Richard de Lucy, Luci, Lucie, or Lusti (died 14 July 1179), also known as Richard the Loyal, was first noted as High Sheriff of Essex, after which he was made Chief Justiciar of England.
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Life
The De Lucy family took its surname from Lucé in southern Normandy, then still held by the English kings. Richard inherited from his father estates in Norfolk, Suffolk, Kent, and Normandy. His mother was Aveline, the niece and heiress of William Goth. In the charter for Sées Cathedral in February 1130–31 Henry I refers to Richard de Lucy and his mother, Aveline. His brother, Walter de Luci, was abbot of Battle Abbey. De Lucy's wife, Rohese, who is named in several documents, was possibly a sister of Faramus of Boulogne and a descendant of the counts of Boulogne.
An early reference to the family refers to the render by King Henry I of the lordship of Diss, Norfolk to Richard de Lucy, Governor of Falaise, Normandy, after defending it with great valour and heroic conduct when besieged by Count Geoffrey V of Anjou.
In 1153–4 De Lucy was granted Chipping Ongar, Essex by William, son of King Stephen and his wife, Matilda of Boulogne. He may have built the motte-and-bailey Ongar Castle, although it is also attributed to Count Eustace II of Boulogne (c. 1015 – c. 1087). Richard de Lucy was appointed Sheriff of both Essex and Hertfordshire for 1156.
When King Henry II came to the throne in 1154, De Lucy was made Chief Justiciar of England jointly with Robert de Beaumont, Earl of Leicester. When de Beaumont died in 1168, De Lucy continued to hold the office in his own right. One of the members of his household was Roger fitzReinfrid, the brother of Walter de Coutances. Roger became a royal judge and later donated land to Lesnes Abbey in Kent, which had been founded by De Lucy.