Sir Thomas Flemming

Sir Thomas Fleming, was born in Newport in April 1544, and rose from a local merchant family to become one of the most distinguished lawyers and judges of Elizabethan and Jacobean England. He studied law at Lincoln’s Inn and was called to the Bar in 1574. Sir Thomas entered public life as a Member of Parliament and later became Recorder of London. In 1595 he was appointed Solicitor-General, and in 1604 became Chief Baron of the Exchequer. He was knighted in 1603 and, in 1607, was appointed Lord Chief Justice of the King’s Bench, one of the highest judicial offices in the country.

His career included several major cases of the period, most famously his participation as a judge in the 1606 trial of Guy Fawkes following the Gunpowder Plot. His contemporaries, including the eminent jurist Sir Edward Coke, praised him for his judgement, integrity and discretion. Sir Thomas remained closely connected with his native Isle of Wight. During his later career he was associated with Newport’s civic development and with efforts to establish a free grammar school in the town, helping lay foundations for an institution that became an important part of Newport’s educational heritage.

He died suddenly at Stoneham Park, Hampshire, on 7 August 1613, aged 69, and was buried at North Stoneham. His enduring connection with Newport is commemorated by his role in the town’s civic and educational history and by his place among the Island’s most distinguished historical figures.

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