Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich (1496/7 - June 12, 1567), was Lord Chancellor during the reign of King Edward VI of England. Events January 3 - Leonardo da Vinci unsuccessfully tests a flying machine. ... Events May 10 - Amerigo Vespucci allegedly leaves Cádiz for his first voyage to the New World. ... June 12 is the 163rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (164th in leap years), with 202 days remaining. ... Events The Duke of Alva arrives in the Netherlands with Spanish forces to suppress unrest there. ... The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor and in former times Chancellor of England, is one of the most senior and important functionaries in the government of the United Kingdom. ... Edward Tudor redirects here; for another (though unlikely) Edward Tudor, see a putative younger son of Henry VII of England, thus this Edwards uncle if existed Edward VI (12 October 1537–6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. ...

He was born in the parish of St Laurence Jewry, London. His great-grandfather, Richard Rich, was a wealthy mercer and sheriff of the city of London in 1441. Rich's father was probably also a mercer, but he sent his son to the Middle Temple, where Sir Thomas More was among his acquaintances. More told him at the time of his trial that he was reputed light of his tongue, a great dicer and gamester, and not of any commendable fame; but he was a commissioner of the peace in Hertfordshire in 1528, and in the next autumn became reader at the Middle Temple. Part of the London skyline viewed from the South Bank London is the most populous city in the European Union, with an estimated population on 1 January 2005 of 7. ... Mercer has several meanings: The original definition of a Mercer is a merchant or trader, though its current meaning is a merchant who deals in textiles. ... Mercer has several meanings: The original definition of a Mercer is a merchant or trader, though its current meaning is a merchant who deals in textiles. ... The Middle Temple is one of the four Inns of Court around the Royal Courts of Justice in London. ... Portrait of Sir Thomas More, by Hans Holbein the Younger (1527). ... Hertfordshire (pronounced Hartfordshire and abbreviated as Herts) is an inland county in the United Kingdom, officially part of the East of England Government region. ... The Middle Temple is one of the four Inns of Court around the Royal Courts of Justice in London. ...

Other preferments followed, and in 1533 he was knighted and became solicitor-general, in which capacity he was to act under Thomas Cromwell as a "lesser hammer" for the demolition of the monasteries, and to secure the operation of Henry VIII's act of supremacy. He had an odious share in the trials of More and Bishop Fisher. In both cases his evidence against the prisoner included admissions made in friendly conversation, and in More's case the words were given a misconstruction that could hardly be other than wilful. More expressed his opinion of the witness in open court with a candour that might well have dismayed Rich. Thomas Cromwell: detail from a portrait by Hans Holbein, 1532-3 Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex ( 1485 - July 28, 1540) was an English statesman, one of the most important political figures of the reign of Henry VIII of England. ... Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland (later King of Ireland) from 22 April 1509 until his death. ... John Fishers portrait For John Arbuthnot Fisher, British admiral, see Jackie Fisher. ...

Rich became the first chancellor (April 19, 1536) of the Court of Augmentations established for the disposal of the monastic revenues. His own share of the spoil, acquired either by grant or purchase, included Leez (Leighs) Priory and about a hundred manors in Essex. He was Speaker of the House of Commons in the same year, and advocated the king's policy. In spite of the share he had taken in the suppression of the monasteries, and of the part he was to play under Edward VI, his religious convictions remained Roman Catholic. His testimony helped the conviction of Thomas Cromwell, and he was a willing agent in the Catholic reaction which followed. Anne Askew stated that the Chancellor Wriothesley and Rich screwed the rack at her torture with their own hands. April 19 is the 109th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (110th in leap years). ... Events February 2 - Spaniard Pedro de Mendoza founds Buenos Aires, Argentina. ... This article is about the county of Essex in England. ... In the United Kingdom, the Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, and is seen historically as the First Commoner of the Land. ... Edward Tudor redirects here; for another (though unlikely) Edward Tudor, see a putative younger son of Henry VII of England, thus this Edwards uncle if existed Edward VI (12 October 1537–6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Anne Askew (1521 - 16 July 1546) was an English member of the Reformed Church who was persecuted as a heretic and then burned at the stake. ... Thomas Wriothesley (1505 - July 30, 1550) was a politician of the Tudor period, and was created Earl of Southampton in 1547. ...

Rich was an executor of the will of Henry VIII, on which much suspicion has been thrown, and on February 26, 1548 he became Baron Rich of Leez. In the next month he succeeded Wriothesley as chancellor, an office in which he found full scope for the business and legal ability he undoubtedly possessed. He supported Protector Somerset in his subversive reforms in church matters, in the prosecution of his brother Thomas Seymour, and in the rest of his policy until the crisis of his fortunes in October 1549, when he deserted to Warwick (afterwards Northumberland), and presided over the trial of his former chief. His daughter had married Warwick's son, and both men were at heart no friends to the reformed religion. February 26 is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events Mary I of Scotland sent to France Births September 2 - Vincenzo Scamozzi, Italian architect (died 1616) September 29 - William V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1626) Francesco Andreini, Italian actor (died 1624) Giordano Bruno, Italian philosopher, astronomer, and occultist (burned at the stake) 1600 (died 1600) Honda Tadakatsu, Japanese general... The Most Noble Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset (c. ... Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley Thomas Seymour, Baron Seymour of Sudeley (c. ...

Nevertheless, Rich took part in the prosecution of bishops Stephen Gardiner and Edmund Bonner, and in the harsh treatment accorded to the future Mary I of England. Mary on her accession showed no ill-will to Rich. He retired from the chancellorship on the grounds of ill-health in the close of 1551, at the time of the final breach between Northumberland and Somerset. He was now sixty years old, and there is no reason to suspect the sincerity of his plea. There is an improbable story, however, to the effect that Rich warned Somerset of his danger in the Tower of London, and that the letter was delivered by mistake to Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, who handed it to Northumberland. Stephen Gardiner (c. ... Edmund Boner (1500?- 5th September, 1569), Bishop of London, was an English bishop. ... Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 6 July 1553 (de jure) or 19 July 1553 (de facto) until her death. ... The Tower of London, seen from the river, with a view of the water gate called Traitors Gate. ... Thomas Howard 3rd Duke of Norfolk Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk (1473–25 August 1554), was a prominent Tudor politician. ...

Lord Rich took an active part in the restoration of the old religion in Essex under the new reign, and was one of the most active of persecutors. His reappearances in the privy council were rare during Mary's reign; but under Elizabeth he served on a commission to inquire into the grants of land made under Mary, and in 1566 was sent for to advise on the question of the queen's marriage. He died at Rochford, Essex, on the 12th of June 1567, and was buried in Felsted church. Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 6 July 1553 (de jure) or 19 July 1553 (de facto) until her death. ...

In Mary's reign he had founded a chaplaincy with provision for the singing of masses and dirges, and the ringing of bells in Felsted church. To, this was added a Lenten allowance of herrings to the inhabitants of three parishes. These donations were transferred in 1564 to the foundation of a grammar school at Felsted for instruction, primarily for children born on the founder's manors, in Latin, Greek and divinity. The patronage of the school remained in the family of the founder until 1851. By his wife Elizabeth Jenks, or Gynkes, he had fifteen children. The eldest son Robert (1537?-1581), second Baron Rich, was the first husband of Catherine Knyvet and supported the Reformation, and his grandson Robert, third lord, was created earl of Warwick in 1618. Look up Lent in Wiktionary, the free dictionary In Western Christianity, Lent is the period before the Christian holy day of Easter. ... Events March 8 — Naples bans kissing in public under the penalty of death June 22 — Fort Caroline, the first French attempt at colonizing the New World September 10 — The Battle of Kawanakajima Ottoman Turks invade Malta Modern pencil becomes common in England Conquistadors crossed the Pacific Spanish founded a colony... A grammar school is a type of school found in some English-speaking countries. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Catherine Knyvet (1564-1633?) was born in Charlton, Wiltshire Born: , Charlton, Wiltshire, England. ... The Protestant Reformation was a movement which emerged in the 16th century as a series of attempts to reform the Roman Catholic Church in Western Europe. ...

The chief authorities are the official records of the period covered by his official life, calendared in the Rolls Series. See also AF Pollard, England under Protector Somerset (1900); P Morant, History of Essex (2 vols., 1768); RW Dixon, History of the Church of England (6 vols., 1878-1902); and lives in J Sargeaunt's History of Felsted School (1889), Lord Campbell's Lives of the Lord Chancellors (1845-69), and CH & T Cooper's Athenae Cantabrigienses (2 vols., 1858-61). Richard Watson Dixon (May 5, 1833 - January 23, 1900), English poet and divine, son of Dr James Dixon, a Wesleyan minister. ...

Many people will know of him from the play and film A Man for All Seasons, although there is some dispute about whether this was entirely fair in its treatment of Richard. In the film he was played by John Hurt. A Man for All Seasons is a play by Robert Bolt, first performed in London on July 1, 1960. ... John Hurt (Mississippi John Hurt is an early American folk and country blues singer, 1893-1966) John Vincent Hurt CBE (born January 22, 1940) is a British actor. ...

Trivia

In 2005, he was selected by the BBC's History magazine as the 16th century's worst Briton. (BBC) 2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Corporate logo of the British Broadcasting Corporation The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is the national public service broadcaster of the United Kingdom (see British television). ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ...

In the United Kingdom, the Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, and is seen historically as the First Commoner of the Land. ... Sir William Paulet (c. ... The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor and in former times Chancellor of England, is one of the most senior and important functionaries in the government of the United Kingdom. ... Thomas Goodrich, or Goodricke (d. ...

References

• This article incorporates text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, which is in the public domain.