Thomas Bromley
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Sir Thomas Bromley (1530-11 April 1587), English lord chancellor, was born in Staffordshire. He was educated at Oxford University and called to the bar at the Middle Temple. Through family influence as well as the patronage of Sir Nicholas Bacon, the lord keeper, he quickly made progress in his profession.
In 1566 he was appointed recorder of London, and in 1569 he became solicitor-general. He sat in parliament successively for Bridgnorth, Wigan and Guildford. On the death of Sir Nicholas Bacon in 1579 he was appointed lord chancellor. As an equity judge he showed great and profound knowledge, and his rule in Shelley's Case is a landmark in the history of English real property law.
He presided over the commission which tried Mary I of Scotland in 1586, but the strain of the trial and the enormous responsibility of ordering the execution of a monarch proved too much for his strength, and he died soon after. He was buried in Westminster Abbey.
His wife was Elizabeth Fortesque, daughter of Sir Adrian Fortesque, and by her he had four sons and four daughters.
See Foss, Lives of the Judges; and Campbell, Lives of the Lord Chancellors.
[edit] References
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Nicholas Bacon (Lord Keeper) |
Lord Chancellor 1579–1587 |
Succeeded by Christopher Hatton ' |
