writer, parliamentarian and Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England.- Biography :...
and John Lisle
John Lisle
Sir John Lisle was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1640 and 1659. He supported the Parliamentarian cause in the English Civil War and was one of the Regicides of King Charles I of England...
, was a Parliamentary appointee as Lord Commissioner of the Great Seal, they each having a salary of £1000 per annum. In 1660 at the restoration of the monarchy it was reported that, during the Interregnum, Keble had acted arbitrarily against Royalists; and he was excepted, along with twenty others, from the general pardon under the Indemnity and Oblivion Act
Indemnity and Oblivion Act
The Indemnity and Oblivion Act 1660 is an Act of the Parliament of England , the long title of which is "An Act of Free and General Pardon, Indemnity, and Oblivion"....
, to suffer punishment such as penalties, and forfeitures, not extending to life.
Richard Keble was of an old family settled at Newton, Suffolk
Newton, Suffolk
Newton, also known as Newton Green to distinguish it from Nowton near Bury St Edmunds, is a small village and civil parish in Suffolk, England...
. He was admitted a member of Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
, 7 August 1609, called to the bar 14 July 1614, and became an ancient of the inn in 1632 and Lent Reader in 1639. He first appears in reported cases in Croke's 'Reports' in 1636. Parliament appointed him a judge in Wales in March 1647, and he became a serjeant-at-law
Serjeant-at-law
The Serjeants-at-Law was an order of barristers at the English bar. The position of Serjeant-at-Law , or Sergeant-Counter, was centuries old; there are writs dating to 1300 which identify them as descended from figures in France prior to the Norman Conquest...
in 1648. After the execution of Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
he was appointed the junior of the three commissioners who had the custody of the Great Seal, a position he held until April 1654. An opponent calls him "an insolent, mercenary pettifogger," who without jury or evidence sent to the gallows any he suspected of royalism. In 1651 Kebel presided at the trials of Colonel John Lilburne
John Lilburne
John Lilburne , also known as Freeborn John, was an English political Leveller before, during and after English Civil Wars 1642-1650. He coined the term "freeborn rights", defining them as rights with which every human being is born, as opposed to rights bestowed by government or human law...
, Christopher Love
Christopher Love
Christopher Love was a Welsh Protestant preacher and advocate of Presbyterianism at the time of the English Civil War. In 1651 he was executed by the government, after it was discovered that he had been in correspondence with the exiled Stuart court...
, and John Gibbons. A near contemporary and historian, Laurence Echard
Laurence Echard
-Life:He was son of the Rev. Thomas Echard or Eachard of Barsham, Suffolk, by his wife, the daughter of Samuel and Dorothy Groome, and was born at Barsham. On 26 May 1687, at the age of seventeen, he was admitted a sizar of Christ's College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. in 1692 and M.A. in 1695...
, in his History of England speaks of Keble as being then a man of "little practical experience". His salary was irregularly paid, and his petition for payment of what was owing, part of which amounted to one thousand guineas, was presented in 1655, and still disregarded in 1658. At the Restoration he was excepted out of the Indemnity and Oblivion Act. The date at his death, as of his birth, is unknown.