Walter Clopton

Sir Walter Clopton, who died in 1400, was an English legal official who served as Chief Justice of the King's Bench from January 1388 until his death. Little is recorded of his early life, though he likely came from Clapton near Crewkerne in Somerset, and he began his legal career in 1376 as a king's serjeant before holding various posts across south west England. He was appointed chief justice after Robert Tresilian was condemned for treason, and during the Merciless Parliament he pronounced death sentences on several of Richard II's advisers, yet the king kept him in office after regaining power and made him a knight banneret in April 1388. He remained chief justice after Henry IV took the throne in 1399 and held the post until he died on 21 October 1400. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/