Roger Manwood

For other people named Roger Manwood, see Roger Manwood (disambiguation).

Sir Roger Manwood.

Sir Roger Manwood (1525–1592) was an English jurist and Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer.

Career

Sir Roger was the son of Thomas Manwood of Sandwich in Kent. He trained as a barrister at the Inner Temple and attained the highest and most prestigious order of counsel, namely serjeant-at-law. He was ultimately appointed Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer in 1578 and served Queen Elizabeth I until 1592. He was MP for Hastings in 1555 and Sandwich in 1558, 1559, 1563, 1571 and 1572.

A memorable quote from him is:

As touching corporations, that they were invisible, immortal and that they had no soul, therefor no supoena lieth against them, because they have no conscience or soul.

Philanthropy

Sir Roger lived in Sandwich and then at Hackington near Canterbury. He was a notable philanthropist, having provided a significant amount of money for the foundation in 1563 of Sir Roger Manwood's School in Sandwich, Kent, a free school to bring education to the townspeople whose families could not afford it.

Death

Sir Roger died on 14 December 1592. Christopher Marlowe, the well-known Elizabethan playwright and poet, wrote a eulogy in Latin after Manwood's death, entitled 'On the Death of Sir Roger Manwood'.

Note

He is apparently sometimes mistakenly referred to as "Richard Manwood" (e.g. in the biography of Richard Boyle). He was a close relative, probably uncle, of John Manwood, a barrister of Lincoln's Inn, gamekeeper of Waltham Forest, and Justice in Eyre of the New Forest under Elizabeth I of England.