Quick Facts
Biography
Edmund de Grimsby (died 1354) was an English cleric, Crown official and judge. While his career in Ireland was a brief one, which lasted only about a year, he is notable as having been the first Master of the Rolls in Ireland.
He derived his name from his birthplace of Grimsby, Lincolnshire. It is very likely that he spent his last years there: certainly he retained close links with the town throughout his life, building several houses and endowing a chantry there.
He was parish priest of East Keal in 1322 and of Preston in 1325; he also held the Scottish living of Moffat. In later life he received several further clerical preferments, notably as prebendary of St. Paul's Cathedral.
In 1330, he was referred to as a royal clerk. In 1333 it was decided that the Lord Chancellor of Ireland required a Keeper or Master of the Rolls to assist him. Grimsby was chosen to be the first Master: he did go to Ireland but returned to England a year later. He resumed his English position as a clerk in Chancery and had custody of the Great Seal in 1340 and 1351. He died in 1354.