The Lincolnshire Gentry and the Wars of the Roses
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
The Lincolnshire Gentry and the Wars of the Roses Jonathan S. Mackman D.Phil. Thesis University of York Department of History August 1999 Abstract This thesis is an examination of the impact of the Wars of the Roses upon the people, government and landed structure of a hitherto under-studied shire. It is intended as a bridge between the numerous post-McFarlanite county studies of recent years and the specific issue of the Wars, a conflict generally approached from a central perspective. It begins by examining Lincolnshire's landed society during the later Lancastrian period, stressing the county's political isolation, the sheer size and collective wealth of its population, but also the lack of any dominant political force. It examines the nature of local government, particularly the changing social profile of local officers, and also the issue of local violence. In particular, it highlights the effects of faction and manipulation of justice in an otherwise relatively law-abiding county, and the influence of the shires upon the descent into warfare. The thesis then addresses Lincolnshire's experience of the Wars themselves, particularly stressing the limited participation of the resident population. The Lincolnshire Rebellion of 1470 is described in detail, this shadowy episode being carefully reconstructed in order to gain a fuller understanding of its importance. This is then tied in with a discussion of how the Wars had only a limited effect on Lincolnshire's social and landed structures, yet radically altered its relationship with the Crown. It highlights the tension between the established order and the Yorkist administrative elite, and the way this became embodied in a local power-struggle which, it is argued, led to the Rebellion and ultimately contributed to Edward IV's own deposition. Finally, the thesis examines Lincolnshire's experiences after the Yorkist restoration of 1471, the gradual re-integration of the traditional elite into county affairs, and the creation of a landed society more tolerant of local sensibilities, yet also more suited to Edward's own emerging plans. Contents List of Maps and Tables 5 Acknowledgements 6 Abbreviations 7 Note on Spellings 8 Introduction 9 Part 1: Lancastrian Lincolnshire Chapter 1 Lincolnshire in the Fifteenth Century 23 Chapter 2 Structure and Composition 46 Chapter 3 Office Holding and Local Politics 81 Chapter 4 Lawlessness and Local Violence 114 Part 2: Yorkist Lincolnshire Chapter 5 Lincolnshire and the Wars of the Roses 144 Chapter 6 War and Landed Society, 1461-85 160 Chapter 7 Administration, Politics and Local Authority 199 The Creation of an Elite, 1461-9 200 Reaction and Resistance, 1467-71 215 The Restoration of Peace, 1471-85 222 Conclusion 234 3 Appendices Appendix 1:a Sheriffs of Lincolnshire, 1399-1485 239 Appendix 1 :b Escheators of Lincolnshire, 1399-1485 242 Appendix 1:c Lincolnshire Knights of the Shire, 1399-1485 245 Appendix 1:d Lincolnshire Coroners, 1422-85 249 Appendix 1:e Bishops of Lincoln, 1398-1494 251 Appendix 2 Lincolnshire Justices of the Peace, 1423-85 252 Appendix 3:a Lincolnshire Lay Subsidy Return - 1436 266 Appendix 3:b Income of Noblemen Resident in Lincolnshire 278 Appendix 4 Lincolnshire Knightly Families 279 Appendix 5 Genealogical Tables 281 Appendix 6 Biographical Details of Selected Families 302 Bibliography 319 4 Maps Map 1 Geography and Topography 24 Map 2 Medieval Administrative Boundaries 28 Map 3 Lincolnshire's Medieval Wapentakes 29 Map 4 Distribution of Knightly Families 58 Map 5 Distribution of Esquire Families 59 Map 6 Residences of Individuals Holding Lands in One 61 Other County in 1436 Tables Table 1 Land Distribution by Rank, 1436 62 Table 2:a Regional Analysis of Appointments to OffiCe, 1399-1461 87 Table 2:b Regional Analysis of Office Holders, 1399-1461 87 Table 3 Regional Comparison of Territory 88 Table 4 Regional Comparison of Population 88 Table 5 Lincolnshire Office Holders by Rank, 1399-1461 99 Table 6 The Spread of Responsibility, 1399-1461 106 Table 7 Gentry Involvement in Suits in King's Bench - Plea Side 126 Table 8 Analysis of Electors in the County Court, 1449-77 180 5 Acknowledgements As ever in the course of projects of this kind, debts of gratitude are owed to many people. I must express my thanks to the numerous archival and library staff who have offered their assistance in my research, particularly the staff of the J.B. Morrell Library, the York Minster Library and the Borthwick Institute of Historical Research, and also the staff at the Public Record Office and at the Lincolnshire Archives Office. I would also like to thank the staff and fellow research students at the York University History Department, and at the Centre for Medieval Studies, for helping to create the friendly atmosphere which has benefited so many of us over the past few years. My thanks are due to the numerous members of the academic staff who have offered considerable help and encouragement during my time here in York: the two members of my academic panel, Dr. Sarah Rees-Jones and Professor Richard Marks; Professor Felicity Riddy, whose shared interest in the career of Sir Thomas Burgh has given me a number of insights; and particularly Professor John Bossy, Mr Peter Rycraft and Mrs Ann Rycraft for their various contributions over the years. I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the assistance of Mr T.M. Atkinson and the late Mr L.J. Atkinson, whose understanding during the first few months of my research has proved invaluable. However, by far the greatest debt of gratitude is owed to my supervisor, Professor Mark Ormrod, whose enthusiasm and assistance helped me begin this project, and without whose constant encouragement it might never have been completed. 6 Abbreviations B.I.H.R. Bulletin of the Institute of Historical Research CCR Calendar of Close Rolls CFR Calendar of Fine Rolls CIPM Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem CPR Calendar of Patent Rolls C.P. Complete Peerage D.N.B. Dictionary of National Biography Ec.H.R Economic History Review E.H.R. English Historical Review F.A. Inquisitions and Assessments Relating to Feudal Aids FF Lincolnshire Feet of Fines - Unpublished abstract volume in the Foster Library, L.A.O. H.C., 1386-1421 J. S. Roskell, L.S. Clark, & C. Rawcliffe (eds.), History of Parliament; The House of Commons, 1386-1421, 4 vols. (Stroud, 1993). Ingulph H.T. Riley (tr.), Ingulph's Chronicle of the Abbey of Croyland (London, 1908). (C)JCP (Chief) Justice of Common Pleas (C)JKB (Chief) Justice of King's Bench J.MH. Journal of Medieval History L.A.O. Lincolnshire Archives Office L. H. Lincolnshire History and Archaeology L.R.S. Lincoln Record Society Nott. Med. Stud. Nottingham Medieval Studies P.R.O. Public Record Office Rogers, 'Electors', 'Parliamentary Electors in Lincolnshire in the Fifteenth iii (iv, v, vi) Century', L.H.&A., iii (1968), pp.43-79; iv (1969), pp.33-53; v (1970), pp.47-57; vi (1971), pp.67-81. R.P. Rotuli Parliamentorum Test. Ebor. Testamenta Eboracensia T.R.H.S. Transactions of the Royal Historical Society. V.C.H. Victoria County History - Lincolnshire. W.B. J.C. Wedgwood, History of Parliament: Biographies of the Members of the Commons House, 1439-1509 (London, 1936). 7 Note on Spellings Personal names have been standardised, and have retained their medieval spelling unless there is a commonly acknowledged alternative. Place names have been given their modern names and spelling where identification is possible. For example, the Hauley residence is referred to by the modern `Girsby', rather than the medieval `Grisby'. The modern spelling of 'Crowland' has been used for that town. However, the abbey has always been known by the medieval spelling of 'Croyland', and is referred to as such throughout. 8 Introduction This work is not simply another fifteenth-century county study. Although it is certainly an examination of the lives, careers and relationships of the land-holding elite of one particular English shire, and an analysis of the society of which they were a part, the story of that county is by no means the only consideration. Nor is it especially a study of the Wars of the Roses. Rather, it is intended as a stepping stone between the two, an attempt to establish a link between the tortuous political machinations and sporadic conflict which dominated the high politics of fifteenth-century England, and the everyday reality of life in the shires for the men who formed the bedrock of English political society. The wider story of the latter part of the century, the failings of Henry VI, the 'new monarchy' of Edward IV, and the lives and disputes of the greater nobles, may make interesting and exciting reading, filled with battles, executions and the births and deaths of dynasties; but it was in the shires and towns of England where the majority of the population lived out their lives, and where the landed society which produced this turmoil had its broad and far more solid base. The change of emphasis by many historians over recent years, the movement away from the study of central politics in favour of gaining a broader and deeper understanding of the basis of this society, does, of course, have a historiography all of its own. K.B. McFarlane, in his ground-breaking Ford Lectures of 1953, later published as The Nobility of Later Medieval England, urged his colleagues and successors to look to the shires for a greater understanding of fifteenth-century political society, to move away from the excesses of high politics and concentrate on the individuals who comprised that society, towards regional power structures and influences, and to understand the motivations behind their wider actions by looking at their more immediate concerns.' Only then, once we have identified the key issues which concerned the landowners of this period, or indeed any other, can we even begin to make sense of their actions on the K.B.