„To Knowe a Gentilman‟ Men and Gentry Culture in Fifteenth- Century Yorkshire Alison James PhD Centre for Medieval Studies University of York September 2012 2 Abstract This is a study of gentry culture, specifically the culture of gentry males in fifteenth century Yorkshire. Its aim is to examine what it meant to be a gentleman in this period, looking at how gentry males defined themselves as gentlemen, what was expected of them and what they expected of others. A single county has been chosen to allow for more detailed examination of the evidence than would be possible in a wider study, with this county in particular chosen for the richness and variety of its sources. The range and quality of sources is important, for this is an interdisciplinary study which makes used of a varied collection of evidence in order to gain the fullest picture possible of gentry culture in this period. Through a series of case studies, each focusing on a particular piece, or collection of pieces, of evidence to include chancery documents, wills, letters, art and architecture, I will identify several themes integral to the construction of identity for gentry males. In looking specifically at gentlemen, rather than gentlewomen or the gentry in general, this thesis will consider questions not only of status but also of gender, a combination of factors that have seldom been considered in previous scholarship. It is hoped that this this new perspective, combined with the interdisciplinary nature of the study, something that has also seldom been been attempted, will prove useful in gaining a greater understanding of what it meant to be a gentleman in late medieval England. By extension, it is intended that this will contribute towards a greater understanding of late medieval society as a whole. 3 Contents Page no. Abbreviations 4 List of Genealogical Charts 5 List of Illustrations 6 Acknowledgements 9 Introduction 10 Chapter 1 The Constables and the Hiltons of Swine 41 Chapter 2 Social Networks, Kinship and Family: The Plumptons of Plumpton 77 Chapter 3 Place and Lineage: The Savilles and the Harringtons 122 Chapter 4 Visual Culture: The Conyers of South Cowton and the Redman of Kearby Hours 161 Chapter 5 The Relevance of the Fighting Knight: The Babthorpes, the Gascoignes and the Nortons 215 Conclusion 262 Bibliography 287 4 Abbreviations BL British Library CFR Calendar of Fine Rolls CPR Calendar of Patent Rolls EcHR Economic History Review EHR English Historical Review EETS. OS Early English Text Society. Old Series IPM Inquisitions Post Mortem NYRCO North Yorkshire County Record Office RP Parliament Rolls TE Testamenta Eboracensa TNA The National Archives VCH Victoria County History YAA. RS Yorkshire Archaeological Society. Record Series YAS. RS Yorkshire Archaeological Society. Record Series YML York Minster Library 5 List of Genealogical Charts Page No. A. Constable of Catfosse and Frismarsh 61 B. Hilton of Swine, Constable of Flamborogh and Constable of Hilton 63 C. Mounseux, Twyer and Wenslawe 69 D. Plumpton of Plumpton 86 E. Saville 129 F. Harrington and Saville 146 G. Redman 198 H. Babthorpes of Babthorpe 218 I. Gascoigne of Gawthorpe 231 J. Norton of Norton Conyers 249 6 List of Illustrations Page No. 1. Plan of the Hilton Chapel at Swine. 51 2. Hilton effigies, knights a and b in the foreground, St Marys church, Swine. 51 3. Hilton effigy, knight c , St Marys church, Swine. 53 4. Hilton knight a, St Marys church, Swine. Note the wreath on the jupon, previously the emblem of the Lascelles and adopted by the Hiltons via their heiress 54 5. Map of Holderness, showing the proximity of the disputed Hilton manors to the homes of those accused. 71 6. Plan of the Saville Chapel, St Michael and All Angels church, Thornhill, showing the layout of the windows. 124 7. Sir Thomas Saville kneeling in prayer, north window of the Saville Chapel, St Michael and All Angels church, Thornhill. 124 8. East window of the Saville chapel, depicting the Last Judgement, St Michael and All Angels church, Thornhill. 125 9. Fourteenth-century stone effigy, depicting one of the Thornhills of Thornhill, Saville chapel, St Michael and All Angels church, Thornhill. 125 10. Engraving of the manor house at Thornhill as it appeared in 1816, taken from Whitaker‟s Loidis and Elmete. 135 11. The tomb of Sir John Saville and his wife, situated in the Saville chapel, St Michael and All Angels church, Thornhill. 139 12. Detail from the tomb of Sir John Saville, showing his head resting on the Thornhill crest, Saville chapel, St Michael and All Angels church, Thornhill. 139 13. The north window of the Saville chapel, depicting the Holy Kindred, St Michael and All Angels church, Thornhill. 142 14. St Marys church, South Cowton, exterior. 166 15. The chancel arch, St Marys church, South Cowton. 166 7 16. The arms of Sir Richard Conyers and Alice Wycliffe, situated above the porch door, St Marys church, South Cowton. 167 17. The east window, St Marys church, South Cowton. Note the Conyers‟ arms alongside a representation of the Virgin Mary. 167 18. Effigy of Sir Richard Conyers, St Marys church, South Cowton. 170 19. Effigy of Sir Edward Redman at All Saints church, Harewood. 170 20. Female effigy, probably representing Sir Richard Conyers‟ first wife, St Marys church, South Cowton. 171 21. Female effigy, almost certainly commissioned with the effigy of Sir Richard Conyers but whose identity is unknown, St Marys church, South Cowton. 171 22. The view of Cowton Castle from the chancel door of St Marys church, South Cowton. 180 23. Cowton Castle, South Cowton. 180 24. Partial remains of the courtyard wall, Cowton Castle. South Cowton. 182 25. The Conyers-Wycliffe heraldry inserted above a door on the east side of the house, Cowton Castle. South Cowton 184 26. Proposed plan of Cowton Castle from above and a cross section from the east. 187 27. The eastern turret, Cowton Castle. Stairs, accommodation and privies were located within the two turrets. 188 28. The Office of the Dead in the Redman of Kearby Book of Hours, YML Add. 67 Horae, f.50. Faces in profile appear as part of the the stave decoration. 191 29. Signature of Richard Redman, the Redman of Kearby Hours. YML Add. 67 Horae, f.125. 195 30. The prayer to Thomas Becket, Redman of Kearby Hours. YML Add. 67 Horae, f.123. 195 31. Writing style indicates a date in the first quarter of the fifteenth century. YML Add. 67 Horae, f. 85. 200 32. Details of the border decoration in the Redman of Kearby Hours. YML Add. 67 Horae, f.96. 200 33. The Litany of Saints from the Redman of Kearby Hours. YML Add. 67 Horae, ff.39-43. 204 8 34 The most elaborate form of capital found within the Redman of Kearby Hours. YML Add. 67 Horae, f.91. 204 35 The second, slightly less elaborate form of capital, used more regularly in the Redman of Kearby Hours. YML Add. 67 Horae, f.22. 205 36 The effigy of Sir William Gascoigne, Chief Justice, at St Mary‟s church, Harewood. 238 37 The north side of the tomb chest of Sir William Gascoigne, Chief Justice. 238 38 The tombs in Harewood church. 241 39 The brass of Richard Norton, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, in St Mary‟s church, Wath. 253 9 Acknowledgements Many people have assisted in the creation of this thesis. In particular I would like to thank Jeremy Goldberg and Tim Ayers, who have both been a constant source of support and assistance. Between them they have spent more hours reading, commenting and advising on this thesis, and encouraging me to stick at it, than it is possible to count. I would also like to thank the other members of the University of York who have given me the benefit of their specialist knowledge, in particular Linne Mooney for her insight on fifteenth-century manuscripts. My gratitude also goes to Philip Lankaster, who gave me much helpful advice on tomb monuments. I would also like to thank the members of staff at the University of Leicester whose assistance, particularly at the start of this undertaking, has been invaluable, James Bothwell, and Norman Housley. A final word of appreciation must go to my long- suffering family, who have had to put up with me and my very narrow outlook on life for the duration of my study. This thesis would not have been possible without all the people who helped to make it happen, and I am deeply grateful to each and every one of you. 10 ‘To Knowe a Gentilman’ Men and Gentry Culture in Fifteenth-Century Yorkshire Introduction In August of 1497 Sir Ralph Eure, deputy steward of Pickering, was riding towards Brompton with a small party of friends. On the way he met a group of servants belonging to the household of Sir Roger Hastings, a man with considerable local influence and a strong sense of his own importance. On several occasions in the recent past the two men had clashed, Eure being quite determined to enforce his authority and Hastings equally determined to flout it. By 1497 the matter had made its way into the law courts, beginning when Hastings claimed that his manor had been attacked by a party of more than four hundred men led by Eure. This was followed by a string of accusations and counter-accusations as each side strove to prove that they were in the right. Hastings accused Eure, as deputy steward, and Sir Ralph Cholmley, as steward of Pickering, of overstepping the bounds of their authority, of unwarranted aggression towards him and of disturbing the king‟s peace.