Edward Saunders (judge)

Sir Edward Saunders (died 1576) was an English judge and Chief Justice of the Queen’s Bench.

Early life and career

Saunders was the third son of Thomas Saunders of Sibertoft or of Harrington, Northamptonshire, by Margaret, daughter of Richard Cave. His younger brother was Laurence Saunders, the martyr. He was educated at Cambridge University, and became a member of the Middle Temple. He was successively member of parliament for Coventry (1541), Lostwithiel (1547), and Saltash (1553). He was Lent reader of his inn 1524-5, double Lent reader 1532-3, and autumn reader 1539. He was called to the degree of serjeant-at-law in Trinity term 1540, and became one of the king's Serjeants on 11 February 1546-7, and was in the commission for the sale of church lands in the town of Northampton.

Judicial career

As recorder of Coventry Saunders instigated the mayor's refusal to obey the orders of the Duke of Northumberland to proclaim Lady Jane Grey, and advised him to proclaim Mary instead. He was made justice of the common pleas on 4 October 1553, and appears in several special commissions issued in 1553 and 1554 for the trial of Cranmer, Lady Jane Grey, Lords Guilford and Ambrose Dudley, Sir Nicholas Throckmorton, Sir Peter Carew, and others. On 13 February 1553-4 he was granted the office of one of the justices of common pleas in the county palatine of Lancaster. He was knighted by Philip on 27 January 1554-5, two days before his brother Laurence was arraigned for heresy. On 8 May 1555 he was made chief justice of the queen's bench. In the same month he was appointed head of the special commission for the trial of Thomas Stafford (d. 1557) and others on the charge of seizing Scarborough Castle. In 1557 the manors of Weston-under-Weatherley (Warwickshire) and Newbold (Northamptonshire) were granted to him and Francis Morgan, serjeant-at-law. Queen Elizabeth, on her accession, renewed Saunders's patent for the chief-justiceship (18 November 1558) ; but on 22 January following he was removed to the lower position of chief baron of the exchequer, possibly on account of a quarrel with Dr. Lewis, the judge of the Admiralty court, on a question of jurisdiction. Saunders subsequently acted as a commissioner at the trial of Arthur Pole and Edmund Pole and others (February 1562-3), and of John Hall and Francis Rolston (May 1572) for treason.

Death and posterity

He died on 12 November 1576, and was buried in the church at Weston-under-Weatherley, where there is a monument in the east end of the north aisle. Saunders's house in Whitefriars, London, abutting on the garden of Serjeant's Inn, was in 1611 sold by his representatives to that society. He married, first, Margaret, daughter of Sir Thomas Englefield, judge of the court of common pleas, and widow of George Carew ; she died on 11 October 1563. Secondly, Agnes Hussey, who survived him. His only daughter (by his first wife) married Thomas, son of Francis Morgan, the co-grantee of the manors of Weston and Newbold.