After the death of Henry III brought all Eyre circuits to a halt Hengham was appointed to a central court as a junior justice of the Common Bench starting in Hilary term 1273.

[2] The fine was not a reflection on his crimes or his high standing, but rather on his ability to pay; Hengham is known to have held three Cathedral canonries at Hereford, Lichfield and St Paul's, as well as prebends in five collegiate churches and livings in ten counties.

There is a story that the money went to pay for a London clock tower, which eventually became Big Ben, but there is no contemporary evidence for this.

After the death of John of Mettingham in 1301, Hengham was selected to replace him and was appointed Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, with records showing he was absent from the position only once (in 1302).

He lived for about two years after his retirement from the Common Bench, dying on 18 May 1311, and was buried in the quire at Old St Paul's Cathedral.