after presiding in the exchequer above sixteen years, he was advanced to the office of chief justice of the king's bench on 9 november 1545; and in this character he attested the submission and confession of thomas duke of norfolk on 12 january 1547, a fortnight before the king's death. on the accession of edward vi he was reappointed, and his first duty on the thursday after was to address a batch of new serjeants on their inauguration at lincoln's inn. this he did, as the reporter significantly says, in "a godly thowghe sumwhate prolix and long declaration of their duties and exhortation to their full following and execution of the same." he resigned at the end of the first five years of the reign on 21 march 1552, when he was succeeded by sir roger cholmeley. the remainder of his life he spent at his mansion in southampton, which john leland describes as being "very fair"; and dying on 14 march 1554, where he was buried in st. michael's church.