Edmund de Grimsby
Edmund de Grimsby (died 1354) was an English cleric, Crown official and judge. While his career in Ireland was a brief one , lasting only about a year, he remains notable as having been the first Master of the Rolls in Ireland.
He derived his name from his birthplace of Grimsby, Lincolnshire.[1] It is very likely that he spent his last years there: certainly he retained close links with the town throughout his life, building several houses and endowing a chantry there.[2]
He was parish priest of East Keal in 1322 and of Preston in 1325; he also held the Scottish living of Moffat. In later life he received several further clerical preferments, notably as prebendary of St. Paul's Cathedral.[3]
In 1330, he was referred to as a royal clerk. In 1333 it was decided that the Lord Chancellor of Ireland required a Keeper or Master of the Rolls to assist him.[4] Grimsby was chosen to be the first Master: he did go to Ireland but returned to England a year later. He resumed his English position as a clerk in Chancery and had custody of the Great Seal in 1340 and 1351. He died in 1354.[5]