Chief Baron of the Exchequer

The Chief Baron of the Exchequer was the first "baron" (meaning judge) of the English Exchequer of Pleas. "In the absence of both the Treasurer of the Exchequer or First Lord of the Treasury, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, it was he who presided in the equity court and answered the bar i.e. spoke for the court."^[1] Practically speaking, he held the most important office of the Exchequer of Pleas.

The chief baron, along with the three puisne barons, sat as a court of common law, heard suits in the court of equity and settled revenue disputes. A puisne baron was styled "Mr Baron X" and the chief baron as "Lord Chief Baron X".

From 1550 to 1579, there was a major distinction between the chief baron and the second, third and fourth puisne barons. The difference was in social status and education. All of the chief barons had been trained as lawyers in the inns of court. With the exception of Henry Bradshaw and Sir Clement Higham, both barristers-at-law, all of the chief barons who served Queen Elizabeth I, had attained the highest and most prestigious rank of a lawyer, serjeant-at-law.

In 1875, the Court of Exchequer became the Exchequer Division of the High Court. Following the death of the last chief baron in 1880, the division and that of Common Pleas were merged into the King's Bench Division.^[2]

Chief Barons of the Exchequer

1303 William de Carleton^[3]
1317 Sir Walter Norwich^[3]
1327 Hervey de Stanton^[4]
1328–1329 Sir Walter Norwich^[5]^[4]
1329 Sir John Stonor^[5]^[4]
1331 Sir Henry le Scrope^[5]^[4]
1337 Sir Robert Sadington^[5]^[4]
1344 Sir William de Shareshull^[4]
1345 Sir John Stowford^[4]
1345 Sir Robert Sadington
1350 Gervase de Wilford^[4]
1362 William de Skipwith^[4]
1366 Thomas de Lodelow^[4]
1375 Sir William Tauk
1376 Henry Asty^[4]
1381 Robert de Plessyngton^[6]
1384 William de Carleol^[6]
1386 Sir John Cary (d.1395) of Cockington, Devon.^[7]
1387 Sir Robert de Plesyngton^[6]
1388 Thomas Pinchbeck^[6]
1389 John Cassey^[6]
1401 Sir John Cokayne,^[8] known as the Elder.^[9]
1414 William Lasingby^[10]
1420 William Babington^[10]
1423 Sir John Ivyn
1438 John Fray^[11]
1448 Peter Ardern^[11]
1463 Richard Illingworth^[12]
1472 Sir Thomas Urswick^[12]
1480 Sir William Nottingham^[12]
1483 Humphrey Starkey
1486 Sir William Hody
1513 John Scot
1522 John FitzJames
1526 Sir Richard Broke
1529 Sir Richard Lyster
1545 Sir Roger Cholmeley
1552 Henry Bradshaw
1553 David Brooke
1558 Sir Clement Higham
1559 Sir Edward Saunders
1577 Sir Robert Bell
1577 Sir John Jefferay, of Chiddingly, Sussex
1578 Sir Roger Manwood
1593 Sir William Peryam
1604 Sir Thomas Fleming
1607 Sir Lawrence Tanfield
1625 Sir John Walter
1631 Sir Humphrey Davenport
1645 Sir Richard Lane
1648 John Wilde
1655 William Steele, appointed Lord Chancellor of Ireland in 1656^[13]
1658 Sir Thomas Widdrington
1660 John Wilde
1660 Sir Orlando Bridgeman
1660–1671 Sir Matthew Hale
1671–1676 Sir Edward Turnor
1676–1686 Sir William Montagu
1686–1689 Sir Edward Atkyns
1689–1694 Sir Robert Atkyns
1695–1714 Sir Edward Ward
1714–1715 Sir Samuel Dodd
1716–1722 Sir Thomas Bury
1722–1723 Sir James Montagu
1723–1725 Sir Robert Eyre
1725–1726 Sir Jeffrey Gilbert
1726–1730 Sir Thomas Pengelly
1730–1738 Sir James Reynolds, junior
1738–1740 Sir John Comyns
1740–1742 Sir Edmund Probyn
1742–1772 Sir Thomas Parker
1772–1777 Sir Sydney Smythe
1777–1787 Sir John Skynner
1787–1793 Sir James Eyre
1793–1813 Sir Archibald Macdonald
1813 Sir Vicary Gibbs
1814–1817 Sir Alexander Thomson
1817–1824 Sir Richard Richards
1824–1831 Sir William Alexander
1831–1834 John Copley, 1st Baron Lyndhurst
1834–1844 Sir James Scarlett
1844–1866 Sir Frederick Pollock
1866–1880 Sir Fitzroy Kelly

Peerages created for the Chief Baron of the Exchequer

Since the Act of Union 1707
Chief Baron	Title	Created	Current status	Other Judicial Roles
Sir James Scarlett	Baron Abinger	12 January 1835	Extant	None

References

^ Bryson, W., The equity side of the Exchequer; Its jurisdiction, administration, procedures, and records; York prize essay for 1973.
^ Lord Mackay of Clashfern (ed.) (2002) Halsbury's Laws of England, 4th ed. Vol.10 (Reissue), "Courts", 603 'Divisions of the High Court'
^ ^a ^b A Political Index to the Histories of Great Britain & Ireland; Or ..., Volume 2. p. 307.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k Toone, Peter. The Chronological Historian. Vol. 1. p. 69.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Chapters in The Administrative History of Mediaeval England. Vol. 3. p. 46.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Toone, Peter. The Chronological Historian. Vol. 1. p. 84.
^ Vivian, Lt.Col. J.L., (Ed.) The Visitations of the County of Devon: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564 & 1620, Exeter, 1895, p.150, pedigree of Cary; See also biography of his son Sir Robert Cary in History of Parliament [1]
^ Foss, Edward (1905). The Judges of England. Vol. 4. London: Longman. pp. 303–4. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
^ Roskell, J. S.; Woodger, L. S. (1993). Roskell, J. S.; Clark, C.; Rawcliffe, L. (eds.). COCKAYNE, Sir John (d.1438), of Ashbourne, Derbys. and Pooley, Warws. London: History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 23 August 2016. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
^ ^a ^b Toone, Peter. The Chronological Historian. Vol. 1. p. 90.
^ ^a ^b Toone, Peter. The Chronological Historian. Vol. 1. p. 101.
^ ^a ^b ^c Toone, Peter. The Chronological Historian. Vol. 1. p. 107.
^ Ball, F. E., The Judges in Ireland, 1221-1921, Volume 1, P 342

v t e English Exchequer
Officers	Auditor of the imprests Auditor of the Receipt of the Exchequer Baron of the Exchequer Chancellor of the Exchequer Chamberlain of the Exchequer Chief Baron of the Exchequer Clerk of the Pipe Clerk of the Pells Comptroller General of the Exchequer Lord High Treasurer King's Remembrancer Teller of the Receipt of the Exchequer
Divisions	Court of Exchequer Chamber Exchequer Bill Loan Commission Exchequer of Pleas Exchequer of the Jews Pell Office
Other	Exchequer Standards Exchequer of Chester Dialogus de Scaccario Pipe rolls Black Book of the Exchequer Red Book of the Exchequer Stop of the Exchequer Taxation in medieval England

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