William of Drogheada
Encyclopedia
William of Drogheda, academic and ecclesiastical lawyer
, d. 1245.
A native of Drogheda
, Ireland
, William was the best known Oxford
lawyer of the 13th century. He seems to have often pleaded cases at the University Church of St Mary the Virgin
. His posts included rector of the church of Petha (Petham
, Kent
?) and in 1245 the rector of Grafton Underwood, Northamptonshire
. He described himself as a regent
in law.
His single work, Summa aurea, is concerned solely with legal practise, procedures and forms for canon law, presenting and winning a case. A recent description states that "The author's aim seems to have been to give a complete guide to every sort of action which an eccleiastical lawyer might have to deal."
William outlines procedures for:
The Summa is very incomplete, and appears to consist of the first of the six projected books of the work. This incompleteness may be due to it being abandoned due to its scale, rather than William's death.
Drogheada was murdered by his squire
, Ralph de Boklande, at this house in the parish of St Peter-in-the-East
, Oxford; it is now known as Drawda Hall, on High Street, Oxford
.
In January 1241 he had granted it to the abbey of Monk Sherborne
on condition that they celebrated daily mass "in our church of Sherborne where my mother and father will lie after their deaths and I along with them."
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, d. 1245.
A native of Drogheda
Drogheda
Drogheda is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, 56 km north of Dublin. It is the last bridging point on the River Boyne before it enters the Irish Sea....
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, William was the best known Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
lawyer of the 13th century. He seems to have often pleaded cases at the University Church of St Mary the Virgin
University Church of St Mary the Virgin
The University Church of St Mary the Virgin is the largest of Oxford's parish churches and the centre from which the University of Oxford grew...
. His posts included rector of the church of Petha (Petham
Petham
Petham is a small village and civil parish in the North Downs, five miles south of Canterbury in Kent, South East England.The village church is All Saints Church, which was built in the 13th century but suffered from a fire in 1922 and had to be reconstructed...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
?) and in 1245 the rector of Grafton Underwood, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
. He described himself as a regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
in law.
His single work, Summa aurea, is concerned solely with legal practise, procedures and forms for canon law, presenting and winning a case. A recent description states that "The author's aim seems to have been to give a complete guide to every sort of action which an eccleiastical lawyer might have to deal."
William outlines procedures for:
- calling witnesses
- what to do if any – including the judge – fail to appear
- liabilityLegal liabilityLegal liability is the legal bound obligation to pay debts.* In law a person is said to be legally liable when they are financially and legally responsible for something. Legal liability concerns both civil law and criminal law. See Strict liability. Under English law, with the passing of the Theft...
- punishmentPunishmentPunishment is the authoritative imposition of something negative or unpleasant on a person or animal in response to behavior deemed wrong by an individual or group....
- behaviour of advocates and judges
- the question of fees
- the issuing of legal documents
The Summa is very incomplete, and appears to consist of the first of the six projected books of the work. This incompleteness may be due to it being abandoned due to its scale, rather than William's death.
Drogheada was murdered by his squire
Squire
The English word squire is a shortened version of the word Esquire, from the Old French , itself derived from the Late Latin , in medieval or Old English a scutifer. The Classical Latin equivalent was , "arms bearer"...
, Ralph de Boklande, at this house in the parish of St Peter-in-the-East
St Peter-in-the-East
St Peter-in-the-East is a 12th century church on Queen's Lane, north of the High Street in central Oxford, England. It forms part of St Edmund Hall, one of the Oxford University colleges. It is now deconsecrated and houses the college library for graduates and undergraduates...
, Oxford; it is now known as Drawda Hall, on High Street, Oxford
High Street, Oxford
The High Street in Oxford, England runs between Carfax, generally recognized as the centre of the city, and Magdalen Bridge to the east. Locally the street is often known as The High. It forms a gentle curve and is the subject of many prints, paintings, photographs, etc...
.
In January 1241 he had granted it to the abbey of Monk Sherborne
Monk Sherborne
Monk Sherborne is a village in north Hampshire, England.Sherborne Priory is the burial place of William of Drogheada.-Governance:Monk Sherborne is a civil parish and is part of the Sherborne St. John ward of Basingstoke and Deane borough council. The borough council is a Non-metropolitan district...
on condition that they celebrated daily mass "in our church of Sherborne where my mother and father will lie after their deaths and I along with them."