Roger Cholmeley

Sir Roger Cholmeley (c. 1485 — 21 June 1565) was Lord Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench from 1552 to 1553. From 1535-45 he was Recorder of London and served in the House of Commons. He is possibly best remembered for his endowment to found a free grammar school, Highgate School, at London.

Cholmeley (sometimes spelled Cholmley, and Cholmondeley, all pronounced (/ˈtʃʌmli/ chum-lee)) was the illegitimate son of Sir Richard Cholmeley of Yorkshire (c. 1460 – 1521), who served as Lieutenant of the Tower of London from 1513 to 1520. Cholmeley's family can be traced back to the 12th century Robert de Chelmundelegh, second son of William le Belward, who inherited parts of the Barony of Malpas (for which Malpas is named), including Cholmondeley, Cheshire, previously held by Robert Fitzhugh. Over the centuries, the family name was spelled in many variants as middle-English developed away from French influences. Different branches of the family spell the name differently, and Cholmeley's most famous cousins, of Cholmondeley, Cheshire, spell the name "Cholmondeley". The pronunciation and spelling are neither counterintuitive nor phonetic, but as used down the ages.

Roger Cholmeley was educated to the law at Lincoln's Inn from 1506. Despite being expelled from there three times, he entered the legal profession.

Most of Cholmeley's career as a lawyer was spent in the City of London, but he lived at Highgate in Middlesex. In 1520 he was called as a bencher of Lincoln's Inn, in 1531 became a serjeant-at-law, and in November 1534 was knighted. From 1535-45 he was Recorder of London, and was one of the city's members in four Parliaments.

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