Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Waleden, Humphrey de
WALEDEN, HUMPHREY de (d. 1330?), judge, was a ‘king's clerk’ on 8 Feb. 1290, when he was appointed to the custody of the lands of Simon de Montacute, first baron Montacute [q. v.], in the counties of Somerset, Devon, Dorset, Oxford, and Buckingham, and on 16 Jan. 1291 to the custody of the lands of the late Queen Eleanor (Pat. Rolls, pp. 341, 468). He was among the clergy who submitted to Edward early in the course of his struggle with Archbishop Robert Winchelsey [q. v.], receiving letters of protection on 18 Feb. 1297 (ib. p. 236). On 23 Sept. 1299 he received a commission of oyer and terminer (ib. p. 474), and on 1 April 1300 was appointed with three others to summon the forest officers to carry out the perambulations of the forests in Somerset, Dorset, and Devonshire (ib. p. 506); but on 14 Oct. others were appointed, as Humphrey and some of his colleagues were unable to attend to the business (ib. p. 607). Humphrey was appointed a baron of the exchequer on 19 Oct. 1306, but he only retained his office till the following July (Madox, Hist. of the Exchequer, ii. 46, 325). In December 1307 he is mentioned as going beyond seas with Queen Margaret (Pat. Rolls, p. 25). The temporalities of the archbishopric of Canterbury were committed to him during Winchelsey's absence in 1306 (8 June 1306 to 26 March 1307 only; see Close Rolls, Edw. II, 1307–13, p. 85). He acted as justice in 1309, 1310, 1311, and 1314 (Pat. Rolls, pp. 239, 255, 329, 472; Parl. Writs, pt. ii. p. 79, No. 5), in this last year to try certain collectors and assessors of aids, and was summoned to do military service against the Scots on 30 June 1314. In 13 Edward II (1319–20) he received a grant of the stewardship of various royal castles and manors in eleven counties, among which was the park of Windsor and the auditorship of the accounts. He is mentioned also as steward to the Earl of Hereford, and seems to have been appointed, at his desire, one of the justices to take an assize in which he was interested (Rot. Parl. i. 398 b). On 31 March 1320 he was summoned to give the king counsel on certain matters within his knowledge (Close Rolls, p. 226), and on 30 March 1322 received instructions to choose, with two others, suitable keepers of the castle of the ‘king's contrariants’ in certain of the southern and eastern counties (ib. p. 435). On 18 June 1324 he was appointed one of the barons of the exchequer (Parl. Writs, ii. 257, Nos. 138–9). He was summoned among the justices and others of the council to the parliament at Westminster by prorogation from 14 Dec. 1326 on 7 Jan. 1327. He received a commission of oyer and terminer as late as 28 March 1330, but died before 26 June 1331 (Pat. Rolls, pp. 558, 146).
[Authorities cited in text; Abbr. Rot. Orig. pp. 50, 52; Foss's Judges of England.]