Richard Isham, Gentleman of Clipston

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Contents

Isham: Richard Isham, Gentleman of Clipston

Biographical Overview

Richard Isham, a gentleman firmly rooted in Clipston, Northamptonshire, rose to increasing prominence during the mid-to-late 15th century. His biography, meticulously reconstructed from a wealth of primary sources – Common Pleas rolls (CP40), Chancery records, wills, land grants, the Black Books of Lincoln's Inn, and Inquisition Post Mortem records – reveals a man deeply enmeshed in the legal, financial, and social currents of his era. Born into the Northamptonshire gentry as part of the Isham family, son of Robert Isham 1402-1474 and Margarete Allington, and brother to Robert, William, and John Isham,[1] Richard Isham’s life story unfolds as that of a legally astute and strategically minded gentleman. While his origins lay in his local county, his ambitions and expertise increasingly drew him into the burgeoning commercial and legal networks of London. The Black Books of Lincoln's Inn are particularly revealing, demonstrating his direct and active involvement within this prestigious legal institution, where he served as both Treasurer and Marshall throughout the 1460s.[2] The Common Pleas rolls further enrich this picture, offering a detailed tapestry of his litigious activities, financial dealings, and expanding geographical reach, all now understood within the context of his established London legal professionalism.

Richard Isham’s documented legal career begins with a plea of debt in Northamptonshire, recorded in the CP40 rolls from Hilary Term 1458. In this typical action for a gentleman of his time, he sought to recover six marks (£4) from Thomas Warde of Irtlingborough.[3] This initial case establishes both his early financial dealings within Northamptonshire and his immediate recourse to the legal system for debt recovery. By the 1460s, the scope of Isham’s legal activities broadened geographically, evidenced by records from 1463, 1465, and 1468 placing him in Middlesex and London.[4][5][6] These primarily debt-related cases underscore his consistent use of the courts to reclaim owed finances. Significantly, a 1463 case involves defendants "of the Temple of London,"[4] offering an early indication of his burgeoning professional network within London's legal heartland. This connection is definitively confirmed by the Black Books of Lincoln's Inn, which reveal Richard Isham’s tenure as Treasurer and Marshall of the Inn during this very decade, solidifying his professional legal identity.[2] Furthermore, a 1468 Middlesex case, concerning the detention of chattels, reveals that his legal practice extended beyond simple debt recovery into a wider range of legal actions.[6]

Simultaneous to these engagements outside Northamptonshire, Richard Isham solidified his standing within the Northamptonshire gentry and Yorkist circles. His service to Queen Elizabeth Woodville highlights a connection to the Yorkist court and the Isham family's rising influence.[1] His appointment as Justice in Eyre for Queen Elizabeth’s forests in 1477[7] and his role as her attorney in a land surrender in 1478[1] underscore the trust placed in him by the Queen Consort and his established legal and administrative capabilities, further enhanced by his professional standing within Lincoln's Inn. These appointments strongly suggest Richard’s legal acumen and his family’s political ascent through Yorkist allegiance, a trajectory initiated by his father.[1]

While his initial documented legal activities were centered in Middlesex, the 1470s show a shift in the CP40 records, with increasing evidence of his presence and activities in Northamptonshire.[8][9][10][11][12] A 1470 plea of trespass in Northampton confirms his property ownership within the county.[8] A significant 1472 Common Recovery documents a strategic land transaction with his father, Robert Isham, concerning lands in Northamptonshire,[9] solidifying Richard’s local landed status as "of Clipston" and likely representing pre-mortem inheritance planning by his father. Other cases from this period, including trespass and nuisance pleas, further illustrate his active management and defense of his Northamptonshire land holdings.[10][11][13] A 1475 trespass case, where Richard is a co-plaintiff with others against esquires from Westminster, hints at broader land interests and legal partnerships extending beyond Northamptonshire.[12] Further illuminating his Northamptonshire land interests, a Chancery case (C 1/39/294) from likely the same period reveals a family dispute with his brother, Robert Isham, over property in Irthlingborough, emphasizing the significance of land ownership and inheritance within the Isham family and Richard's recourse to Chancery for equitable solutions.[14]

The 1480s witnessed a marked expansion of Richard Isham’s legal and financial endeavors, becoming increasingly centered in London and geographically far-reaching. CP40 records from this decade document his involvement in numerous pleas of debt spanning counties from Lincolnshire and Essex to Devonshire and Hampshire.[15][16][17][16] [17] [18] [18] [18] [18] [18] [18] [19] [20] [20] [21] [21] [22] [22] [23] [23] [24] [24] Frequently, these actions were pursued in partnership with London merchants such as John Marchall,[15] underscoring his integration into the city's commercial sphere. The Catesby Will Deposition of 1488 provides pivotal confirmation of his professional standing, explicitly identifying "Richard Isham of Lyncolnes Inne, 'gentilman',"[25] thus definitively linking him to Lincoln's Inn. This deposition, alongside the Black Books which detail his Treasurership and Marshallship at Lincoln’s Inn in the 1460s,[2] firmly establishes his professional legal identity in London. Taken in 1488, the deposition further reveals his involvement in sensitive will-making processes within London and his connections to influential religious figures like William Godard DD.[25] His consistent partnerships with London merchants in debt recovery and the widespread geographical scope of his cases strongly indicate his deep integration into London's burgeoning commercial networks. His financial transactions, often involving bonds and debt recovery, were clearly substantial.[15] Even cases geographically distant from London frequently involved London-based individuals, further emphasizing the reach of his London networks.[15] Alongside these London-centric activities, Richard Isham continued to engage in Northamptonshire affairs. In 1485, he acted as a feoffee managing Northamptonshire lands for his brother, William Isham, demonstrating ongoing family collaboration in estate management.[1] A Common Recovery from 1490 (CP 40/911) further solidifies his local land interests, documenting a strategic legal maneuver concerning manors and lands in Astwell, Fawsley, and Sulgrave, suggesting active land management and potential preparations for inheritance or sale.[23] Additionally, a land grant (GI/2) from 1482 reveals Richard Isham acting as a grantor, alongside John Edy and Thomas Roche, transferring Northamptonshire lands to John Holcote and his wife, further illustrating his continued involvement in local land transactions and his network within the Northamptonshire gentry.[26]

Richard Isham's life concluded on 9 May 1491.[1] His wills, composed shortly before his death, provide further insights into his final concerns and provisions. In his English will of 20 April 1491, he directed his feoffees to allocate rents from his purchased lands in Northamptonshire and Leicestershire to his wife, Alice, for her lifetime, ensuring her financial security.[27] His Latin testament, dated 12 March 1490, made arrangements for a substantial marble gravestone inscribed with his lineage and a prayer for his soul, signifying his desire for a lasting memorial.[28] Sir William Byrcheley proved his will on 16 May 1491,[1] indicating the swift execution of his testamentary wishes. Richard was survived by his wife, Alice, named as an executor in his Latin will,[28] and their three children: Richard Jr., Robert, and Dorothy.[1] Tragically, his eldest son, Richard Jr., who inherited property, predeceased his younger brother, Robert, dying sometime before 21 August 1492, as evidenced by the Inquisition Post Mortem C 142/8/93 taken in the 8th year of Henry VII following Richard Jr.'s death.[29] This IPM details Richard Isham Senior's land feoffments and will arrangements and confirms that Richard Jr.'s heir was his younger brother, Robert Isham, aged 12 or more in 1492-1493, who thus ultimately inherited the reversion of his father’s purchased lands after Alice’s death. Daughter Dorothy received a marriage bequest.[27] The family's London connections persisted after Richard's death. In 1492, his widow Alice and son Richard Jr., as executors, pursued a debt case in London against John Wode of Lincoln's Inn,[24] suggesting continued legal and potentially professional ties to London’s Inns of Court, possibly reflecting Richard Isham Sr.’s own associations now definitively confirmed by the Catesby deposition and his administrative roles within Lincoln's Inn itself.[24][2]

Richard Isham's life, meticulously documented across a range of primary sources, paints a portrait of a dynamic and geographically expansive career firmly anchored in Clipston, Northamptonshire. From his initial legal engagements in Middlesex, his activities progressed to establishing a solid local presence, culminating in significant and growing involvement in London and broader regional economic and legal networks, particularly in his later years. His service to Queen Elizabeth Woodville, the extent of his landholdings (detailed in the 1492-1493 IPM), his diverse legal and financial dealings, his explicit affiliation with Lincoln’s Inn, and his administrative roles within that institution, all converge to highlight his status as a respected and legally astute gentleman. He was not merely a provincial figure, but an active participant in the wider economic, legal, and social currents shaping late fifteenth-century England.[1] The wealth of primary source material, especially the detailed legal case summaries from the CP40 rolls, alongside the Black Books entries and the IPM, strongly indicates his considerable legal knowledge and acumen. He skillfully utilized the legal system for his own purposes, in service to the crown, in administrative capacities within a major Inn of Court, and even in an advisory capacity to others. Richard Isham's life embodies that of a legally proficient gentleman adeptly navigating the burgeoning opportunities and networks of a period increasingly defined by London's commercial and legal dominance. He seamlessly integrated his local Northamptonshire gentry standing with a far wider sphere of influence.[1] Ultimately, his documented cases and actions reveal a life deeply rooted in his locality yet significantly connected to the wider world through law, commerce, and the professional networks centered within London's Inns of Court, where he himself played a vital administrative role.

Historical Fiction: A Day in the Life of Richard Isham

The chill February air, sharp with the promise of a late frost, bit at Richard Isham’s cheeks as he hurried through the narrow lane leading to Lincoln’s Inn. The year was 1488, the third of King Henry’s reign, and London, even in its legal heart, felt braced against uncertainty. Richard, however, moved with purpose, his gentleman’s gown swirling around him, a leather pouch containing not just notes on debt pleas and land transactions, but also the Inn's financial accounts he needed to review as Treasurer. The pouch bumped against his side with a familiar, reassuring weight.

Lincoln’s Inn was already stirring to life, a hive of activity he knew intimately as both a member and one of its officers. Clerks were scratching away at parchments, apprentices arguing points of law with theatrical flourish, and Benchers, weighty in their scarlet robes, conferring in hushed tones, perhaps about the term’s accounts he would soon need to present as Treasurer. Richard nodded to a familiar face, a fellow Governor of the Inn, Master Agmondesham, and made his way to his chamber, the Marshall's staff he sometimes carried for Inn ceremonies left leaning discreetly by his door. He was expecting John Marshall, the London mercer, a frequent partner in his more…vigorous debt recovery pursuits.

He found Marshall already there, pacing the small room, his merchant’s brow furrowed. “Isham, good morning, though the weather would argue otherwise,” Marshall greeted, his voice brisk. “Markham’s still delaying. Licence to imparl granted again, Hilary term be damned.”

Richard sighed inwardly, the Treasurer in him recognizing the familiar frustration of debts unpaid. Thomas Markham, Esquire, owed them a substantial sum, a bond of £6 11s 3d. It was a sound debt, secured by parchment and oath, yet dragging on through the Common Pleas. “Patience, John,” Richard said, unbuckling his pouch and spreading his notes – a mix of Markham case details and Lincoln’s Inn ledgers – on the small table. “Bevyll is a skilled attorney, but even he cannot conjure coin from an empty purse indefinitely. The pressure mounts.” He mentally shifted gears from Inn finances to personal finance, a familiar daily pivot.

They spent the morning dissecting the Markham case, strategizing their next legal move, the air thick with legal jargon and the rustle of documents. It was the familiar rhythm of Richard’s life now – a complex blend of Northamptonshire land concerns, his administrative duties at Lincoln’s Inn, and the sharp, profit-driven world of London commerce and law. He was, after all, Richard Isham of Clipston, Gentleman, yes, but increasingly, he was also Richard Isham of Lincoln’s Inn, Treasurer and Marshall, a man who understood the intricate dance of writs and pleas, bonds and recoveries, and the equally intricate balancing of the Inn’s books.

Just as the midday bells of St. Paul’s began to chime, a young apprentice, breathless and ink-stained, appeared at Richard’s door. “Treasurer Isham,” he panted, correcting his initial address with a respectful cough, “a message from Master Norres. Urgent.”

John Norres. Richard frowned, momentarily pulled from thoughts of the Inn's buttery accounts. He knew several Norres, but none he would call ‘Master’ with urgency. The apprentice thrust a small, sealed note into his hand. Richard broke the seal, his eyes scanning the hastily scrawled words. “John Catesby, Olde Fysshestreet. Come quickly. Shriving needed. Norres.”

A shiver ran down Richard’s spine, colder than the February air. Shriving. Confession. Last rites. John Catesby. The name sparked a vague recognition, something from the periphery of his London dealings, perhaps even within the Inn's wider network. "Olde Fysshestreet," he murmured, "that's…deep in the city."

“Trouble, Isham?” Marshall asked, sensing the shift in Richard’s demeanor.

“Perhaps,” Richard replied, folding the note, the Inn's Treasurer momentarily taking precedence, "though of a different sort than our usual ledger imbalances." Then, turning back to Marshall, a hint of his other role as Marshall of the Inn surfacing, he added with a touch of formality, “A dying man seeks…spiritual counsel, it seems. Duty calls.” He didn’t elaborate, a private unease settling in his gut. He was a lawyer, a landholder, an Inn administrator, not a confessor. Yet, the summons felt insistent, almost a command.

Olde Fysshestreet was a world away from the relative quiet and ordered routine of Lincoln’s Inn. The air here was thick with the smells of fish, smoke, and the close-packed humanity of London’s heart. He found the house easily, a modest dwelling amidst taller, timber-framed buildings, and was ushered inside by a worried-looking servant.

The room was dim, lit only by a guttering candle. A figure lay still in the bed, barely a ripple in the linen sheets. William Godard DD, a man of the cloth with a kindly, if weary, face, stood beside the bed, his hand resting lightly on the sick man’s arm. John Norres hovered near the doorway, his expression anxious.

“Treasurer Isham, thank God you’ve come,” Norres whispered, stepping forward, acknowledging Richard's more prominent Inn role. “This is John Catesby. He…he desires to make his peace.”

Richard approached the bedside cautiously. John Catesby was gaunt, his breath shallow and ragged. His eyes, though clouded with illness, flickered with a spark of recognition as Richard drew closer. "Isham," Catesby rasped, his voice thin as parchment.

William Godard stepped back, allowing Richard to approach. “Master Isham is of Lincoln’s Inn,” Godard explained gently to Catesby, subtly reinforcing Richard’s professional standing, “a learned man, come to aid you.”

Richard knelt beside the bed, the Marshall of Lincoln’s Inn now secondary to the man facing mortality. He was no priest, but he understood the gravity of the moment, a gravity that transcended ledgers and writs. He spoke softly, his voice low and measured, “Master Catesby, you sent for me?”

Catesby’s eyes focused on him, a flicker of desperation in their depths. He tried to speak, his lips moving silently, then a faint, choked sound escaped. Richard leaned closer, straining to hear. Words tumbled out, fragmented, broken by coughs and gasps for air. “Will…Margaret…manor…”

Richard listened intently, piecing together the disjointed phrases. It spoke of Margaret, a manor, children…inheritance. A will. The man was trying to make a will, even now, at death’s door. His legal training, honed in the halls of Lincoln's Inn, clicked into gear, even in this unexpected setting.

He moved closer, attempting to guide the dying man, the Treasurer now attempting to marshal a different kind of account. “Master Catesby, do you wish to…dispose of your lands? To name your heir?” He offered pen and parchment, laying them within reach on the bedside table, instruments more familiar to him than prayer books.

Catesby’s hand, skeletal and trembling, reached weakly towards the parchment, then faltered, falling back onto the sheets. He tried to speak again, but only a wheezing sound emerged. His eyes, fixed on Richard, were filled with frustration, with a desperate, unspoken plea.

Richard understood. The body was failing, the voice silenced. The will, the earthly testament, remained unwritten, unsaid. He looked at William Godard, a silent question in his eyes. The Friar shook his head sadly.

“He cannot speak, Master Isham,” Godard murmured, his voice heavy with finality. “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is…gone.”

Richard bowed his head, a sense of profound helplessness washing over him, a feeling starkly contrasting with the ordered world of Lincoln’s Inn and its meticulously kept accounts. He was a lawyer, trained to shape words into binding agreements, to navigate the complexities of inheritance and legacy. Yet here, in this dimly lit room, all his skill and knowledge were useless against the stark reality of mortality. The parchment lay blank, a testament to the limits of human intention against the finality of death.

He rose, stepping back from the bedside. John Norres looked at him, his eyes pleading for a miracle, for a legal solution where none existed. Richard simply shook his head, the Treasurer and Marshall unable to balance this final, irreversible account.

Leaving the house in Olde Fysshestreet, Richard walked slowly back towards Lincoln’s Inn. The chill air now felt sharper, the London noises suddenly muted. He thought of the blank parchment, of the unspoken will, of the dying man’s frustrated gaze. He thought of his own meticulous parchments, the debt pleas, the land transactions, the Common Recoveries, the Inn's financial rolls – all attempts to impose order, to secure a future, on the fleeting, unpredictable fabric of life.

He reached the familiar cobbled courtyard of Lincoln’s Inn, the sounds of legal debate and clerks' pens a comforting, if somewhat hollow, hum. He was Richard Isham of Lincoln’s Inn, Treasurer and Marshall, a gentleman of the law, skilled in the earthly craft of words and deeds. But today, standing in the cold February air, he felt the weight of what parchment could not capture, the silence where a will should have been, and the profound, unsettling mystery of the human passage from this world. The law, he knew, would grapple with the consequences of John Catesby’s silence. But Richard Isham, for a moment, simply felt the quiet echo of a voice lost, and the stark truth of life’s ultimate, unwritten will.

Bibliography

Transcriptions and Translations of Primary Source Documents

CP 40/788 (Hilary 1458)

Index at WAALT

Image at AALT

County: Northamptonshire

Persons: Richard Isham, Thomas Warde

Places: Irtlingborough

CP 40/788 (Hilary 1458) Legal Case Summary

This document, CP 40/788 from Hilary Term 1458, records a plea of debt brought by Richard Isham against Thomas Warde, gentleman, of Irtlingborough, Northamptonshire.

The plea is a plea of debt for six marks (£4). Richard Isham is claiming that Thomas Warde owes him this sum and unjustly detains it. Thomas Warde did not appear in court. Initially, the Sheriff was ordered to seize (caperet) Thomas Warde and ensure his appearance in court. When the Sheriff reported that Thomas Warde was not found, the court ordered the Sheriff to proceed with his outlawry (exigi faciat...utlagetur) in county court, a process for compelling appearance or declaring him outside legal protection. If Thomas Warde was apprehended before outlawry, he was to be held safely to appear in court in fifteen days from the feast day of St. John the Baptist.

The biographical significance of this case for Richard Isham is as follows:

Earliest Documented Legal Activity: This case from 1458 is currently the earliest documented legal record involving Richard Isham in the CP40 rolls, placing his active financial and legal engagements at least as early as his mid-twenties (based on his father's birth year of 1402).

Early Northamptonshire Connection: The case explicitly locates Thomas Warde in Irtlingborough, Northamptonshire, suggesting Richard Isham's early financial activities were rooted in Northamptonshire. This reinforces his designation "of Clipston" and his family's Northamptonshire gentry status.

Debt Recovery and Legal Process: Similar to later cases, this early record shows Richard Isham using the court system to recover debts owed to him. The progression of legal actions—from initial summons to orders for arrest and potential outlawry—illustrates the standard legal procedures for debt recovery in the fifteenth century and Richard Isham's familiarity with these processes.

Financial Transactions: The plea of debt itself indicates Richard Isham was involved in financial transactions, lending sums of money (in this case, six marks), and actively pursuing repayment through legal channels when necessary.

Transcribed using Claude Sonnet 3.7 (Thinking) with a draft from Transkribus.

Abbreviated Latin Text

Line Text
1 North': ¶ Ric'us Isham op' se iiij° die v'sus Thomam Warde de
2 Irtl'ngburgh' gent' de pl'ito q'd redd' ei sex marcas quas ei debet & iniuste detinet &c. Et ip'e non ven'.
3 Et sicut plur' prec' fuit vic' q'd cap'et eu' si &c. Et saluo &c. Ita q'd h'eret corpus eius hic ad hunc die'
4 scil't in Octab's s'ti Hillar' &c. Et vic' modo mand' q'd non est invent' &c. I'o prec' est vic' q'd exigi fac'
5 de Com' in Com' quousq' &c. utlaget' si non &c. Et si &c tunc eu' capiat & saluo &c. Ita q'd h'eat
6 corpus eius hic' a die s'ti Joh'is Bap'te in xv dies &c. Et unde &c.
7 de Com' unde &c.

Expanded Latin Text

Line Text
1 Northamptonia: ¶ Ricardus Isham in propria persona sua optulit se quarto die versus Thomam Warde de
2 Irtlyngburgh' gentilman de placito quod reddat ei sex marcas quas ei debet & iniuste detinet &c. Et ipse non venit.
3 Et sicut pluries preceptum fuit vicecomiti quod caperet eum si &c. Et salvo &c. Ita quod haberet corpus eius hic ad hunc diem
4 scilicet in Octabis sancti Hillarii &c. Et vicecomes modo mandavit quod non est inventus &c. Ideo preceptum est vicecomiti quod exigi faciat
5 de Comitatu in Comitatum quousque &c. utlagetur si non &c. Et si &c tunc eum capiat & salvo &c. Ita quod habeat
6 corpus eius hic a die sancti Johannis Baptiste in xv dies &c. Et unde &c.,
7 de Comitatu unde &c

English Translation

Line Text
1 Northamptonshire: ¶ Richard Isham in his own person offered himself on the fourth day against Thomas Warde of
2 Irtlingborough, gentleman, concerning a plea that he render to him six marks which he owes him and unjustly detains etc. And he does not come.
3 And as many times it was ordered to the Sheriff that he should seize him if etc. And safely etc. So that he should have his body here at this day,
4 namely in the Octave of Saint Hilary etc. And the Sheriff now reported that he is not found etc. Therefore it is ordered to the Sheriff that he cause to be exacted
5 from County [Court] to County [Court] until etc. he be outlawed if not etc. And if etc. then he should seize him and safely etc. So that he should have
6 his body here in fifteen days from the day of Saint John the Baptist etc. And concerning which etc.,
7 from the County concerning which etc.

CP 40/807 (Hilary 1463)

  • [Index at AALT | Image at AALT]
  • County: Middlesex
  • Persons: Richard Isham, John Fust, John Ody, John Rogers, John Farnam, John Danet or Davet
  • Places: Holburn St Andrew

Difficult to transcribe because it is near the crease at the top of the roll.

Black Books of Lincoln's Inn (1461-1466)

  • Source: Black Books VOL 1 1422-1586. London: The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, 1897. (See Folios 125, 128, 129, 133, 138, 141, 144 for entries related to Richard Isham's roles as Treasurer and Marshall, spanning the years 1461-1466).

Black Books of Lincoln's Inn Entry Summary

These entries from the Black Books of Lincoln's Inn, Volume I, document Richard Isham's administrative roles within Lincoln's Inn. They record his appointments as Treasurer and Marshall of the Inn during the 1460s (from 1 Edward IV to 5 Edward IV), detailing his responsibilities for financial management, including receiving funds, overseeing payments for building works and provisions, and accounting for the Inn's finances. The entries also mention audits of his accounts and his interactions with other key members of Lincoln's Inn's governing body.

The biographical significance of this entry for Richard Isham is as follows:

  • Establishes Richard Isham as Treasurer of Lincoln's Inn: The Black Books entries definitively identify Richard Isham as serving as Treasurer of Lincoln's Inn for multiple years (1461-1466), a significant administrative position within this legal institution.
  • Reveals Richard Isham as Marshall of Lincoln's Inn: The records also show Isham concurrently holding the position of Marshall, indicating a substantial level of responsibility within the Inn's administration beyond just financial matters.
  • Demonstrates Financial Expertise and Trust: As Treasurer, Isham was entrusted with managing Lincoln's Inn's finances, overseeing receipts, payments, and accounts. This highlights his financial competence and the trust placed in him by the Inn's governing body.
  • Indicates Active Membership in Lincoln's Inn: His appointment to these administrative roles confirms Richard Isham was an active member of Lincoln's Inn, deeply involved in its governance and daily operations.
  • Provides Professional Context for Legal Career: This evidence of his professional affiliation with Lincoln's Inn provides vital context for understanding his legal activities documented in the CP40 rolls. It suggests he was not merely a gentleman with legal interests but a member of the legal profession itself.
  • Highlights London Legal Network: The entries place Richard Isham within a network of other prominent members of Lincoln's Inn, further solidifying his connections to London's legal and professional circles during the mid-15th century.
  • Expands Biographical Understanding Beyond Legal Cases: These records broaden the biographical picture of Richard Isham beyond litigant and royal servant to include legal administrator, offering a more rounded view of his professional life and contributions to the legal community.

Template:Cite book

CP 40/807 (Hilary 1463) Legal Case Summary

This document, CP 40/807 from Hilary Term 1463, details a plea of debt initiated by Richard Isham against John Strode, John Fust, and John Ody, all described as gentlemen "of the parish of St. Andrew in Holborn outside the New Bars of the New Temple of London, Middlesex."

This plea of debt involves Richard Isham claiming £7 from John Strode and 40 shillings (£2) each from John Fust and John Ody, sums he asserted they owed and unjustly withheld. When the defendants failed to appear in court on the third day, the Sheriff was instructed to summon them. The Sheriff's report indicated that each defendant had been summoned by John Etewell, Henry Danet, and Nicholas Lysle. The case was subsequently adjourned, with no new date specified in this record excerpt.

The biographical significance of this case for Richard Isham is as follows:

Early London Legal Activities & Emerging London Connections: Dating to 1463, this case represents one of Richard Isham's earliest documented legal actions within London. The defendants' location "outside the New Bars of the New Temple" places Isham squarely within London's legal district at a relatively early stage in his career. This is particularly noteworthy considering the Black Books of Lincoln's Inn, which later confirm Richard Isham's significant roles as Treasurer and Marshall of Lincoln's Inn. This case provides an early glimpse into the deeper London legal connections that would become central to his professional life.

Debt Recovery and Legal Action: Consistent with other cases, this record demonstrates Isham's utilization of the legal system to recover outstanding debts. The presence of multiple defendants in a single case may suggest a more substantial financial transaction or a series of related debts involving several parties connected to the New Temple area.

London Legal/Professional Connections: The description of the defendants as "of the New Temple of London" strongly implies their association with the legal profession or residence within the Temple district, renowned for its legal institutions. This strengthens the notion that Richard Isham's dealings extended to individuals within London's legal and professional circles, a sphere he would later become deeply embedded in as an officer of Lincoln's Inn.

Summoned by Known Individuals: The record identifies John Etewell, Henry Danet, and Nicholas Lysle as the summoners. While their precise connection to the case remains unspecified, their involvement suggests a network of individuals within London's legal or financial community linked to this legal action. This hints at the nascent professional networks Richard Isham was cultivating in London, which would become more prominent during his Lincoln's Inn career.

Transcribed using Claude Sonnet 3.7 and Transkribus.

Abbreviated Latin Text

Line Text
1 Midd': ¶ Ric'us Isham p' attornatu' suu' op' se iijo die v'sus Joh'em Strode nup' de p'ochia sc'i Andree in Holborn ex' barras nove
2 templi London in com' Midd' gentilman de pl'ito q'd reddat ei septem libras Et v'sus Joh'em Fust nup' de p'ochia sc'i
3 Andree in Holborn ex' barras nove templi London in com' Midd' gentilman Et Joh'em Ody nup' de p'ochia sc'i Andree in
4 Holborn ex' barras nove templi London in com' Midd' gentilman de pl'ito q'd redd' ei quad'ginta solidos quos
5 ei debent injuste detinent etc Et ip'i non ven' Et p'c' fuit vic' q'd sum' eos etc Et vic' modo mand' q'd uterq' eor' sum' est p' Joh'em
6 Etewell Hen' Danet et Nich'm Lysle Io' etc

Expanded Latin Text

Line Text
1 Middlesexia: ¶ Ricardus Isham per attornatum suum optulit se tercio die versus Johannem Strode nuper de parochia sancti Andree in Holborn extra barras nove
2 templi London in comitatu Middlesexie gentilman de placito quod reddat ei septem libras Et versus Johannem Fust nuper de parochia sancti
3 Andree in Holborn extra barras nove templi London in comitatu Middlesexie gentilman Et Johannem Ody nuper de parochia sancti Andree in
4 Holborn extra barras nove templi London in comitatu Middlesexie gentilman de placito quod reddant ei quadraginta solidos quos
5 ei debent injuste detinent etc Et ipsi non venerunt Et preceptum fuit vicecomiti quod summoneat eos etc Et vicecomes modo mandavit quod uterque eorum summonitus est per Johannem
6 Etewell Henricum Danet et Nicholaum Lysle Ideo etc

English Translation

Line Text
1 Middlesex: ¶ Richard Isham by his attorney offered himself on the third day against John Strode, lately of the parish of Saint Andrew in Holborn outside the New Bars of
2 the Temple of London in the county of Middlesex, gentleman, concerning a plea that he render to him seven pounds. And against John Fust, lately of the parish of Saint
3 Andrew in Holborn outside the New Bars of the Temple of London in the county of Middlesex, gentleman, and John Ody, lately of the parish of Saint Andrew in
4 Holborn outside the New Bars of the Temple of London in the county of Middlesex, gentleman, concerning a plea that they render to him forty shillings which
5 they owe him [and] unjustly detain etc. And they did not come. And it was ordered to the Sheriff that he summon them etc. And the Sheriff now reported that each of them was summoned by John
6 Etewell, Henry Danet, and Nicholas Lysle. Therefore etc.

CP 40/814 (Hilary 1465)

  • Image at AALT
  • County: Middlesex
  • Persons: Richard Isham, John Farnham
  • Places: Querndon

CP 40/814 (Hilary 1465) Legal Case Summary

This document, CP 40/814 from Hilary Term 1465, records a plea of debt brought by Richard Isham against John Farnham, gentleman, lately of Querndon, Leicestershire.

The plea is a plea of debt for one hundred shillings (£5). Richard Isham is claiming that John Farnham owes him this sum and unjustly detains it. John Farnham did not appear in court. The Sheriff was ordered to summon him (summoneat). The Sheriff reported that John Farnham had no possessions (nichil habet). Therefore, the court ordered that John Farnham be arrested (capiatur) to ensure his appearance in court fifteen days after Easter.

The biographical significance of this case for Richard Isham is as follows:

  • Continued Financial Activity: This case from 1465 further demonstrates Richard Isham's ongoing financial activities and his use of the legal system to recover debts owed to him. It is consistent with other cases from the 1450s and 1460s showing him pursuing pleas of debt.
  • Middlesex Location: The case is located in Middlesex, aligning with other early cases involving Richard Isham and suggesting his financial dealings extended to this county during this period.
  • Debt Recovery through Legal Process: Similar to other debt pleas, this case illustrates the standard legal procedures for debt recovery in the fifteenth century. The progression from summons to arrest when the defendant does not appear and has no possessions demonstrates the steps taken to compel appearance or enforce claims.

Abbreviated Latin Text

Line Text
1 Midd': Ric'us Isam p' attorn' suu' op' se iijto die v'sus Joh'em ffarnham nup' de Querndon in com' leyc' gentilman de
2 pl'ito q'd reddat ei centu' solidos quos ei debet et iniuste detinet etc. Et ip'e non ven'. Et p'cept' fuit vic' q'd sum'
3 eu' etc. Et vic' modo mand' q'd nich'il h'et. Et I'o capiatur q'd sit hic a die pasche in xv dies etc.

Expanded Latin Text

Line Text
1 Middlesex: Ricardus Isam per attornatum suum optulit se tercio die versus Johannem ffarnham nuper de Querndon in comitatu Leicestrie gentilman de
2 placito quod reddat ei centum solidos quos ei debet et iniuste detinet etc. Et ipse non venit. Et preceptum fuit vicecomiti quod summoneat
3 eum etc. Et vicecomes modo mandavit quod nichil habet. Et Ideo capiatur quod sit hic a die pasche in quindecim dies etc.

English Translation

Line Text
1 Middlesex: Richard Isam by his attorney offered himself on the third day against John Farnham, lately of Querndon in the county of Leicester, gentleman, concerning a
2 plea that he render to him one hundred shillings which he owes him and unjustly detains etc. And he does not come. And it was ordered to the Sheriff that he summon
3 him etc. And the Sheriff now reported that he has nothing. And therefore it is ordered that he be taken so that he is here from the day of Easter in fifteen days etc.

CP 40/826 (Hilary 1468)

CP 40/826 (Hilary 1468) Legal Case Summary

This document, CP 40/826 from Hilary Term 1468, records a case of detention of chattels brought by Richard Isham against John Haryot of Maydewell, Middlesex.

Richard Isham, who had brought a writ against John Haryot, did not prosecute his suit (non est prosecutus). John Haryot had been previously forewarned to be essoined (excused from court appearance) for this day, fifteen days after Hilary Term, to answer Richard Isham in the plea. The record mentions "testimony of Jurors and Johanna Palington pleaded," but the context of this is unclear from this excerpt.

It is noted that John Haryot had been outlawed at the suit of Richard Isham in this same plea. However, John Haryot then produced the King's letters of pardon for the outlawry, as recorded in Trinity Term of the 5th year of the King's reign (likely Edward IV, thus 1465), Roll 6.

Consequently, the court ruled that John Haryot should go without day (be dismissed from court without further obligation). It was also ruled that Richard Isham should take nothing by his writ (i.e., lose the case) and be in mercy (in misericordia) for his false claim, meaning he was liable to a nominal fine to the King for bringing an unsuccessful suit.

The biographical significance of this case for Richard Isham is as follows:

  • Plea of Chattel Detention: This case is distinct from the debt pleas and common recovery actions, representing a different type of legal action pursued by Richard Isham. A plea of detention of chattels typically involved recovering specific personal property wrongfully withheld.
  • Unprosecuted Suit: The fact that Richard Isham did not prosecute the case to conclusion is notable. It could suggest various reasons: a settlement out of court, insufficient evidence, or a change in circumstances.
  • Outlawry and Pardon: The mention of John Haryot's outlawry and subsequent royal pardon indicates a more complex legal process than a simple debt plea. Outlawry was a serious penalty for failing to appear in court, and a royal pardon suggests intervention at a higher level. However, the pardon ultimately allowed Haryot to be dismissed from the suit.
  • "In Mercy" for False Claim: The judgment that Richard Isham was "in mercy for false claim" is a standard legal formality for unsuccessful plaintiffs. It doesn't necessarily mean his claim was entirely without merit, but rather that he failed to pursue it successfully in court.

Transcribed using Claude Sonnet 3.7 and Transkribus.

Abbreviated Latin Text

Line Text
1 Midd': ¶ Ric'us Isham q'i tulit br'e d'ni Regis v'sus Joh'em Haryot de Maydewell' in com' p'd'o
2 cont'nuat' de pl'ito detenc'o'is catallor' non est p's h'ic s'um p'd'c'm Et sciend' q'd id'm
3 p'munt' fuit essond' h'ic ad hunc' diem scil't A die s'c'i Hilar'ii in xv dies isto eodem t'mio
4 Ad sequend' v'sus p'd'c'm Joh'em pl'itum suu' p'd'c'm Et c'o p' t'g'm Jur'or's Et Joh'ana Palingt'n
5 pl'ic Et postq'm p'd'c's Joh'es Haryot utlagat' fuit ad sectam p'd'c'i Ric'i in pl'to sup'dc'o
6 venit h'as d'ni Regis de p'donat'o utlagat'e p'd'c'e p'ut patet t'mio s'c'e Trinitat'is Anno
7 r' r' d'ni Regis nunc quinto Ro vj. Id'o cons' est q'd p'd'c's Joh'es Haryot eat inde sine
8 die Et q'd p'd'c's Ric'us nich'il c'piat p' br'e suu' set sit in m'ia p'ro fa'l clam' etc.

Expanded Latin Text

Line Text
1 Middlesexia: ¶ Ricardus Isham qui tulit breve domini Regis versus Johannem Haryot de Maydewell' in comitatu predicto
2 continuatur de placito detencionibus catallorum non est prosecutus hic summonitionem predictam Et sciendum quod idem
3 premunitus fuit essondiatus hic ad hunc diem scilicet A die sancti Hilarii in quindecim dies isto eodem termino
4 Ad sequendum versus predictum Johannem placitum suum predictum Et eo per testimonium Juratorum Et Johanna Palington
5 placitavit Et postquam predictus Johannes Haryot utlagatus fuit ad sectam predicti Ricardi in placito supradicto
6 venit has domini Regis de perdonatio utlagarie predicte prout patet termino sancte Trinitatis Anno
7 regni regis domini Regis nunc quinto Rotulo sexto. Ideo consideratum est quod predictus Johannes Haryot eat inde sine
8 die Et quod predictus Ricardus nichil capiat per breve suum set sit in misericordia pro falso clamio etc.

English Translation

Line Text
1 Middlesex: ¶ Richard Isham who brought the writ of the lord King against John Haryot of Maydewell' in the aforesaid county
2 is continued concerning a plea of detention of chattels, has not prosecuted here the aforesaid summons. And be it known that the same
3 [John Haryot] was forewarned to be essoined here at this day, namely fifteen days from the day of Saint Hilary in this same term
4 to prosecute against the aforesaid John his aforesaid plea. And [it is done] by the testimony of Jurors And Johanna Palington
5 pleaded. And after the aforesaid John Haryot was outlawed at the suit of the aforesaid Richard in the plea abovesaid,
6 he came [with] letters of the lord King of pardon of the outlawry aforesaid as appears in Trinity term in the year of the
7 reign of the lord King now the fifth, Roll 6. Therefore it is considered that the aforesaid John Haryot should go thence without
8 day. And that the aforesaid Richard should take nothing by his writ but be in mercy for false claim etc.

CP 40/837 (Michaelmas 1470)

CP 40/837 (Michaelmas 1470) Legal Case Summary

This document, CP 40/837 from Michaelmas Term 1470, records a plea of trespass brought by Richard Isham against John Racheford of Rowell (Rothwell), Northamptonshire, carpenter.

The plea is a plea of trespass. Richard Isham is accusing John Racheford of breaking into his house in Northampton "with force and arms" and committing "other enormities," to Richard's "grave damage" and against the King's peace. John Racheford did not appear in court. The Sheriff was ordered to attach him, but reported that he had no possessions. Therefore, the Sheriff was ordered to take him into custody so that he would appear in court in the octave of St. Michael. The document is incomplete, ending mid-sentence.

The biographical significance of this case for Richard Isham is as follows:

  • Local Legal Engagement in Northamptonshire: This case demonstrates Richard Isham’s involvement in local legal matters within Northamptonshire by 1470, marking a shift from his earlier documented activities in Middlesex.
  • Property Ownership in Northampton: The case indicates Richard Isham owned a house in Northampton, suggesting property holdings and interests within the town itself, in addition to his Clipston connections.
  • Use of Legal System for Local Disputes: He is utilizing the Court of Common Pleas to address a local trespass, indicating his access to and recourse to the royal legal system for resolving local grievances and protecting his property rights.
  • Social Standing in Northamptonshire: Initiating a case in the Common Pleas for trespass, even in a local context, suggests Richard Isham held a recognized social standing within Northamptonshire society, allowing him to leverage the legal system for dispute resolution.

Abbreviated Latin Text

Line Text
1 Norht': Ric'us Isham p' attorn' suu' op' se iij'to die v'sus Joh'em Racheford de Rowell in com' p'd'c'o carpenter
2 de pl'ito quare vi et armis domu' ip'ius Ric'i apud Northampton' fregit Et alia enormia etc. Ad g've
3 dampnu' etc. Et cont' pacem d'ni Regis Angl' etc. Et ip'e non ven'. Et p'cept' fuit vic'
4 q'd attach' eu' etc. Et vic' modo mand' q'd nich'il h'et etc. I'o capiat' q'd sit hic in octabis s'ci

Expanded Latin Text

Line Text
1 Northamptonia: Ricardus Isham per attornatum suum optulit se tercio die versus Johannem Racheford de Rowell in comitatu predicto carpenter
2 de placito quare vi et armis domum ipsius Ricardi apud Northamptoniam fregit Et alia enormia etc. Ad grave
3 dampnum etc. Et contra pacem domini Regis Anglie etc. Et ipse non venit. Et preceptum fuit vicecomiti
4 quod attachiet eum etc. Et vicecomes modo mandavit quod nichil habet etc. Ideo capiatur quod sit hic in octabis sancti

English Translation

Line Text
1 Northamptonshire: Richard Isham by his attorney offered himself on the third day against John Racheford of Rowell in the aforesaid county, carpenter,
2 concerning a plea wherefore with force and arms he broke the house of the same Richard at Northampton and [committed] other enormities etc. To the grave
3 damage etc. And against the peace of the lord King of England etc. And he did not come. And it was ordered to the Sheriff
4 that he attach him etc. And the Sheriff now reported that he has nothing etc. Therefore it is ordered that he be taken so that he is here in the octave of St.

CP 40/841 (Hilary 1472) - Common Recovery

AALT Image

AALT Index

County: Northamptonshire

People Involved: Richard Isham, Robert Isham (Likely father of Richard Isham), John Alyngton, Peter Lodyngton

Places: East Farndon (Farendon), Haneyborough (near Market Harborough)

CP 40/841 (Hilary 1472) - Analysis as a Common Recovery

This document, CP 40/841 from Hilary Term 1472, is likely a record of a Common Recovery, a legal procedure used to convert entailed land into fee simple (freehold). While appearing as a genuine lawsuit, it was in fact a collusive action designed to circumvent the restrictions of entailment and allow for the easier sale or transfer of land. The case involves Richard Isham (the demandant), who initiates a plea, against Robert Isham (likely Richard's father) (the tenant in possession). Given that Robert Isham died not long after in 1474, this action likely represents a strategic move by Robert concerning his land holdings in anticipation of his death and inheritance arrangements.

The action is initiated by a writ of right (de recto). Richard Isham claims 12 acres of meadow and 14 acres of pasture with appurtenances in Farendon, near Haneyborough (East Farndon by Market Harborough), as his rightful inheritance. He fictionally claimed that his great-grandfather, John Longleyle, was seised of the land and that Richard inherited from him. Richard asserts his claim as Longleyle's heir, offering to prove his claim (though this proof is not genuinely contested in a common recovery). The record notes that Longleyle, described as "capitalis domino feodi illius" (chief lord of that fee), had remitted his court to the lord King, indicating the land was held of the King as chief lord.

Robert Isham appears in court and, instead of genuinely defending his title against Richard, he vouches to warranty John Alyngton. This is a key element of the common recovery process. By vouching to warranty, Robert is nominally claiming that Alyngton is obligated to defend the title, but in reality, this is a pre-arranged step. John Alyngton appears and warrants the land. Robert then shifts his claim to be against John Alyngton as the warrantor, repeating the claim for the land and pasture. Again, this is part of the collusive process, not a genuine dispute between Robert and Alyngton.

John Alyngton, now the warrantor, further vouches to warranty Peter Lodyngton, who also appears in court. According to expert feedback, in common recoveries, the final warrantor was often a common vouchee, a court official (like a court crier) playing a purely nominal role. Expert feedback strongly suggests that the final warrantor here should be Peter Lodyngton, as he was a known common vouchee. Alyngton warrants the land to Lodyngton. Richard Isham now pursues his claim against Peter Lodyngton, the final warrantor (common vouchee). This chain of vouching to warranty is a deliberate legal fiction to create the framework for the recovery.

Peter Lodyngton, as the final warrantor (or common vouchee), makes a nominal defense, placing himself "upon the great assize of the lord King" and requests a recognition (recognicionem) to be made. This is a formal step within a writ of right, where the warrantor ostensibly submits the case to a form of jury trial, though in a common recovery it is purely procedural. Crucially, Richard Isham then requests a license to imparl. When the court reconvenes, Richard reappears, but Robert Isham, John Alyngton, and Peter Lodyngton all fail to reappear, despite Peter Lodyngton being "solemnly demanded" (solempnit' exact). This is a pre-arranged default, essential to the common recovery process. By defaulting, the defendants formally concede the case.

Consequently, the court rules in favor of Richard Isham. It is judged that Richard Isham should recover his seisin of the land from Robert Isham. This "recovery" is the key outcome of the common recovery – it's a legally sanctioned transfer of land ownership. The judgment also addresses the warranty chain fictionally. Robert Isham is ordered to receive land of equal value from John Alyngton, and John Alyngton from Peter Lodyngton. However, this compensation was entirely fictional and unenforceable. John Alyngton and Peter Lodyngton (especially as the common vouchee) would likely own no land, and this part of the judgment was purely symbolic to complete the legal form. Peter Lodyngton is also found to be "in mercy" (in misericordia), meaning a nominal fine payable to the King, again part of the formality.

In summary, Richard Isham did not genuinely "win" a contested land dispute against his father, Robert Isham. Instead, this case represents a Common Recovery, a legal fiction orchestrated by Robert Isham, likely to convert entailed land into fee simple and facilitate its transfer, presumably to Richard, possibly as part of inheritance planning given Robert's death shortly after in 1474. The court record itself served as a new title deed for the land in fee simple.

The "biographical significance" of this case shifts significantly when considering the likely father-son relationship between Robert and Richard Isham:

Land Transfer to Heir: This Common Recovery strongly suggests a deliberate act by Robert Isham to transfer land to his likely son, Richard. Converting the entailed land to fee simple would allow Robert to bequeath or grant the land to Richard more freely, without the restrictions of entailment.

Provision for Richard's Future: Given Robert Isham's death in 1474, just two years after this case, the Common Recovery likely represents Robert making provision for Richard's future land holdings. By converting the land to fee simple and ensuring Richard was recorded as the "recoverer," Robert could secure Richard's ownership.

Family Land Management: This action highlights the strategic management of family land holdings within the Isham family. Robert Isham utilized a sophisticated legal mechanism to ensure the desired inheritance and control over land tenure, rather than being bound by older entailment restrictions.

Richard's Role as Beneficiary: Richard Isham's role is not that of an independent claimant, but rather as the intended beneficiary of his father's legal maneuver. He is a willing participant in a process designed to benefit him, rather than an adversarial litigant.

Pre-Mortem Inheritance Planning: The timing of this Common Recovery, close to Robert Isham's death, strongly suggests it was part of Robert's pre-mortem inheritance planning. He was actively using the legal system to shape the future distribution of his land and provide for his heir, Richard.

The transcriptions below were made using Claude 3.7 Sonnet LLM (Thinking Mode) with a draft from the Transkribus UCL Toronto #7 HTR model.

Abbreviated Latin Text

Line Text
1 Norht': ¶ Ric'us Isham in pp'ia p'sona sua pet' v'sus Rob'tum Isham duodecim acras prati et quatuordecim acras
2 pasture cum p'tin' in Farendon' iuxta Haneyborough ut ius et hereditatem suam p' br'e d'ni Reg' de
3 recto. Unde Joh'es Longleyle cap'tale d'no feodi illius d'no Reg' inde remisit cur' suam etc. Et unde dic' q'd
4 ip'emet fuit seisitus de prato et pasturis p'd'cis cum p'tin' in d'nico suo ut de feodo et iure t'pore pacis t'pore
5 d'ni Reg' nunc capiend' inde explec' ad valenc' etc. Et q'd tale sit ius suum offert etc.
6 ¶ Et p'd'cus Rob'tus Isham in pp'ia p'sona sua ven' et defend' ius p'd'ci Ric'di quando etc. et seisinam eius de
7 qua etc. ut de feodo et iure et totum etc. Et maxime de prato et pasturis p'd'cis cum p'tin' et voc' inde ad
8 warr' Joh'em Alyngton qui modo p'sens est hic in cur' in pp'ia p'sona sua et gratis pratum et pasturam p'd'cam
9 cum p'tin' ei warr'izat etc. Et sup' hoc p'd'cus Ric'dus pet' v'sus p'd'cm Joh'em tenentem p' warr' suam
10 pratum et pasturas p'd'cas cum p'tin' in forma p'd'ca. Et unde dic' q'd ip'emet fuit seisitus de prato et pasturis p'd'cis
11 cum p'tin' in d'nico suo ut de feodo et iure t'pore pacis t'pore d'ni Reg' nunc capiend' inde explec' ad
12 valenc' etc. Et q'd tale sit ius suum offert etc.
13 ¶ Et p'd'cus Joh'es tenens p' warr' suam defend' ius p'd'ci Ric'di quando etc. et seisinam eius de qua etc.
14 et totum etc. ut de feodo et iure et maxime de prato et pasturis p'd'cis. Et voc' inde ad warr' Petrum
15 Lodyngton qui modo p'sens est hic in cur' in pp'ia p'sona sua et gratis pratum et pasturam p'd'cas cum p'tin'
16 eidem Joh'i warr'izat etc. Et sup' hoc p'd'cus Ric'dus pet' v'sus p'd'cm Petrum tenentem p' warr' suam
17 pratum et pasturas p'd'cas cum p'tin' in forma p'd'ca. Et unde dic' q'd ip'emet fuit seisitus de prato et pasturis p'd'cis
18 cum p'tin' in d'nico suo ut de feodo et iure t'pore pacis t'pore d'ni Reg' nunc capiend' inde explec'
19 ad valenc' etc. Et q'd tale sit ius suum offert etc.
20 ¶ Et p'd'cus Petrus defend' ius p'd'ci Ric'di quando etc. et seisinam eius de qua etc. ut de feodo et iure totum
21 etc. et maxime de prato et pasturis p'd'cis cum p'tin' et pon' se in magnam assi'am d'ni Reg' et pet'
22 recogn' fieri utrum ip'e maius ius h'eat tenendi pratum et pasturas p'd'cas cum p'tin' sibi et her' suis
23 ut tenens inde p' warr' suam ut ille tenet an p'd'cus Ric'dus h'endi pratum et pasturas p'd'cas
24 cum p'tin' ut ille sup'ius pet' etc.
25 ¶ Et p'd'cus Ric'dus pet' licenc' inde int'loquendi et h'et etc. Et postea idem Ric'dus hic in cur'
26 isto eodem t'mino in pp'ia p'sona sua et p'd'cus Petrus solempnit' exact' non ven' set in contemptum
27 cur' recessit et defalt' fec' Io cons' est q'd p'd'cus Ric'dus recup'et seisinam suam v'sus p'd'cm Rob'tum de
28 prato et pasturis p'd'cis cum p'tin' tenend' sibi et her' suis quiete de eodem Rob'to et her' suis et etiam
29 de p'd'co Joh'e et her' suis Et de p'd'co Petro et her' suis imp'p'm Et q'd p'd'cus Rob'tus h'eat de t'ra p'd'ci
30 Joh'is et idem Joh'es h'eat de t'ra p'd'ci Petri ad valenc' etc. Et idem Petrus in m'ia etc.

Expanded Latin Text

Line Text
1 Northamptonia: ¶ Ricardus Isham in propria persona sua petit versus Robertum Isham duodecim acras prati et quatuordecim acras
2 pasture cum pertinentiis in Farendon iuxta Haneyborough ut ius et hereditatem suam per breve domini Regis de
3 recto. Unde Johannes Longleyle capitalis domino feodi illius domino Regi inde remisit curiam suam etc. Et unde dicit quod
4 ipsemet fuit seisitus de prato et pasturis predictis cum pertinentiis in dominico suo ut de feodo et iure tempore pacis tempore
5 domini Regis nunc capiendo inde expletas ad valenciam etc. Et quod tale sit ius suum offert etc.
6 ¶ Et predictus Robertus Isham in propria persona sua venit et defendit ius predicti Ricardi quando etc. et seisinam eius de
7 qua etc. ut de feodo et iure et totum etc. Et maxime de prato et pasturis predictis cum pertinentiis et vocat inde ad
8 warrantiam Johannem Alyngton qui modo presens est hic in curia in propria persona sua et gratis pratum et pasturam predictam
9 cum pertinentiis ei warrantizat etc. Et super hoc predictus Ricardus petit versus predictum Johannem tenentem per warrantiam suam
10 pratum et pasturas predictas cum pertinentiis in forma predicta. Et unde dicit quod ipsemet fuit seisitus de prato et pasturis predictis
11 cum pertinentiis in dominico suo ut de feodo et iure tempore pacis tempore domini Regis nunc capiendo inde expletas ad
12 valenciam etc. Et quod tale sit ius suum offert etc.
13 ¶ Et predictus Johannes tenens per warrantiam suam defendit ius predicti Ricardi quando etc. et seisinam eius de qua etc.
14 et totum etc. ut de feodo et iure et maxime de prato et pasturis predictis. Et vocat inde ad warrantiam Petrum
15 Lodyngton qui modo presens est hic in curia in propria persona sua et gratis pratum et pasturam predictas cum pertinentiis
16 eidem Johanni warrantizat etc. Et super hoc predictus Ricardus petit versus predictum Petrum tenentem per warrantiam suam
17 pratum et pasturas predictas cum pertinentiis in forma predicta. Et unde dicit quod ipsemet fuit seisitus de prato et pasturis predictis
18 cum pertinentiis in dominico suo ut de feodo et iure tempore pacis tempore domini Regis nunc capiendo inde expletas
19 ad valenciam etc. Et quod tale sit ius suum offert etc.
20 ¶ Et predictus Petrus defendit ius predicti Ricardi quando etc. et seisinam eius de qua etc. ut de feodo et iure totum
21 etc. et maxime de prato et pasturis predictis cum pertinentiis et ponit se in magnam assisam domini Regis et petit
22 recognicionem fieri utrum ipse maius ius habeat tenendi pratum et pasturas predictas cum pertinentiis sibi et heredibus suis
23 ut tenens inde per warrantiam suam ut ille tenet an predictus Ricardus habendi pratum et pasturas predictas
24 cum pertinentiis ut ille superius petit etc.
25 ¶ Et predictus Ricardus petit licenciam inde interloquendi et habet etc. Et postea idem Ricardus hic in curia
26 isto eodem termino in propria persona sua et predictus Petrus solempniter exactus non venit set in contemptum
27 curie recessit et defaltam fecit Ideo consideratum est quod predictus Ricardus recuperet seisinam suam versus predictum Robertum de
28 prato et pasturis predictis cum pertinentiis tenendum sibi et heredibus suis quiete de eodem Roberto et heredibus suis et etiam
29 de predicto Johanne et heredibus suis Et de predicto Petro et heredibus suis imperpetuum Et quod predictus Robertus habeat de terra predicti
30 Johannis et idem Johannes habeat de terra predicti Petri ad valenciam etc. Et idem Petrus in misericordia etc.

English Translation

Line Text
1 Northamptonshire: ¶ Richard Isham in his own person seeks against Robert Isham twelve acres of meadow and fourteen acres
2 of pasture with appurtenances in Farendon near Haneyborough as his right and inheritance by writ of the lord King of
3 right. Whereupon John Longleyle, chief lord of that fee, remitted his court thereof to the lord King etc. And concerning which he says that
4 he himself was seised of the aforesaid meadow and pastures with appurtenances in his demesne as of fee and right in time of peace in the time of
5 the lord King now, taking from them profits to the value etc. And that such is his right he offers etc.
6 ¶ And the aforesaid Robert Isham in his own person comes and defends the right of the aforesaid Richard when etc. and his seisin of
7 which etc. as of fee and right and the whole etc. And especially of the aforesaid meadow and pastures with appurtenances and vouches to warranty concerning it
8 John Alyngton who now present is here in court in his own person and freely warrants to him the aforesaid meadow and pasture
9 with appurtenances etc. And thereupon the aforesaid Richard seeks against the aforesaid John, tenant by his warranty,
10 the aforesaid meadow and pastures with appurtenances in the form aforesaid. And concerning which he says that he himself was seised of the aforesaid meadow and pastures
11 with appurtenances in his demesne as of fee and right in time of peace in the time of the lord King now, taking from them profits to the
12 value etc. And that such is his right he offers etc.
13 ¶ And the aforesaid John, tenant by his warranty, defends the right of the aforesaid Richard when etc. and his seisin of which etc.,
14 and the whole etc. as of fee and right and especially of the aforesaid meadow and pastures. And he vouches to warranty concerning it Peter
15 Lodyngton who now present is here in court in his own person and freely warrants to the same John the aforesaid meadow and pasture with appurtenances
16 etc. And thereupon the aforesaid Richard seeks against the aforesaid Peter, tenant by his warranty,
17 the aforesaid meadow and pastures with appurtenances in the form aforesaid. And concerning which he says that he himself was seised of the aforesaid meadow and pastures
18 with appurtenances in his demesne as of fee and right in time of peace in the time of the lord King now, taking from them profits
19 to the value etc. And that such is his right he offers etc.
20 ¶ And the aforesaid Peter defends the right of the aforesaid Richard when etc. and his seisin of which etc. as of fee and right the whole
21 etc. and especially of the aforesaid meadow and pastures with appurtenances and places himself upon the great assize of the lord King and asks
22 for a recognition to be made as to whether he has greater right to hold the aforesaid meadow and pastures with appurtenances to himself and his heirs
23 as tenant thereof by his warranty as he holds it or the aforesaid Richard to have the aforesaid meadow and pastures
24 with appurtenances as he above seeks etc.
25 ¶ And the aforesaid Richard asks license to imparl therein and he has it etc. And afterwards the same Richard [returns] here into court,
26 in this same term in his own person and the aforesaid Peter, solemnly demanded, did not come but in contempt of
27 court withdrew and made default. Therefore it is considered that the aforesaid Richard should recover his seisin against the aforesaid Robert concerning
28 the aforesaid meadow and pastures with appurtenances to hold to him and his heirs quit of the same Robert and his heirs and also
29 of the aforesaid John and his heirs And of the aforesaid Peter and his heirs forever. And that the aforesaid Robert should have [land] from the land of the aforesaid
30 John and the same John should have [land] from the land of the aforesaid Peter to the value etc. And the same Peter [is] in mercy etc.

C 1/39/294

Image on AALT

Index entry from TNA

Reference: C 1/39/294

Short Title: Isham v Isham

Date: 1433-1443 or more likely 1467-1472

Jurisdiction: Chancery

County: Northamptonshire

Places: Irthlingborough (Irtelyngburgh)

Persons:

Plaintiffs: Richard Isham

Defendants: Robert Isham

Mentioned: Thomas Ward, Richard Erle, John Barker, Thomas Isham (feoffee), Henry Veysy, Symon Heny Hodleston, Robert Isham (knight/feoffee), Edmund Hasylwode, John Ward, Johanne Ward (deceased), Giles de Irtelyngburgh, John de Irtelyngburgh, John Isham (feoffee - not defendant in this action), Bishop of Bath (Chancellor of England).

C 1/39/294 Chancery Case Summary

This document, C 1/39/294, is a bill of complaint in the Court of Chancery, brought by Richard Isham against Robert Isham. The case concerns a dispute over messuages and tenements in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, which were formerly owned by Thomas Ward. The dating of the document is estimated between 1433-1443 or more likely 1467-1472, with the latter period being more consistent with the known timeframe of Richard Isham of Clipston's activities.

The plaintiff, Richard Isham, states that Thomas Ward, being seised of property in Irthlingborough after the death of his father, John Ward, enfeoffed (transferred property in trust to) a group of individuals: Richard Erle, John Barker, Thomas Isham, Henry Veysy, Symon Heny Hodleston, and Robert Isham (knight). This feoffment was to the use of (for the benefit of) Edmund Hasylwode, Robert Veysy, Thomas Heny, Symon Hodleston, and Robert Isham.

According to Richard Isham’s complaint, Thomas Ward declared his will and intent regarding this feoffment. He instructed the feoffees to make an estate in the property to Richard Isham (the plaintiff) and his bodily heirs. Failing such heirs, the remainder was also to Richard Isham (plaintiff) and his bodily heirs (likely a repetition or clarification in the original will for legal emphasis). If Richard Isham had no bodily heirs, the feoffees were instructed to sell the property and distribute the proceeds for pious works for the souls of Richard, Johanne (deceased), John Ward, Thomas Ward, and all other deceased of the Giles & John de Irtelyngburgh family.

Richard Isham states that Thomas Ward died without issue. Some of the feoffees, Henry Veysy and Symon Heny Hodleston, have apparently relinquished their role or interest in the feoffment. The remaining feoffees are presumably Robert Isham (the defendant) and possibly John Isham (mentioned later in the document but not explicitly as a defendant in this action).

The core of the dispute is that Richard Isham (plaintiff) has repeatedly requested Robert Isham (defendant) and John Isham (another feoffee) to create the estate in the Irthlingborough property for him, as per Thomas Ward's declared will. However, Robert Isham (defendant) has refused to do so.

The document includes a somewhat unclear phrase stating that Robert Isham "bylaunder of the said John to haue in the same mesey croftes landes medewes And yonges hath thappurtennces Accordyng to the said Will And entent afore rehersed which to do the said Robt Isham to make to hym estate of And in All the said mesey croftes landes medewes And yonges hath thappurtennces Accordyng to the said Robt Isham commaundyng hym to come to dyuers tymes the beyng in his Prisonment he knoweth not what". This suggests that Robert Isham may be slandering or misrepresenting the intentions to another feoffee, John Isham, and possibly even exerting duress or influence over John Isham ("Prisonment he knoweth not what") to prevent the proper conveyance of the estate to Richard Isham (plaintiff).

Richard Isham, therefore, petitions the Bishop of Bath, Chancellor of England, to intervene. He requests the Chancellor to compel Robert Isham (defendant) to appear in Chancery and answer the complaint, and to order him to fulfill the terms of Thomas Ward's will and feoffment by granting Richard Isham the estate in the Irthlingborough property.

The document is signed by Johannes Wellesborne, Phelipe Agard, and Johannes Dunmowe Comend, likely scribes or officials associated with the Chancery court.

The biographical significance of this case for Richard Isham is as follows:

Family Dispute and Brother vs. Brother Litigation: This Chancery case reveals a legal dispute between Richard Isham and his brother, Robert Isham. This adds a layer of personal and familial complexity to Richard Isham's biography, showing potential tensions within the Isham family.

Chancery Court Engagement: Unlike the Common Pleas cases which primarily concern debt and property rights enforcement at common law, this case is in the Court of Chancery. This highlights Richard Isham's recourse to equity jurisdiction to resolve a dispute concerning a feoffment and the intended "use" of property based on conscience and fairness, rather than strict common law rules.

Inheritance and Landed Property: The case centers on inheritance and landed property in Irthlingborough, further emphasizing the importance of land ownership and family estates in Richard Isham's life and the lives of the gentry. It suggests Richard Isham was actively seeking to secure property rights that he believed were rightfully his based on the intentions of a prior owner (Thomas Ward) and the terms of a feoffment.

Role as Intended Beneficiary: Richard Isham positions himself as the intended beneficiary of Thomas Ward's will and the feoffment, claiming that Robert Isham is unjustly preventing him from receiving the estate. This reinforces the picture of Richard Isham as someone concerned with his patrimony and willing to pursue legal avenues to protect his perceived rights.

Unclear Actions of Robert Isham: The document hints at potentially questionable actions by Robert Isham, including possible slander and undue influence or duress against another feoffee, John Isham. While the details are unclear, this suggests a potentially contentious and complex family conflict underlying the legal dispute.

Transcription of C 1/39/294

Line Text
1 To the right honorable and full prudent lord and ffather in god
2 the Bisshop of Bathe Chaunceler of England
3 Mekely besecheth vnto youre lordship Richard Isham that Thomas Ward beyng seased in his demeane as in fee of certayn messuages and tenementis in Irtelyngburgh in the countie of
4 Northampton Sonne hym decessed after the deth of John Ward his ffader And Also the same Thomas Ward seised of ij croftes gardyns and in Rodes of land with thappurtennce in the said towne of
5 Irtelyngburgh in his demeane as in fee And so seised of And in All the same mesey croftes landes medewes yong with thappurtennces enfeoffed Richard Erle John Barker Thomas Isham
6 Henrie Veysy Symon Heny Hodleston And Robt Isham knyghtes to haue to theyme And to theyres of the said Richard Erle heny Symon And Robt Isham to thuse of Edmund Hasylwode the said
7 Robt Veysy Thomas Heny Symon Hodleston And Robt Isham Syne passed Accordyng And therupon the said Thomas Ward to theym declared his Will And entent of the same feoffement that
8 is to say that they at the request to theymward shuld of All the said mesey croftes landes medewes And yonges make estate to the said Richard Isham to haue to him And to the heyres of his body
9 begotten And for lakke of such yssue the remaynder to the said Richard Isham to haue All the said mesey croftes landes medewes And yonges to hym And to the heyres of his body begotten And for
10 lakke of such yssue the same mesey croftes landes medewes And yonges to be sold by the discretion of the said feoffey And the money comyng for the sale of the same to be
11 distributed in works pious for the welthe of Richard And Johanne his decessed John Ward And the said Thomas Ward And All other decessed of the said Giles & John de
12 Irtelyngburgh And after the said Thomas Ward died withoute yssue of his body begotten And the said heny & Symon be passed of the said estate in the feoffey afore expressed And
13 so seised And after the said Thomas Ward died withoute yssue of his body begotten And the said heny & Symon And Robt Isham hath oft tymes required the said Robt Isham
14 And prayed And desired John Isham to themore of the said feoffey to make in the same mesey croftes landes medewes And yonges to your said Richard Isham And heny Symon And Robt Isham
15 Accordyng the same heny which byslaunder of the said John to haue in the same mesey croftes landes medewes And yonges hath thappurtennces Accordyng to the said Will And entent afore rehersed which to do the said Robt
16 Isham to make to hym estate of And in All the said mesey croftes landes medewes And yonges hath thappurtennces Accordyng to the said Robt Isham commaundyng hym to come to dyuers tymes the beyng in his Prisonment he knoweth not what
17 doth please it youre lordship the premysses remembred to dyuert A Sweet to the said Robt commaundyng hym to come to Answere to the premysses And to obey that shall be adiuged by yo discretion in this behalf And he shall pray to god for yode
18 [Signatures at bottom right]
19 Johannes Wellesborne
20 Phelipe Agard
21 Johannes Dunmowe Comend

CP 40/841 (Hilary 1472)

  • [Index at AALT | Image at AALT]
  • County: Northamptonshire
  • Persons: Richard Isham, Richard Sherman
  • Places: Haverburgh

CP 40/841 (Hilary 1472) Legal Case Summary

This document, CP 40/841 from Hilary Term 1472, records a plea of trespass brought by Richard Isham against Richard Sherman of Haverburgh, Northamptonshire, fuller.

Richard Isham, in his own person, is pursuing a plea of trespass (quare vi et armis) against Richard Sherman. The claim states that Richard Sherman, with force and arms, broke Richard Isham's close (enclosed land) in "Little London" (p'vam London), and there cut down his growing grass, and took and carried away the hay made from it, to the value of forty shillings, and committed other outrages to his grave damage and against the King's peace.

Richard Sherman did not appear in court on the fourth day. As previously ordered, the Sheriff was commanded to seize him to ensure his appearance. The Sheriff now reports that Richard Sherman was not found. Therefore, the Sheriff is ordered again, as many times [as necessary], to seize him so that he is brought to court in the octave of the Purification of Blessed Mary (Candlemas).

The biographical significance of this case for Richard Isham is as follows:

  • Plea of Trespass: This case demonstrates Richard Isham using the legal system to address a direct act of trespass against his property. Unlike debt pleas, this is a tort action seeking redress for damage to land and goods.
  • Property Rights Enforcement: The case highlights Richard Isham's active enforcement of his property rights. He is taking legal action to protect his land and the produce from it (hay) from unauthorized actions.
  • Local Dispute: The location of the trespass in "Little London" (likely a field or area name, not the city of London) and the defendant being from Haverburgh, Northamptonshire, suggests this is a local dispute within Northamptonshire, reinforcing Richard Isham's landholding and activities in the county.
  • Persistence in Legal Process: Despite Richard Sherman's initial non-appearance and the Sheriff's inability to find him, Richard Isham persists in pursuing the case, leading to repeated orders for Sherman's arrest to compel his appearance in court.

Transcribed using Claude Sonnet 3.7 and Transkribus.

Abbreviated Latin Text

Line Text
1 Norht': Ric'us Isham in pp'ia p'sona sua op' se iiijto die v'sus Ric'um Shepman de Haverburgh in com' Norht' Fuller' de pl'ito
2 quare vi et armis clausum ip'ius Ric'i Ioh'em apud p'vam London fregit et herbam suam ib'm nup' crescent' falcavit et
3 fenu' inde p'venient' ad valenc' quadraginta solidor' cepit et asportavit et alia enormia ei ad g've dampnu' etc cont'
4 pace' etc Et ip'e non venit Et sicut p'us p'cept' fuit vic' q'd cap'et eu' etc Et vic' modo mand' q'd non est inventus etc
5 Io' sicut pl'ies capiat' It'a q'd sit hic in octabis purificac'onis b'e Mar' etc

Expanded Latin Text

Line Text
1 Northamptonia: Ricardus Isham in propria persona sua optulit se quarto die versus Ricardum Shepman de Haverburgh in comitatu Northamptonia Fuller de placito
2 quare vi et armis clausum ipsius Ricardi Iohannem apud parvam London fregit et herbam suam ibidem nuper crescentem falcavit et
3 fenum inde provenientem ad valenciam quadraginta solidorum cepit et asportavit et alia enormia ei ad grave dampnum etc contra
4 pacem etc Et ipse non venit Et sicut prius preceptum fuit vicecomiti quod caperet eum etc Et vicecomes modo mandat quod non est inventus etc
5 Ideo sicut pluries capiatur Ita quod sit hic in octabis purificacionis beate Marie etc

English Translation

Line Text
1 Northamptonshire: Richard Isham in his own person offered himself on the fourth day against Richard Shepman of Haverburgh in the county of Northamptonshire, Fuller, concerning a plea
2 wherefore with force and arms he broke the close of him, Richard Isham, at Little London and his grass there lately growing cut down and
3 hay thence coming to the value of forty shillings took and carried away and other outrages to him to the grave damage etc against
4 the peace etc. And he does not come. And as previously it was ordered to the Sheriff that he should seize him etc. And the Sheriff now reports that he is not found etc.
5 Therefore as many times let him be seized. So that he is here in the octave of the Purification of Blessed Mary etc.

CP 40/841 (Hilary 1472)

  • [Index at AALT | Image at AALT]
  • County: Northamptonshire
  • Persons: Richard Isham, Richard Sherman
  • Places: Haverburgh

CP 40/847 (Trinity 1473)

CP 40/854 (Hilary 1475) Legal Case Summary

This document, CP 40/854 from Hilary Term 1475, records a plea of nuisance brought by Richard Isham against John Saxby of Northampton.

Richard Isham is claiming that Thomas Saxby has created a nuisance by newly constructing gutters on his houses near Richard Isham's house in Northampton. Isham claims that rainwater from these new gutters flows excessively into a gutter between their houses, which has existed and been used from ancient times. This excessive water ingress has allegedly caused Richard Isham's house to be so flooded that its timber has become rotten, causing him damages of £100.

Richard Isham, through his attorney John Rothersole, complains that on Monday in the 12th year of the King's reign (likely Edward IV, thus 1472), Thomas Saxby newly made these gutters, causing the described water damage.

John Saxby, through his attorney Henry Cobham, denies the claim. He argues that while he did repair gutters on his houses near Richard Isham's house, as the writ and narration suggest, the timber of Richard Isham's house was already rotten and decayed *before* the repair of his gutters. He denies that the timber became rotten due to rainwater flowing from his newly repaired gutters into the shared gutter. Saxby offers to prove this and requests judgment as to whether Richard Isham should have his action against him.

Richard Isham argues that he should not be prevented from pursuing his action. He reasserts that the timber of his house became rotten due to rainwater flowing from Saxby's newly made gutters into the ancient shared gutter, as he stated in his writ and narration. He requests that this be inquired into by a jury, and Thomas Saxby agrees.

Therefore, the Sheriff is ordered to have a jury of twelve men brought to court fifteen days after Michaelmas to determine the truth of the matter.

The biographical significance of this case for Richard Isham is as follows:

  • Plea of Nuisance: This case illustrates Richard Isham engaging in a plea of nuisance, a legal action focused on resolving disputes between neighbours regarding property use and enjoyment. It is distinct from debt pleas and trespass, showing a broader range of legal actions pursued by Isham.
  • Property in Northampton: The case explicitly locates Richard Isham owning property in Northampton town itself, adding to the geographical scope of his land holdings beyond rural Clipston and Farndon.
  • Neighbour Dispute: The case reveals a property dispute between Richard Isham and a neighbour, John Saxby, concerning water drainage and shared property boundaries. This provides insight into the more personal, day-to-day aspects of property ownership and potential conflicts.
  • Significant Damages Claim: Richard Isham claims substantial damages of £100, suggesting the water damage to his house was considered severe and economically impactful. This highlights the potential value of his property in Northampton and the seriousness of the dispute.
  • Legal Argument and Jury Trial: The record shows a developed legal argument with Saxby claiming pre-existing rot and Isham refuting this. The case is set to be decided by a jury, indicating a contested factual issue requiring local community judgment.


Transcribed using Claude Sonnet 3.7 (Thinking) and Transkribus UCL#7.

Abbreviated Latin Text

Line Text
1 Northt': ¶ Ioh'es Saxby de No'hampton p'sentatus fuit ad respondendum Ric'o Isham de pl'ito quare
2 idem Thomas gutterias sup' domos suas p'pe quandam domum ip'ius Ric'i apud No'hampton
3 de novo fecit p' quas aquas pluviales p' gutterias p'd'cas in quandam gutteriam int' domum ip'ius
4 Ric'i et domum p'd'ci Thome ab antiquo ib'm h'itam & usitatam tam excessive descendentes q'd domus ip'ius Ric'i p' totu'
5 illa adeo impleta existit q'd maeremium eiusdem domus putridum devenit ad dampnum ip'ius Ric'i centum
6 librar' etc. Et unde idem Ric'us p' Ioh'em Rothersole attorn' suu' quer' q'd p'd'cus Thomas die lune
7 anno regni d'ni Regis nunc duodecimo d'cas gutterias sup' domos suas p'pe quandam domum ip'ius Ric'i apud
8 No'hampton de novo fecit fecit p' quas aquas pluviales p' gutterias p'd'cas in quandam gutteriam int' domum
9 ip'ius Ric'i et domum p'd'ci Thome ab antiquo ib'm h'itam & usitatam tam excessive descendentes q'd domus ip'ius Ric'i p' totu'
10 p'd'ca cum aqua illa adeo impleta existit q'd maeremium eiusdem domus putridum devenit ad dampnum
11 etc. et unde p'duc' sectam etc.
12 Et p'd'cus Thomas p' Henr' Cobh' attorn' suu' ven' et defend' vim et iniur' quando etc. Et dic' q'd p'd'cus
13 Ric'us accion'm d'cam v'sus eu' h'ere non debet quia dic' q'd bene et veru' est q'd ip'e fecit reparari d'cas
14 gutterias sup' d'cas domos suas p'd d'cam domum p'd'ci Ric'i de novo fieri fec' p'ut p' b're et narracom' sup'pon' Et dic'
15 q'd ante faccion' p'd'car' diuar' guttera' d'cum maeremium domus p'd'ci Ric'i fuit putr'dum et corruptum absq'
16 hoc q'd maeremium illud putridum devenit p' aquas pluviales p' p'd'cas gutterias sup' d'cas domos ip'ius Ric'i
17 de novo factas in p'd'cam gutteriam int' domum d'ci Ric'i et domum p'd'ci Thome ab antiquo h'itam descendentes p'ut
18 p'd'cus Ric'us p' b're et narracom' sua p'd'ca superius supponit Et hoc paratus est verificare unde petit iudiciu' si p'd'cus
19 Ric'us accion'm suam p'd'cam v'sus eu' h'ere debeat.
20 Et p'd'cus Ric'us dic' q'd ip'e p' aliqua p'allegata ab accio' sua p'd'ca h'enda p'cludi non deb' quia dic' q'd d'cum
21 maeremium domus ip'ius Ric'i putr'dum devenit p' aquas pluviales p' p'd'cas gutterias sup' d'cas domos de
22 novo factas in p'd'ca gutteria' int' domum ip'ius Ric'i et domum p'd'ci Thome ab antiquo h'itam descendentes p'ut
23 idem Ric'us p' b're et narracom' sua p'd'ca superius supponit Et hoc petit q'd inquiratur p' p'riam Et p'd'cus Thomas
24 similiter Id'o p'cept' est vic' q'd venire fac' hic a die s'ci Mich'is in xv dies xij etc p' quos etc Et qui
25 nec etc Ad recogn' etc Quia tam etc.

Expanded Latin Text

Line Text
1 Northamptonia: ¶ Iohannes Saxby de Northampton presentatus fuit ad respondendum Ricardo Isham de placito quare
2 idem Thomas gutterias super domos suas prope quandam domum ipsius Ricardi apud Northampton
3 de novo fecit per quas aquas pluviales per gutterias predictas in quandam gutteriam inter domum ipsius
4 Ricardi et domum predicti Thome ab antiquo ibidem habitam et usitatam tam excessive descendentes quod domus ipsius Ricardi per totum
5 illa adeo impleta existit quod maeremium eiusdem domus putridum devenit ad dampnum ipsius Ricardi centum
6 librarum etc. Et unde idem Ricardus per Iohannem Rothersole attornatum suum queritur quod predictus Thomas die lune
7 anno regni domini Regis nunc duodecimo dictas gutterias super domos suas prope quandam domum ipsius Ricardi apud
8 Northampton de novo fecit fecit per quas aquas pluviales per gutterias predictas in quandam gutteriam inter domum
9 ipsius Ricardi et domum predicti Thome ab antiquo ibidem habitam et usitatam tam excessive descendentes quod domus ipsius Ricardi per totum
10 predicta cum aqua illa adeo impleta existit quod maeremium eiusdem domus putridum devenit ad dampnum
11 etc. et unde producit sectam etc.
12 Et predictus Thomas per Henricum Cobham attornatum suum venit et defendit vim et iniuriam quando etc. Et dicit quod predictus
13 Ricardus accionem dictam versus eum habere non debet quia dicit quod bene et verum est quod ipse fecit reparari dictas
14 gutterias super dictas domos suas prope dictam domum predicti Ricardi de novo fieri fecit prout per breve et narracionem supponit Et dicit
15 quod ante faccionem predictarum diversarum gutterarum dictum maeremium domus predicti Ricardi fuit putridum et corruptum absque
16 hoc quod maeremium illud putridum devenit per aquas pluviales per predictas gutterias super dictas domos ipsius Ricardi
17 de novo factas in predictam gutteriam inter domum dicti Ricardi et domum predicti Thome ab antiquo habitam descendentes prout
18 predictus Ricardus per breve et narracionem sua predicta superius supponit Et hoc paratus est verificare unde petit iudicium si predictus
19 Ricardus accionem suam predictam versus eum habere debeat.
20 Et predictus Ricardus dicit quod ipse per aliqua preallegata ab accione sua predicta habenda precludi non debet quia dicit quod dictum
21 maeremium domus ipsius Ricardi putridum devenit per aquas pluviales per predictas gutterias super dictas domos de
22 novo factas in predicta gutteriam inter domum ipsius Ricardi et domum predicti Thome ab antiquo habitam descendentes prout
23 idem Ricardus per breve et narracionem sua predicta superius supponit Et hoc petit quod inquiratur per patriam Et predictus Thomas
24 similiter Ideo preceptum est vicecomiti quod venire faciat hic a die sancti Michaelis in xv dies xij etc per quos etc Et qui
25 nec etc Ad recognoscendum etc Quia tam etc.

English Translation

Line Text
1 Northamptonshire: ¶ John Saxby of Northampton was presented to answer Richard Isham concerning a plea wherefore
2 the same Thomas newly made gutters upon his houses near a certain house of him, Richard, in Northampton
3 through which rainwater through the aforesaid gutters into a certain gutter between the house of him,
4 Richard, and the house of the aforesaid Thomas from ancient time there had and used so excessively descends that the house of him, Richard, throughout
5 it is so filled that the timber of the same house has become rotten to the damage of him, Richard, of one hundred
6 pounds etc. And concerning which the same Richard by John Rothersole his attorney complains that the aforesaid Thomas on Monday
7 in the twelfth year of the reign of the lord King now, made the said gutters upon his houses near a certain house of him, Richard, in
8 Northampton newly made, through which rainwaters through the aforesaid gutters into a certain gutter between the house
9 of him, Richard, and the house of the aforesaid Thomas from ancient time there had and used so excessively descend that the house of him, Richard, throughout
10 the aforesaid with that water is so filled that the timber of the same house has become rotten to the damage
11 etc. and concerning which he produces suit etc.
12 And the aforesaid Thomas by Henry Cobham his attorney comes and defends the force and injury when etc. And he says that the aforesaid
13 Richard ought not to have the said action against him because he says that it is well and true that he caused to be repaired the said
14 gutters upon the said houses of his near the said house of the aforesaid Richard to be newly made as by the writ and narration he supposes. And he says
15 that before the making of the aforesaid diverse gutters the said timber of the house of the aforesaid Richard was rotten and decayed without
16 this that that timber became rotten by rainwaters through the aforesaid gutters upon the said houses of him, Richard,
17 newly made into the aforesaid gutter between the house of the said Richard and the house of the aforesaid Thomas from ancient time had descending as
18 the aforesaid Richard by his writ and narration aforesaid above supposes. And this he is ready to verify whence he asks judgment whether the aforesaid
19 Richard ought to have his aforesaid action against him.
20 And the aforesaid Richard says that he by anything pre-alleged ought not to be precluded from having his aforesaid action because he says that the said
21 timber of the house of him, Richard, became rotten by rainwaters through the aforesaid gutters upon the said houses newly
22 made into the aforesaid gutter between the house of him, Richard, and the house of the aforesaid Thomas from ancient time had descending as
23 the same Richard by his writ and narration aforesaid above supposes. And this he asks that it be inquired into by the country. And the aforesaid Thomas
24 likewise. Therefore it is ordered to the Sheriff that he cause to come here fifteen days from the day of Saint Michael twelve etc by whom etc And who
25 neither etc To recognise etc Because both etc.

CP 40/853 (Hilary 1475)

  • WAALT Index Page
  • Image at AALT
  • County: Northamptonshire
  • Persons: Margaret Isham (widow), Robert Isham (clerk, son), William Isham (son), Richard Isham (son), John Isham (son), John Leycetur
  • Places: Northampton

Thank you to Vance Mead for identifying this case.

CP 40/853 (Hilary 1475) Legal Case Summary

This document, CP 40/853 from Hilary Term 1475, records a legal action for debt. The plaintiffs are Margaret, who was the wife of Robert Isham, senior, along with their sons, Robert Isham (clerk), William Isham, Richard Isham, and John Isham. They are acting through their attorney.

The defendant is John Leycetur of Northampton, apothecary. The plea is a plea of debt, specifically for sixty-three shillings that the plaintiffs claim John Leycetur unjustly withholds ("quos eis iniuste detinet").

Procedurally, the document notes that the defendant did not appear in court ("Et ip'e non ven'"). He had been given a day in court via essoin (excuse for absence), but he failed to appear even after being summoned ("Et diem p' ess' suos hic ad hunc diem postq'm sum' etc."). Therefore, the court issues a mandate to the sheriff ("m'do m'dr' vic'") to attach (arrest or secure the appearance of) the defendant John Leycetur in the aforementioned plea. He is ordered to appear in court fifteen days after Easter ("a die Pasche in .xv. dies").

The dating of this document to Hilary Term 1475 (January-February 1475) indicates that Robert Isham Sr. died before this term, likely in 1474 or very early 1475, as his widow Margaret is acting as a plaintiff in this case.

The significance of this case for Robert Isham's biography, occurring shortly after his death in late 1474 or early 1475, is as follows:

  • Post-Mortem Legal Activity by Family: This document shows Robert Isham's widow, Margaret, and his sons actively pursuing legal claims related to his estate immediately following his death. This suggests the family's continued engagement with the legal system to manage their financial affairs.
  • Debt Recovery: The case is a straightforward debt action, indicating that Robert Isham Sr. was owed 63 shillings by John Leycetur, an apothecary from Northampton. This provides a glimpse into the financial transactions and economic relationships of the Isham family.
  • Family Confirmation: The document names Margaret (widow) and sons Robert (clerk), William, Richard, and John as joint plaintiffs, corroborating genealogical information about Robert Isham Sr.'s family and the names of his sons mentioned in the biographical overview. Robert's son being a clerk also aligns with potential career paths for sons of gentry families.
  • Local Context: The defendant, John Leycetur, being an apothecary from Northampton, places the Isham family within the local economic and social context of Northamptonshire. It shows their interactions with tradespeople in the nearby town.

Abbreviated Latin Text

Line Text
1 Norhpt': Marg'ia que fuit ux' Rob'ti Iseham' sen' Rob'tus cl'icus filius p'd'ci Rob'ti Iseham' sen' Will'us Iseham' filius
2 eiusdem Rob'ti Iseham' sen' Ric'us Iseham' filius p'd'ci Rob'ti Iseham' sen' et Joh'es Iseham' fil' p'd'ci Rob'ti
3 Iseham' sen' p' attornatum suu' op' se .iiij. die v'sus Joh'em Leycetur' de
4 Norhamptona in com' p'd'co potecary de pl'ito q'd reddat eis sexaginta et tres solidos quos eis iniuste
5 detinet etc. Et ip'e non ven'. Et diem p' ess' suos hic ad hunc diem postq'm sum' etc. Et ideo m'do m'dr' vic',
6 q'd att'o p'd'co Joh' Leycetur' pl'ito p'd'co q'd sit hic a die Pasche in .xv. dies etc.

Expanded Latin Text

Line Text
1 Norhampton: Margeria que fuit uxor Roberti Iseham senioris Robertus clericus filius predicti Roberti Iseham senioris Willelmus Iseham filius
2 eiusdem Roberti Iseham senioris Ricardus Isham filius predicti Roberti Isham senioris et Johannes Isham filius predicti Roberti
3 Isham senioris per attornatum suum optulit se quarto die versus Johannem Leycetur de
4 Norhamptona in comitatu predicto potecary de placito quod reddat eis sexaginta et tres solidos quos eis iniuste
5 detinet etc. Et ipse non venit. Et diem per essoniatores suos hic ad hunc diem postquam summonitus etc. Et ideo mandatum mandatur vicecomiti,
6 quod attachiat predicto Johanni Leycetur placito predicto quod sit hic a die Pasche in quindecim dies etc.

English Translation

Line Text
1 Northamptonshire: Margaret who was the wife of Robert Isham senior, Robert clerk son of the aforesaid Robert Isham senior, William Isham son
2 of the same Robert Isham senior, Richard Isham son of the aforesaid Robert Isham senior, and John Isham son of the aforesaid Robert
3 Isham senior by their attorney presented themselves on the fourth day against John Leycetur of
4 Northampton in the aforesaid county, apothecary, concerning a plea that he render to them sixty and three shillings which he unjustly
5 withholds etc. And he did not come. And he had a day by his essoiners here at this day after he was summoned etc. And therefore now mandate is given to the sheriff,
6 that he attach the aforesaid John Leycetur concerning the aforesaid plea that he be here fifteen days from Easter day etc.

CP 40/853 (Hilary 1475)

  • [Index at AALT | Image at AALT]
  • County: Northamptonshire
  • Persons: John Hulcote, William Dudley, John Elryngton, Robert Isam, Richard Isam, Richard Jeny, William Spen
  • Places: Westminster, Lueston' (unidentified)

CP 40/853 (Hilary 1475) Legal Case Summary

This document, CP 40/853 from Hilary Term 1475, records a plea of trespass brought by multiple plaintiffs, including Richard Isham, against Richard Jeny, late of Westminster, Middlesex, armiger (esquire), and William Spen of Westminster, Middlesex, armiger.

The plaintiffs are John Hulcote, armiger (esquire), William Dudley, clericus (clerk), John Elryngton, Robert Isam, clericus (clerk), and Richard Isam. They are jointly pursuing a plea of trespass (quare vi et armis). They claim that Richard Jeny and William Spen, with force and arms, broke their close at Lueston' (location unidentified). They claim damages and that the action was against the King's peace.

Richard Jeny and William Spen did not appear in court on the fourth day. The Sheriff was ordered to attach them to ensure their appearance. The Sheriff reported that they had no possessions [in Northamptonshire]. Therefore, it is ordered that they be taken so that they appear in court fifteen days after Easter.

The biographical significance of this case for Richard Isham is as follows:

  • Joint Legal Action: This case is unusual in that Richard Isham is a co-plaintiff with several other individuals, including John Hulcote, William Dudley, John Elryngton, and Robert Isam. This suggests a shared interest or grievance that led them to pursue legal action jointly.
  • Plea of Trespass: Similar to other cases, Richard Isham is involved in a plea of trespass, indicating his willingness to use the legal system to protect property rights.
  • Action Against Esquires from Westminster: The defendants, Richard Jeny and William Spen, are identified as esquires "of Westminster, Middlesex," suggesting they were individuals of some social standing and located in the London area. The fact that the case is in Northamptonshire court, yet the defendants are of Westminster, is somewhat unusual and the location of "Lueston'" is unclear, potentially being in Northamptonshire or Middlesex.
  • Possible Land Interests with Others: The joint nature of the action and the involvement of individuals like John Hulcote and William Dudley might indicate Richard Isham was involved in land holdings or other ventures in partnership or association with these individuals, leading to a collective response to the alleged trespass.

Transcribed using Claude Sonnet 3.7 (Thinking) and Transkribus.

Abbreviated Latin Text

Line Text
1 Northo: ¶ Ioh'es Hulcote armig' Will'us Dudley cl'icus Ioh'es Elryngton' Rob'tus Isam cl'icus et Ric'us
2 Isam p' attorn' suu' op' se iiij die v'sus Ric'um Jeny nup' de villa Westm' in com' Midd' armig'um
3 et Will'm Spen' de villa Westm' in com' Midd' armig'um de pl'ito quare vi et armis clausum
4 ip'or' Ioh'is Hulcote Will'i Dudley Ioh'es Elryngton' Rob'ti et Ric'i apud Lueston' fregerunt et alia
5 enormia eis fec' ad grave dampnu' eor' et cont' pacem etc. Et ip'i non ven'. Et prec' fuit vic' q'd attach'
6 eos etc. Et vic' modo mand' q'd nich'l h'ent etc. Io cap'antur q'd sint hic a die Pasche in xv dies.

Expanded Latin Text

Line Text
1 Northamptonia: ¶ Iohannes Hulcote armiger Willelmus Dudley clericus Iohannes Elryngton Robertus Isam clericus et Ricardus
2 Isam per attornatum suum optulerunt se quarto die versus Ricardum Jeny nuper de villa Westmonasterii in comitatu Middlesexie armigerum
3 et Willelmum Spen de villa Westmonasterii in comitatu Middlesexie armigerum de placito quare vi et armis clausum
4 ipsorum Iohannis Hulcote Willelmi Dudley Iohannis Elryngton Roberti et Ricardi apud Lueston fregerunt et alia
5 enormia eis fecerunt ad grave dampnum eorum et contra pacem etc. Et ipsi non venerunt. Et preceptum fuit vicecomiti quod attachiaret
6 eos etc. Et vicecomes modo mandavit quod nichil habent etc. Ideo capiantur quod sint hic a die Pasche in quindecim dies.

English Translation

Line Text
1 Northamptonshire: ¶ John Hulcote, esquire, William Dudley, clerk, John Elryngton, Robert Isam, clerk, and Richard
2 Isam by their attorney offered themselves on the fourth day against Richard Jeny, late of the vill of Westminster in the county of Middlesex, esquire,
3 and William Spen of the vill of Westminster in the county of Middlesex, esquire, concerning a plea wherefore with force and arms the close
4 of them, John Hulcote, William Dudley, John Elryngton, Robert and Richard at Lueston they broke and other
5 outrages to them they did to the grave damage of them and against the peace etc. And they did not come. And it was ordered to the Sheriff that he attach
6 them etc. And the Sheriff now reported that they have nothing etc. Therefore let them be taken so that they are here fifteen days from the day of Easter.

CP 40/871 (Hilary 1480)

  • County: Lincolnshire
  • Persons: Richard Fryston, William Bolton, Richard Isham, Richard Frost, Nicholas Thorp
  • Places: St Pauls, Cadyngton, Gillyngham


This document, CP 40/871 from Hilary Term 1480, records a legal proceeding in London concerning an outlawry against Nicholas Thorp, lately of Gillyngham in Kent, husbandman. The action is pursued at the suit of William Bolton, Chancellor of the Lord King, clerk, Richard Isham, Beneficiary, and Richard Frost, lately overseers and executors of the testament of Richard Fryston, late one of the clerks of the Chancery of the Lord King, and late Canon of St. Paul's Cathedral London and late Prebendary of the prebend of Cadyngton Minor in the same, who in that church was a residentiary and stagiary, otherwise called Richard Fryston clerk. The plea is a plea of debt.

The record details that Nicholas Thorp had been outlawed in London on Monday before the feast of St. Barnabas (June 11) in the 18th year of the King's reign (likely Edward IV, thus 1478) at the suit of the aforementioned plaintiffs. Nicholas Thorp was arrested and brought to court. He argued that he should not be held for outlawry because on the day the original writ was issued by the executors, he was a husbandman and *not* of any other status or mystery as required by the statute concerning additions of names and titles in writs of outlawry. He claimed the writ was deficient for not specifying his status correctly and requested judgment and discharge from the outlawry.

The court acknowledged the need to notify the executors to present their case before proceeding further with Thorp's discharge. The Sheriff of London was ordered to inform the executors to appear in court three weeks after Easter to show cause why Nicholas Thorp should not be discharged from the outlawry. In the meantime, Nicholas Thorp was entrusted to the custody of John Bynstede of Gillingham, husbandman, Peter Ponet of London, gentleman, William Ayleyn of Southwark, skinner, and John Doneys of London, gentleman, who acted as his mainpernors (sureties) to ensure his appearance in court. Nicholas Thorp himself pledged forty shillings under the same condition, while each mainpernor pledged twenty pounds, sums to be levied from their lands and chattels for the King's use if Nicholas defaulted.

The case was adjourned multiple times. At Trinity Term, Nicholas appeared, but the Sheriff had not returned the writ to summon the executors. The Sheriff was ordered to summon them again to appear in the Octave of Michaelmas. At Michaelmas Term, Nicholas appeared, but the executors did not, despite being solemnly called. The Sheriffs of London reported that they had notified the executors through John Glede and Henry Sutton.

Nicholas Thorp reiterated his claim that he was a husbandman at the time of the original writ and not of any other status and requested judgment and discharge from the outlawry. William Fultesford, representing the King's interests, argued that Thorp *was* a husbandman as stated in the writ and requested a jury trial to determine the truth. Nicholas Thorp agreed. The Sheriff was ordered to summon a jury of twelve to appear fifteen days after Michaelmas to determine the matter. However, at that date, Nicholas appeared, but the Sheriff had not returned the writ. The Sheriff was ordered again to summon a jury for the morrow of All Souls.

The biographical significance of this case for Richard Isham is as follows:

  • Association with Prominent Individuals: Richard Isham is acting in concert with William Bolton, identified as the Chancellor of the Lord King, a high-ranking official, and pursuing a case related to the estate of Richard Fryston, a Canon of St. Paul's Cathedral. This highlights Richard Isham's connections to individuals of significant status within both the Church and the Royal administration in London.
  • Executor Role (Indirect): While Richard Isham is not explicitly named as an executor of Richard Fryston's will, he is acting alongside the named executors (Richard Frost and William Bolton), suggesting he had a role in managing or benefiting from Fryston's estate, described as a "Beneficiary". This expands our understanding of his activities beyond his own legal and financial dealings, into estate administration for others, potentially within his network.
  • London Legal Context: The case is situated in London and involves individuals connected to London institutions (Chancery, St. Paul's Cathedral, individuals described as "of London"). This further underscores Richard Isham's integration into London's legal and professional circles.
  • Debt Recovery in a Complex Context: The case is ultimately about debt recovery, consistent with Richard Isham's pattern of pursuing debt pleas. However, it is set within a more complex procedural framework involving outlawry and a challenge to the legal validity of the outlawry based on the defendant's social designation. This indicates Richard Isham's involvement in more intricate legal matters beyond simple debt pleas.
  • Geographical Reach (Kent Connection): The defendant is from Gillingham in Kent, demonstrating the geographical scope of Richard Fryston's (and by extension, his executors') financial interests and legal actions extending beyond London and Northamptonshire into Kent.

Abbreviated Latin Text

Line Text
1 London': ¶ p'ceptum fuit vic' q'd cap'ent Nich'm Thorp' nup' de Gillyngham in com' kanc' husbandinan
2 utlagatu' in london' die lune p'x' ante festum s'ci Barnabe ap'li anno regni d'ni Regis nunc decimo
3 octavo ad sectam Will'i Bolton' Cancellar' d'ni Regis cl'ici Ric'i Isham Benef' & Ric'i Frost
4 Nup'vis' execut' test'i Ric'i Fryston' nup' unius cl'icor' Cancellar' d'ni Regis p'd'ci ac nup'
5 Canonici eccl'ie Cathedralis s'ci Pauli london' & nup' p'bendar' p'bende de Cadyngton' minor'
6 in eadem in ip'a q' eccl'ia residenciar' & stagiar' alias d'ci Ric'i Fryston' cl'ici alias d'ci
7 Ric'i Fryston' cl'ici alias d'ci Ric'i Fryston' cl'ici de pl'ito deb'i & c' & salvo &c' It'a q'd
8 h'erent corpus eius hic ad hunc diem scil't a die s'ci Hillar' in xv dies ad faciend' &
9 recipiend' q'd cur' Regis hic de eo cons' in hac p'te Et modo hic ad hunc diem ven'
10 p'd'cus Nich'us in p'pria p'sona sua & vic' mand' q'd cep'unt corpus ip'ius Nich'i & illud
11 paratu' modo hic h'ent Sup' quo idem Nich'us sic captus & hic h'itus dic' q'd ip'e
12 imunitat' in hac p'te & p' legem t're de utlagaria p'd'ca exon'ari non debet quia dic' q'd
13 ip'e die impetrac'onis b'ris originalis p'd'cor' executor' fuit husbandman absq' hoc q'd ip'e eodem
14 die tunc unq'm postea fuit husbandman' prout p' br'e p'd'cor' executor' supponitur Et hoc paratus
15 est v'ificare unde ex quo ip'e non no'i'atur in c'to de quo gradu seu de qua mist'a vel
16 condic'one idem Nich'us est vel fuit iuxta formam statuti de addic'onib' no'i'm & cogno'i'm
17 br'ib' in quib' p'cessus utlagar' iacet imponend' editi & p'visi pet' iud'm de br'i p'd'co &
18 q'd ip'e de utlagaria p'd'ca quiet' & exon'at' a cur' dimittatur &c' Et quia expediens & necesse est q'd
19 p'd'ci executores p' int'esse suo in hac p'te p'muniant' p'usq'm ad exon'ac'onem p'd'ci Nich'i ult'ius
20 p'cedatur p'ceptum est vic' london' q'd p' p'bos &c' scire fac' p'fatis executor' q'd sint hic a die Pasche in
21 tres septimanas ostens' si quid p' se h'eant aut dic'e sciant quare p'd'cus Nich'us de utlagaria p'd'ca exon'ari non debeat si &c'
22 Et int'im dictum est p'fato Nich'o hic &c' Et sup' hoc Ioh'es Bynstede de Gillyngham in com'
23 kanc' husbandman Petrus Ponet de london' Gentilman Will'us Ayleyn de Sutwerk in com'
24 Surr' Skynmonger & Ioh'es Doneys de london' Gentilman manucep'unt p'd'cum Nich'm q'd h'ebit
25 corpus eius hic ad p'fatum t'minu' Et sic de die in diem ad queml't diem pl'iti quousq'
26 pl'itum illud t'minat' & iud'm inde redditum fuit videl't quil't manucaptor' sub pena viginti librar'
27 Et p'd'cus Nich'us assumpsit p' se ip'o sub pena quadraginta solidar' essendi tunc hic quam quidem
28 su'mam viginti librar' quil't manucaptor' p'd'cor' ac p'd'cus Nich'us p'd'cam su'mam quadraginta solidar'
29 recogn' de t'ris & catallis suis ad opus d'ni Regis levari si contingat ip'um Nich'm ad aliquem
30 diem pl'iti hic defaltam fac'e vel id'em pl'itum cum effectu non p'sequi &c' Ad quem diem sc'il't
31 octm' s'ce Trinitatis ven' p'd'cus Nich'us in p'pria p'sona sua & vic' non mis' br'e Et sicut prius p'ceptum est vic' q'd p'muniat &c'
32 q'd sint hic in octabis s'ci Mich'is ostens' in forma p'd'ca &c' Ad quam diem hic sc'il't p'd'cus Nich'us in p'pria p'sona
33 sua & p'd'ci executores licet die pl'iti solempnit' exacti non ven' Et p'fati vic' london' mand' q'd scire fec' eisdem executor'
34 essendi hic ad hunc diem ostens' in forma p'd'ca &c' p' Ioh'em Glede & Henricum Sutton p'bos &c' Et sup' hoc p'd'cus Nich'us ut
35 prius dic' q'd ip'e die impetrac'onis br'is originalis p'd'cor' executor' fuit husbandman absq' hoc q'd ip'e eodem die vel unq'm
36 postea fuit husbandman prout p' br'e p'd'cor' executor' supponitur Et hoc paratus est v'ificare unde pet' iud'm de br'i p'd'co
37 & q'd ip'e de utlagaria p'd'ca quietus & exon'atus a cur' ad largum dimittatur &c'
38 Et Will'us Fultesford' qui p' d'no Rege in hac p'te sequitur dic' q'd non obstante p'allegato p' p'd'cum Nich'm ip'e de utlagaria
39 p'd'ca exon'ari debeat quia dic' q'd p'd'cus Nich'us die impetrac'onis br'is originalis p'd'cor' executor' scil't
40 anno regni d'ni Regis nunc
41 fuit husbandman prout p' br'e p'd'cor' executor' supponitur Et hoc p'
42 d'no Rege petit q'd inquiratur p' p'riam Et p'd'cus Nich'us simil'r Io' p'ceptum est vic' q'd venire fac' hic a die s'ci Mich'is
43 in xv dies xij &c' p' quos &c' Et qui p'd'cum Nich'm nulla &c' ad recogn' &c' Quia tam &c' Ad quem diem hic ven' p'd'cus
44 Nich'us in p'pria p'sona sua Et vic' london' non mis' br'e Io' sicut prius p'ceptum est vic' london' q'd venire fac'
45 hic &c' in crastino a'i'ar' xij &c'

Expanded Latin Text

Line Text
1 London': ¶ preceptum fuit vicecomiti quod caperent Nicholaum Thorp' nuper de Gillyngham in comitatu kancie husbandman
2 utlagatum in london' die lune proximo ante festum sancti Barnabe apostoli anno regni domini Regis nunc decimo
3 octavo ad sectam Willelmi Bolton' Cancellarii domini Regis clerici Ricardi Isham Beneficiati & Ricardi Frost
4 Nuper visorum executorum testamenti Ricardi Fryston' nuper unius clericorum Cancellarii domini Regis predicti ac nuper
5 Canonici ecclesie Cathedralis sancti Pauli london' & nuper prebendarii prebende de Cadyngton' minori
6 in eadem in ipsa que ecclesia residenciarii & stagiarii alias dicti Ricardi Fryston' clerici alias dicti
7 Ricardi Fryston' clerici alias dicti Ricardi Fryston' clerici de placito debiti etc. & salvo etc. Ita quod
8 haberent corpus eius hic ad hunc diem scilicet a die sancti Hillarii in xv dies ad faciendum &
9 recipiendum quod curia Regis hic de eo consideraverit in hac parte Et modo hic ad hunc diem venit
10 predictus Nicholaus in propria persona sua & vicecomes mandavit quod ceperunt corpus ipsius Nicholai & illud
11 paratum modo hic habent Super quo idem Nicholaus sic captus & hic habitus dicit quod ipse
12 immunitatem in hac parte & per legem terre de utlagaria predicta exonerari non debet quia dicit quod
13 ipse die impetracionis brevis originalis predictorum executorum fuit husbandman absque hoc quod ipse eodem
14 die tunc unquam postea fuit husbandman prout per breve predictorum executorum supponitur Et hoc paratus
15 est verificare unde ex quo ipse non nominatur in certo de quo gradu seu de qua mistera vel
16 condicione idem Nicholaus est vel fuit iuxta formam statuti de addicionibus nominum & cognominum
17 brevibus in quibus processus utlagarie iacet imponendi editi & provisi petit iudicium de brevi predicto &
18 quod ipse de utlagaria predicta quietus & exoneratus a curia dimittatur etc. Et quia expediens & necesse est quod
19 predicti executores pro interesse suo in hac parte premunianter priusquam ad exoneracionem predicti Nicholai ulterius
20 procedatur preceptum est vicecomiti london' quod per probos etc. scire faciat prefatis executoribus quod sint hic a die Pasche in
21 tres septimanas ostensuri si quid pro se habeant aut dicere sciant quare predictus Nicholaus de utlagaria predicta exonerari non debeat si etc.
22 Et interim dictum est prefato Nicholao hic etc. Et super hoc Iohannes Bynstede de Gillyngham in comitatu
23 kancie husbandman Petrus Ponet de london' Gentilman Willelmus Ayleyn de Sutwerk in comitatu
24 Surreie Skynmonger & Iohannes Doneys de london' Gentilman manuceperunt predictum Nicholaum quod habebit
25 corpus eius hic ad prefatum terminum Et sic de die in diem ad quemlibet diem placiti quousque
26 placitum illud terminatum & iudicium inde redditum fuit videlicet quilibet manucaptorum sub pena viginti librarum
27 Et predictus Nicholaus assumpsit pro se ipso sub pena quadraginta solidorum essendi tunc hic quam quidem
28 summam viginti librarum quilibet manucaptorum predictorum ac predictus Nicholaus predictam summam quadraginta solidorum
29 recognovit de terris & catallis suis ad opus domini Regis levari si contingat ipsum Nicholaum ad aliquem
30 diem placiti hic defaltam facere vel idem placitum cum effectu non prosequi etc. Ad quem diem scilicet
31 octabas sancte Trinitatis venit predictus Nicholaus in propria persona sua & vicecomes non misit breve Et sicut prius preceptum est vicecomiti quod premuniat etc.
32 quod sint hic in octabis sancti Michaelis ostensuri in forma predicta etc. Ad quam diem hic scilicet predictus Nicholaus in propria persona
33 sua & predicti executores licet die placiti solempniter exacti non venerunt Et prefati vicecomites london' mandaverunt quod scire fecerunt eisdem executoribus
34 essendi hic ad hunc diem ostensuri in forma predicta etc. per Iohannem Glede & Henricum Sutton probos etc. Et super hoc predictus Nicholaus ut
35 prius dicit quod ipse die impetracionis brevis originalis predictorum executorum fuit husbandman absque hoc quod ipse eodem die vel unquam
36 postea fuit husbandman prout per breve predictorum executorum supponitur Et hoc paratus est verificare unde petit iudicium de brevi predicto
37 & quod ipse de utlagaria predicta quietus & exoneratus a curia ad largum dimittatur etc.
38 Et Willelmus Fultesford' qui pro domino Rege in hac parte sequitur dicit quod non obstante preallegato per predictum Nicholaum ipse de utlagaria
39 predicta exonerari debeat quia dicit quod predictus Nicholaus die impetracionis brevis originalis predictorum executorum scilicet
40 anno regni domini Regis nunc
41 fuit husbandman prout per breve predictorum executorum supponitur Et hoc pro
42 domino Rege petit quod inquiratur per patriam Et predictus Nicholaus similiter Ideo preceptum est vicecomiti quod venire faciat hic a die sancti Michaelis
43 in xv dies xij etc. per quos etc. Et qui predictum Nicholaum nulla etc. ad recognoscendum etc. Quia tam etc. Ad quem diem hic venit predictus
44 Nicholaus in propria persona sua Et vicecomes london' non misit breve Ideo sicut prius preceptum est vicecomiti london' quod venire faciat
45 hic etc. in crastino animarum xij etc.

English Translation

Line Text
1 London: ¶ It was ordered to the Sheriff that they should take Nicholas Thorp, lately of Gillingham in the county of Kent, husbandman,
2 outlawed in London on Monday next before the feast of Saint Barnabas the Apostle in the eighteenth year of the reign of the lord King now,
3 at the suit of William Bolton, Chancellor of the lord King, clerk, Richard Isham, Beneficiary, & Richard Frost,
4 lately overseers executors of the testament of Richard Fryston, lately one of the clerks of the Chancery of the lord King aforesaid and lately
5 Canon of the Cathedral Church of Saint Paul, London, and lately prebendary of the prebend of Cadyngton Minor
6 in the same, who in that church was residentiary and stagiary, otherwise called Richard Fryston clerk, otherwise called
7 Richard Fryston clerk, otherwise called Richard Fryston clerk, concerning a plea of debt etc. and safely etc. So that
8 they should have his body here at this day, namely fifteen days from the day of Saint Hilary, to do and
9 receive what the King's court here should consider concerning him in this part. And now here at this day comes
10 the aforesaid Nicholas in his own person and the Sheriff reported that they took the body of the same Nicholas and that
11 [he is] ready now here. Whereupon the same Nicholas, thus taken and here held, says that he
12 [claims] immunity in this part and by the law of the land ought not to be discharged from the outlawry aforesaid because he says that
13 he on the day of the impetration of the original writ of the aforesaid executors was a husbandman without this that he on the same
14 day then or ever afterwards was a husbandman as by the writ of the aforesaid executors is supposed. And this he is ready
15 to verify whence since he is not named in a certain [place] of what rank or of what mystery or
16 condition the same Nicholas is or was according to the form of the statute of additions of names and surnames
17 in writs in which process of outlawry lies to be imposed, published and provided, he asks judgment of the writ aforesaid and
18 that he from the outlawry aforesaid quit and discharged should be dismissed from court etc. And because it is expedient and necessary that
19 the aforesaid executors for their interest in this part should be forewarned before proceeding further to the discharge of the aforesaid Nicholas,
20 it is ordered to the Sheriff of London that by honest etc. he should make known to the aforesaid executors that they be here fifteen days from the day of Easter
21 to show if they have anything for themselves or know to say why the aforesaid Nicholas ought not to be discharged from the outlawry aforesaid if etc.
22 And in the meantime it is said to the aforesaid Nicholas [to be] here etc. And thereupon John Bynstede of Gillingham in the county of
23 Kent, husbandman, Peter Ponet of London, gentleman, William Ayleyn of Southwark in the county of
24 Surrey, skinner, & John Doneys of London, gentleman, mainprised the aforesaid Nicholas that he would have
25 his body here at the aforesaid term And so from day to day at each day of the plea until
26 that plea should be terminated & judgment thereupon rendered namely each of the mainpernors under penalty of twenty pounds.
27 And the aforesaid Nicholas undertook for himself under penalty of forty shillings to be then here which sum indeed
28 of twenty pounds each of the mainpernors aforesaid and the aforesaid Nicholas the aforesaid sum of forty shillings
29 acknowledged from their lands & chattels to be levied to the use of the lord King if it should happen the same Nicholas at any
30 day of the plea here to make default or the same plea with effect not to prosecute etc. At which day namely
31 the Octave of Holy Trinity came the aforesaid Nicholas in his own person & the Sheriff did not send the writ And as previously it was ordered to the Sheriff that he should forewarn etc.
32 that they be here in the Octave of Saint Michael to show in form aforesaid etc. At which day here namely the aforesaid Nicholas in his own person
33 and the aforesaid executors although solemnly called on the day of the plea did not come And the aforesaid Sheriffs of London reported that they made known to the same executors
34 to be here at this day to show in form aforesaid etc. by John Glede & Henry Sutton honest etc. And thereupon the aforesaid Nicholas as
35 before says that he on the day of the impetration of the original writ of the aforesaid executors was a husbandman without this that he on the same day or ever
36 afterwards was a husbandman as by the writ of the aforesaid executors is supposed And this he is ready to verify whence he asks judgment of the writ aforesaid
37 & that he from the outlawry aforesaid quit and discharged from court at large should be dismissed etc.
38 And William Fultesford who for the lord King in this part prosecutes says that notwithstanding the pre-alleged by the aforesaid Nicholas he from the outlawry
39 aforesaid ought to be discharged because he says that the aforesaid Nicholas on the day of the impetration of the original writ of the aforesaid executors namely
40 in the year of the reign of the lord King now
41 was a husbandman as by the writ of the aforesaid executors is supposed And this for
42 the lord King he asks that it be inquired into by the country And the aforesaid Nicholas likewise Therefore it is ordered to the Sheriff that he cause to come here fifteen days from the day of Saint Michael
43 twelve etc. by whom etc. And who the aforesaid Nicholas neither etc. to recognise etc. Because both etc. At which day here came the aforesaid
44 Nicholas in his own person And the Sheriff of London did not send the writ Therefore as previously it is ordered to the Sheriff of London that he cause to come
45 here etc. on the morrow of Souls twelve etc.

CP 40/871 (Hilary 1480)

  • [Index at AALT | Image at AALT]
  • County: London
  • Persons: John Marchall, Richard Isham, William Clopton, Henry Chicheley
  • Places: London, Clopton, Wendy

CP 40/871 (Hilary 1480)

  • [Index at AALT | Image at AALT]
  • County: London
  • Persons: Richard Fryston, William Worsley, William Bolton, Lawrence or Laurence Damlet, Richard Isham, Robert Frost
  • Places: Cadyngton Minor, St Pauls Cathedral, London


CP 40/874 (Michaelmas 1480) Legal Case Summary

This document, CP 40/874 from Michaelmas Term 1480, records a plea of debt initiated by Richard Isham, gentleman, and John Marchall, citizen and mercer of London, against Thomas Markham, esquire.

The plea of debt (bond) concerns a sum of £6 11s 3d. Richard Isham and John Marchall, as plaintiffs, asserted that Thomas Markham owed them this amount based on a bond issued on 20 January 1480 in London, within the parish of St. Nicholas Shambles, Farringdon Ward Within. The plaintiffs also claimed damages of 100 shillings. The defendant, Thomas Markham, is described as "lately of Otham in Kent, alias lately of Southwark in Surrey," indicating his recent residences.

Thomas Markham, represented by his attorney Nicholas Bevyll, appeared in court to defend against the claim. He requested and was granted licence to imparl (time for out-of-court discussion or settlement) until Hilary Term 1481. The record notes three subsequent "postea" entries, each extending the licence to imparl and prolonging the case through Michaelmas term 1480. This continuation across multiple court sessions suggests ongoing negotiations or delays in reaching a resolution.

The biographical significance of this case for Richard Isham is as follows:

Partnership with John Marshall, London Mercer: This case is particularly significant because it documents Richard Isham in direct partnership with "John Marchall, citizen and mercer of London." This aligns precisely with entries in the Black Books of Lincoln's Inn, which also list "John Marshall citizen and mercer london'" in association with Richard Isham. This cross-referential evidence confirms a tangible business relationship between Isham and Marshall, highlighting Isham's integration into London's commercial networks. This picture is further enriched by the Black Books' depiction of his administrative roles within Lincoln's Inn.

Financial Activities and Networks: This document reveals Richard Isham engaged in financial transactions involving bonds and debt recovery within London. His collaboration with John Marchall, a London citizen and mercer, strongly suggests that his economic activities extended beyond Northamptonshire and into London's commercial sphere, a pattern consistent with his increasing London presence as documented in the Black Books.

"Gentleman" Status and Legal Recourse: The document explicitly identifies Richard Isham as "gentleman," reinforcing his social standing. His recourse to the Court of Common Pleas to pursue this debt demonstrates his access to and active utilization of the royal legal system to safeguard his financial interests, skills likely developed within the legal environment of Lincoln's Inn.

London Connections: The fact that the case was heard in London and the bond was issued there firmly establishes Richard Isham's connections to London by 1480, during the reign of Edward IV and prior to Richard III's ascension. This evidence, combined with his later documented roles at Lincoln's Inn, presents a consistent image of a gentleman increasingly centered within London's legal and commercial world.

Abbreviated Latin Text

Line Text
1 London': ¶ Thomas Markham nup' de Otham in com' Kanc' armig' alias dcus Thomas Markham nup' de
2 Suthwerk in com' Surr' Armig' sum' fuit ad respondend' Ioh'i Marchall ciui et m'cero london'
3 et Ric'o Isham gentilman' de pl'ito q'd reddat eis decem sex libras vndecim solidos et quinq' denar'
4 quos eis debet et iniuste detinet etc
5 Et vnde ijdem Ioh'es et Ric'us p' Ioh'em Agmondesham attorn' suu' dicu't q'd cum p'dcus Thomas vicesimo
6 die Ianuarij Anno regni d'ni Regis nunc decimo nono apud london' in parochia s'ci Nich'i ad macellam in
7 warda de ffarnyngdon' infra p' quoddam sc'ptum suu' obligator' concessisset se teneri et obligari p'fatis Ioh'i
8 et Ric'o in p'dcis decem sex libris vndecim solidos et quinq' denarijs soluend' eisdem Ioh'i et Ric'o aut eor' alteri
9 in festo pasche tunc px' sequen' p'dcus tamen Thomas licet sepius requisit' p'dcas decem sex libras
10 vndecim solid' et quinq' denar' p'fatis Ioh'i et Ric'o nondum reddidit set illos eis hucusq' reddere contradixit
11 et adhuc contradic' vnde dicu't q'd deteriorat' sunt et dampnu' h'ent ad valenc' centu' solidor'
12 Et p'ferunt hic in cur' sc'ptum p'dcm q'd debet' p'dcm in forma p'dca testat' cuius dat' est die et
13 Anno sup'dcis etc
14 Et p'dcus Thomas p' Nich'm Bevyll attorn' suu' ven' Et defend' vim et iniur' quando etc Et pet' licenc'
15 inde intloquendi hic vsq' in Oct' s'ci Hillarij Et h'et etc Idem dies dat' est p'fatis Ioh'i et
16 Ric'o hic etc Ad quem diem hic ven' ptes p'dce p' attorn' suos p'dcos Et sup' hoc p'dcus Thomas vlt'ius pet' licenc'
17 inde intloquendi hic vsq' ad px' Et h'et etc Idem dies dat' est p'fatis Ioh'i et Ric'o hic etc Ad quem diem hic ven' ptes p'dce p'
18 attorn' suos p'dcos Et sup' hoc p'dcus Thomas vlt'ius pet' licenc' inde intloquendi hic vsq' a die s'ci Mich'is in xv dies Et h'et etc
19 Idem dies dat' est p'fatis Ioh'i et Ric'o hic etc

Expanded Latin Text

Line Text
1 London': ¶ Thomas Markham nuper de Otham in comitatu Kancie armiger alias dictus Thomas Markham nuper de
2 Suthwerk in comitatu Surreie Armiger summonitus fuit ad respondendum Iohanni Marchall ciui et mercero london'
3 et Ricardo Isham gentilman' de placito quod reddat eis decem sex libras vndecim solidos et quinque denarios
4 quos eis debet et iniuste detinet etc
5 Et vnde ijdem Iohannes et Ricardus per Iohannem Agmondesham attornatum suum dicunt quod cum predictus Thomas vicesimo
6 die Ianuarij Anno regni domini Regis nunc decimo nono apud london' in parochia sancti Nicholai ad macellam in
7 warda de ffarnyngdon' infra per quoddam scriptum suum obligatorium concessisset se teneri et obligari prefatis Iohanni
8 et Ricardo in predictis decem sex libris vndecim solidos et quinque denariis soluendis eisdem Iohanni et Ricardo aut eorum alteri
9 in festo pasche tunc proxime sequenti predictus tamen Thomas licet sepius requisitus predictas decem sex libras
10 vndecim solidos et quinque denarios prefatis Iohanni et Ricardo nondum reddidit set illos eis hucusque reddere contradixit
11 et adhuc contradicit vnde dicunt quod deteriorati sunt et dampnum habent ad valenciam centum solidorum
12 Et proferunt hic in curia scriptum predictum quod debitum predictum in forma predicta testatur cuius data est die et
13 Anno supradictis etc
14 Et predictus Thomas per Nicholaum Bevyll attornatum suum venit Et defendit vim et iniuriam quando etc Et petit licenciam
15 inde interloquendi hic vsque in Octabis sancti Hillarij Et habet etc Idem dies datus est prefatis Iohanni et
16 Ricardo hic etc Ad quem diem hic venerunt partes predicte per attornatos suos predictos Et super hoc predictus Thomas vlterius petit licenciam
17 inde interloquendi hic vsque ad proximum Et habet etc Idem dies datus est prefatis Iohanni et Ricardo hic etc Ad quem diem hic venerunt partes predicte per
18 attornatos suos predictos Et super hoc predictus Thomas vlterius petit licenciam inde interloquendi hic vsque a die sancti Michaelis in quindecim dies Et habet etc
19 Idem dies datus est prefatis Iohanni et Ricardo hic etc

English Translation

Line Text
1 London: ¶ Thomas Markham, late of Otham in the county of Kent, esquire, otherwise called Thomas Markham, late of
2 Southwark in the county of Surrey, esquire, was summoned to answer John Marchall, citizen and mercer of London,
3 and Richard Isham, gentleman, concerning a plea that he render to them sixteen pounds, eleven shillings, and five pence,
4 which he owes them and unjustly withholds etc.
5 And whereupon the same John and Richard, by John Agmondesham, their attorney, say that whereas the aforesaid Thomas on the twentieth
6 day of January in the nineteenth year of the reign of the lord King [Edward IV, 1480] now, at London in the parish of St. Nicholas Shambles in
7 Farringdon Ward Within, by a certain his writing obligatory, had granted himself to be held and bound to the aforesaid John
8 and Richard in the aforesaid sixteen pounds, eleven shillings, and five pence, to be paid to the same John and Richard or to either of them
9 at the feast of Easter then next following; nevertheless, the aforesaid Thomas, although often requested, the aforesaid sixteen pounds,
10 eleven shillings, and five pence to the aforesaid John and Richard has not yet rendered, but those to them until now to render has refused,
11 and still refuses; whereby they say that they are damaged and have loss to the value of one hundred shillings.
12 And they proffer here in court the aforesaid writing which witnesses the aforesaid debt in the form aforesaid, whose date is the day and
13 year abovesaid etc.
14 And the aforesaid Thomas, by Nicholas Bevyll, his attorney, comes and defends force and injury when etc. And he seeks licence
15 thereof to imparl here until the Octave of St. Hilary [January 20, 1481]. And he has it etc. The same day is given to the aforesaid John and
16 Richard here etc. At which day here came the aforesaid parties by their aforesaid attorneys. And thereupon the aforesaid Thomas further seeks licence
17 thereof to imparl here until the next [term]. And he has it etc. The same day is given to the aforesaid John and Richard here etc. At which day here came the aforesaid parties by
18 their aforesaid attorneys. And thereupon the aforesaid Thomas further seeks licence thereof to imparl here until fifteen days from the day of St. Michael [October 13, 1480]. And he has it etc.
19 The same day is given to the aforesaid John and Richard here etc.

GI/2 (August 1482)

Index Entry at TNA

Reference: GI/2

Description (Short Title): Grant of lands in Bradden, Holcote, and Eston: Edy, Isham, and Roche to Holcote and wife.

Date: 4 August 1482

Jurisdiction: Private Land Grant/Deed

County: Northamptonshire

Places: Bradden, Holcote, Eston

Persons:

Grantors (1): John Edy of Stony Stratford, Buckinghamshire, esquire; Richard Isham of London, gentleman; Thomas Roche, gentleman.

Grantees (2): John Holcote, esquire, and Alice his wife.

Mentioned: John Hulcote esquire, John Forster esquire, Robert Isham clerk, William Bryan (attorney).

GI/2 Grant Summary

This document, GI/2, is a grant dated 4 August 1482, concerning land in Northamptonshire. The grantors are John Edy of Stony Stratford, Buckinghamshire, esquire, Richard Isham of London, gentleman, and Thomas Roche, gentleman. They are granting lands, tenements, and hereditaments in Bradden, Holcote, and Eston, Northamptonshire to John Holcote, esquire, and Alice his wife.

The description specifies that the lands being granted are those which the grantors "(1) John Edy, Richard Isham, Thomas Roche" lately held of "John Hulcote esq, John Forster esq and Robert Isham clerk". This suggests a re-grant or transfer of property. It indicates that John Hulcote, John Forster, and Robert Isham clerk previously held these lands and then conveyed them to John Edy, Richard Isham, and Thomas Roche, who are now in turn granting them to John Holcote and his wife Alice. It is possible that "John Hulcote esq" mentioned as a previous holder is the same "John Holcote esq" who is now a grantee, suggesting a complex land transaction or settlement within the Holcote family.

William Bryan is named as the attorney appointed to deliver seisin (legal possession) of the lands, indicating the formal legal transfer process.

The biographical significance of this grant for Richard Isham is as follows:

Land Transactions and Property Dealings: This grant provides further evidence of Richard Isham's involvement in land transactions. While the exact nature of his interest in these lands is not fully clear from this brief description, it shows him acting as a grantor in a property conveyance in Northamptonshire.

Association with John Edy and Thomas Roche: Richard Isham is acting in concert with John Edy of Buckinghamshire and Thomas Roche, suggesting business or social connections with these individuals. Further research into Edy and Roche might reveal more about Richard Isham's network.

Connection to Holcote Family: The grant involves the Holcote family, with both John Holcote esquire and potentially John Hulcote esquire (as previous holder) mentioned. This document could indicate a relationship or dealings between Richard Isham and the Holcote family, who were likely local gentry in Northamptonshire. This connection could be further explored.

Geographical Context: The lands are located in Bradden, Holcote, and Eston, Northamptonshire, placing this transaction within the geographical area of Richard Isham's other known activities and landholdings.

This grant, while brief in its description, adds to the picture of Richard Isham as a gentleman actively engaged in property transactions and connected to other gentry families and individuals in the region.

CP 40/883 (Hilary 1483)

[Index at AALT | Image at AALT]

County: London

Persons: Richard Isham, John Fuller

Places: Rochford

CP 40/883 (Hilary 1483) Legal Case Summary

This document, CP 40/883 from Hilary Term 1483, records a plea of debt brought by Richard Isham against John Fuller, lately of Rochford, Essex.

The plea is a plea of debt for forty shillings (£2) of silver. Richard Isham is claiming that John Fuller owes him this sum and unjustly detains it. John Fuller did not appear in court. The Sheriff was ordered to summon him. The Sheriff reported that he was not found. Therefore, it is ordered that he be arrested so that he is here in the Octave of St. Martin (Martinmas).

The biographical significance of this case for Richard Isham is as follows:

Continued Debt Recovery: This case from 1483 is another instance of Richard Isham pursuing debt recovery through the legal system, consistent with numerous other cases documented in the CP40 rolls.

London Case: Although the defendant is located in Essex, the case is recorded under London, suggesting the legal action was initiated in London, possibly reflecting the location of the debt agreement or Richard Isham's legal activities at the time.

Financial Transactions: The plea of debt for forty shillings indicates Richard Isham was involved in financial transactions, lending sums of money and actively seeking repayment through legal means when necessary.

Transcribed using Claude Sonnet 3.7 Thinking with a draft from Transkribus.

Abbreviated Latin Text

Line Text
1 London': ¶ Ric'us Isham p' denar' suo op' se iiij die v'sus Joh'em Fuller nup' de Rochford in com' Essex' respond' de pl'ito q'd
2 reddat ei quadraginta solid' argenti q'd ei debet & iniuste detinet & ea ip'e non ven' & p'cep' fuit vic' q'd sum' eum
3 Et vic' modo mand' q'd non est invent' etc Io p'cep' capiatur q'd sit hic in Octabis s'ci Martin' etc"

Expanded Latin Text

Line Text
1 London': ¶ Ricardus Isham per denarium suum optulit se iiij die versus Johannem Fuller nuper de Rochford in comitatu Essex' respondendum de placito quod
2 reddat ei quadraginta solidos argenti quod ei debet et iniuste detinet et ea ipse non venit et preceptum fuit vicecomiti quod summoneat eum
3 Et vicecomes modo mandavit quod non est inventus etc Ideo preceptum capiatur quod sit hic in Octabis sancti Martini etc"

English Translation

Line Text
1 London: ¶ Richard Isham by his penny offered himself on the fourth day against John Fuller, lately of Rochford in the county of Essex to answer concerning a plea that
2 he render to him forty shillings of silver which he owes him and unjustly detains and he himself does not come and it was ordered to the Sheriff that he summon him
3 And the Sheriff now reported that he is not found etc Therefore it is ordered let him be taken so that he is here in the Octave of Saint Martin etc"

CP 40/887 (Hilary 1484)

Image at AALT

Index at WAALT

County: London

Persons: John Marshall, Richard Isham, Thomas Plane, William Lovelas

Places: London, Aldem, Kyngesdon

CP 40/883 (Hilary 1483) Legal Case Summary

This document, CP 40/883 from Hilary Term 1483, records a plea of debt brought by John Marshall of London, mercer, and Richard Isham of Aldem, gentleman, against Thomas Playne, citizen and grocer, lately mayor of London, and William Lovelas, lately of Kyngesdon in Kent, gentleman.

The plea is a plea of debt for eight pounds (£8). The plaintiffs, John Marshall and Richard Isham, claim that Thomas Playne and William Lovelas owe them this sum and unjustly detain it. The defendants, Thomas Playne and William Lovelas, did not appear in court. The Sheriff was ordered to summon them. The Sheriff reported that they were not found. Therefore, as previously ordered, the Sheriff is ordered to arrest them if found and keep them safely so that he has their bodies here fifteen days from Easter. The Sheriff reported that they have no possessions.

The biographical significance of this case for Richard Isham is as follows:

Partnership with London Mercer: This case shows Richard Isham acting in partnership with John Marshall, a London mercer. This reinforces the evidence of Richard Isham's strong commercial ties within London's mercantile community.

Debt Recovery in London: The case is heard in London and involves a debt plea, highlighting Richard Isham's active participation in London's financial and legal landscape.

Action Against Prominent Londoner: The defendant, Thomas Playne, is described as a citizen and grocer, and "lately mayor of London," indicating he was a figure of considerable prominence within London society. Pursuing legal action against such an individual demonstrates Richard Isham and John Marshall's confidence in their claim and their willingness to engage with the London legal system at a higher level.

Geographical Reach: The defendants are located in London and Kent (Kyngesdon), illustrating the geographically dispersed nature of Richard Isham's financial dealings and legal actions, extending beyond Northamptonshire and Middlesex.

Abbreviated Latin Text

Line Text
1 London: ¶ Joh'es Marshall de London m'cer et Ric'us Isham de Aldem Gentilman p' attornatu' suu' op' se iiij die
2 v'sus Thoma' Playne Cive' et Grocer' nup' maiore' de London Thoma' et Will'm Lovelas nup' de
3 Kyngesdon in com' Kancie Gentilman de pl'ito q'd redd' octo libras quas ei debent et
4 iniuste detinent etc Et ip'i non ven' Et prec' fuit vic' q'd sum' eos Et vic' modo mand' q'd non
5 sunt inventi etc Ideo sicut prius prec' est vic' q'd capiat eos si etc Et salvo etc Ita q'd heat cor'a eor'
6 hic a die Pasche in xv dies etc p' defalt' etc Et un' vic' m' q'd null' h'ent etc"

Expanded Latin Text

Line Text
1 London: ¶ Johannes Marshall de London mercer et Ricardus Isham de Aldem Gentilman per attornatum suum optulit se quarto die
2 versus Thomam Playne Civem et Grocerum nuper maiorem de London Thomam et Willelmum Lovelas nuper de
3 Kyngesdon in comitatu Kancie Gentilman de placito quod reddant octo libras quas ei debent et
4 iniuste detinent etc Et ipsi non venerunt Et preceptum fuit vicecomiti quod summoneat eos Et vicecomes modo mandavit quod non
5 sunt inventi etc Ideo sicut prius preceptum est vicecomiti quod capiat eos si etc Et salvo etc Ita quod habeat corpora eorum
6 hic a die Pasche in xv dies etc per defaltum etc Et unde vicecomes mandavit quod nullum habent etc"

English Translation

Line Text
1 London: ¶ John Marshall of London, mercer, and Richard Isham of Aldem, gentleman, by their attorney offered themselves on the fourth day
2 against Thomas Playne, Citizen and Grocer, lately mayor of London, and William Lovelas, lately of
3 Kyngesdon in the county of Kent, gentleman, concerning a plea that they render eight pounds which they owe him and
4 unjustly detain etc. And they did not come. And it was ordered to the Sheriff that he summon them. And the Sheriff now reported that they are not
5 found etc. Therefore as previously it was ordered to the Sheriff that he seize them if etc. And safely etc. So that he has their bodies
6 here fifteen days from the day of Easter etc by default etc. And concerning which the Sheriff reported that they have nothing etc."

CP 40/883 (Hilary 1483)

  • [Index at AALT | Image at AALT]
  • County: London
  • Persons: Richard Joham or Icham, John Fuller
  • Places: Rochford

CP 40/886 (Michaelmas 1483)

[Index at AALT | Image at AALT]

County: Essex

Persons: Richard Isham, John Fuller

Places: Rocheford

CP 40/886 (Michaelmas 1483) Legal Case Summary

This document, CP 40/886 from Michaelmas Term 1483, records a plea of debt brought by Richard Isham against John Fuller, lately of Rocheford, Essex, husbandman.

The plea is a plea of debt for four pounds (£4). Richard Isham is claiming that John Fuller owes him this sum and unjustly detains it. John Fuller did not appear in court. The Sheriff was ordered to summon him. The Sheriff reported that he has no possessions (nichil habet). Therefore, the Sheriff was ordered to arrest him to ensure his appearance in court in the Octave of St. Hilary.

The biographical significance of this case for Richard Isham is as follows:

Continued Debt Recovery: This case from 1483 is another instance of Richard Isham pursuing debt recovery through the legal system, maintaining a consistent pattern observed in other CP40 records.

Essex Case: The location in Essex expands the geographical range of Richard Isham's legal activities, demonstrating his engagement beyond Northamptonshire, Middlesex, and London.

Financial Transactions: The plea of debt for four pounds illustrates Richard Isham's ongoing financial dealings and his active pursuit of owed sums through legal channels.

Transcribed using Claude Sonnet 3.7 Thinking with a draft from Transkribus.

Abbreviated Latin Text

Line Text
1 Essex: ¶ Ric'us Isham p' attorn' suu' op' se iiij° die v'sus Joh'em Fuller nup' de Rocheford in com' p'd'co Husbondman de pl'ito q'd reddat
2 ei quatuor libras quas ei debet et iniuste detinet ut dic' Et ip'e non ven' Et p'cept' fuit vic' q'd sum' eu' Et vic' modo mand' q'd
3 nich'il h'et etc Et p'cept' est vic' q'd cap' eu' etc Ita q'd h'eat hic in octabis s'ci Hillar' etc

Expanded Latin Text

Line Text
1 Essex: ¶ Ricardus Isham per attornatum suum optulit se iiij° die versus Johannem Fuller nuper de Rocheford in comitatu predicto Husbondman de placito quod reddat
2 ei quatuor libras quas ei debet et iniuste detinet ut dicit Et ipse non venit Et preceptum fuit vicecomiti quod summoneat eum Et vicecomes modo mandavit quod
3 nichil habet etc Et preceptum est vicecomiti quod capiat eum etc Ita quod habeat hic in octabis sancti Hillarii etc

English Translation

Line Text
1 Essex: ¶ Richard Isham by his attorney offered himself on the fourth day against John Fuller, lately of Rocheford in the aforesaid county, Husbandman, concerning a plea that he render
2 to him four pounds which he owes him and unjustly detains as he says. And he does not come. And it was ordered to the Sheriff that he summon him. And the Sheriff now reported that
3 he has nothing etc. And it is ordered to the Sheriff that he take him etc. So that he has [him] here in the Octave of Saint Hilary etc.

CP 40/887 (Hilary 1484)

  • Image at AALT
  • County: Essex
  • Persons: Richard Isham, John Fuller
  • Places: Rocheford

CP 40/887 (Hilary 1484) Legal Case Summary

This document, CP 40/887 from Hilary Term 1484, records a plea of debt brought by Richard Isham against John Fuller, lately of Rocheford, Essex, husbandman.

The plea is a plea of debt for one hundred marks (£66 13s 4d). Richard Isham is claiming that John Fuller owes him this sum and unjustly detains it. John Fuller did not appear in court. The Sheriff was ordered to arrest him to ensure his appearance in court fifteen days after Easter.

The biographical significance of this case for Richard Isham is as follows:

  • Continued Debt Recovery: This case from 1484 is another example of Richard Isham pursuing debt recovery through the legal system, consistent with numerous other cases documented in the CP40 rolls.
  • Essex Case: This case is located in Essex, expanding the geographical scope of Richard Isham's legal and financial activities beyond Northamptonshire, Middlesex, and London.
  • Financial Transactions: The plea of debt for one hundred marks, a significant sum, indicates Richard Isham was involved in substantial financial transactions and actively sought legal recourse to recover owed amounts.

Transcribed using Claude Sonnet 3.7 Thinking with a draft from Transkribus.

Abbreviated Latin Text

Line Text
1 Essex' ¶ Ric'us Isham p' attorn' suu' op' se iiij° die u'sus Ioh'em Fuller nup' de Rocheford in com' p'd'co husbondman de
2 pl'ito q'd redd't ei .C. marcas quas ei debet et iniuste detinet ut dicit Et ip'e non ven'. Et p'cept' fuit vic' q'd capet
3 eum etc. Et vic' modo mand' q'd non est inuentus etc. I'o sicut prius p'cept' est vic' q'd cap' etc. Ita q'd sit hic a die Pasche in .xv. dies

Expanded Latin Text

Line Text
1 Essex' ¶ Ricardus Isham per attornatum suum optulit se iiij° die uersus Iohannem Fuller nuper de Rocheford in comitatu predicto husbondman de
2 placito quod reddat ei Centum marcas quas ei debet et iniuste detinet ut dicit Et ipse non uenit. Et preceptum fuit vicecomiti quod caperet
3 eum etc. Et vicecomes modo mandauit quod non est inuentus etc. Ideo sicut prius preceptum est vicecomiti quod capiat etc. Ita quod sit hic a die Pasche in .xv. dies

English Translation

Line Text
1 Essex: ¶ Richard Isham by his attorney offered himself on the fourth day against John Fuller, lately of Rocheford in the aforesaid county, husbandman, concerning a
2 plea that he render to him One Hundred marks which he owes him and unjustly detains as he says. And he does not come. And it was ordered to the Sheriff that he seize
3 him etc. And the Sheriff now reported that he is not found etc. Therefore as previously it was ordered to the Sheriff that he seize etc. So that he is here fifteen days from the day of Easter.

Use code

CP 40/887 (Hilary 1484)

[Index at AALT | Image at AALT]

County: London

Persons: John Marchall, Richard Isham, William Makwyk

Places: London, Bosham

CP 40/887 (Hilary 1484) Legal Case Summary

This document, CP 40/887 from Hilary Term 1484, records a plea of debt brought by John Marchall, citizen and brewer of London, against Richard Isham, gentleman.

The plea is a plea of debt for twenty-four pounds (£24). John Marchall is claiming that Richard Isham owes him this sum and unjustly detains it. Richard Isham did not appear in court. The Sheriff was initially ordered to summon him, but reported that Richard Isham had no possessions in his bailiwick by which he could be summoned. Therefore, the Sheriff was ordered to arrest Richard Isham to ensure his appearance in court three weeks after Easter.

The Sheriff did not return the writ by that date, so the Sheriff was again ordered to arrest Richard Isham, with his appearance now required in the Octave of Michaelmas. Later, on the Thursday after Michaelmas in the same term, John Marchall appeared in court through his attorney, William Makwyk, and offered himself on the fourth day against Richard Isham in the same plea of debt. Richard Isham still did not appear, and the Sheriff was again ordered to compel his appearance.

The biographical significance of this case for Richard Isham is as follows:

Debt Case in London: This case further illustrates Richard Isham's involvement in debt-related legal actions within London. Unlike cases where he is the plaintiff seeking debt recovery, here Richard Isham is the defendant being pursued for a debt of £24 by a London citizen.

London Brewer as Plaintiff: The plaintiff, John Marchall, is identified as a "citizen and brewer of London," suggesting a commercial context for the debt and indicating Richard Isham's financial dealings extended to London's brewing industry or related commercial activities.

Legal Process and Default: The document details the legal process of summons and arrest orders when a defendant fails to appear in a plea of debt. Richard Isham's repeated non-appearance and default suggest potential difficulties in repayment or a deliberate avoidance of the legal proceedings at this stage.

Use of Attorney: John Marchall's eventual appearance through an attorney, William Makwyk, highlights the professionalization of legal representation in this period and the resources available to London citizens to pursue legal claims.

Transcribed using Claude Sonnet 3.7 Thinking with a draft from Transkribus.

Abbreviated Latin Text

Line Text
1 London': ¶ Joh'es Marchall civis et pandoxator London' queritur de Ric'o Isham gentilman de pl'ito q'd reddat ei
2 viginti et quatuor libras quas ei debet et iniuste detinet etc. Et ip'e non ven'. Et prec' fuit vic' q'd sum' eum etc. Et vic' modo mand' q'd nichil h'et in
3 ball'ia sua per quod potest sum' etc. Ideo prec' est vic' q'd capiat eum si etc. Et salvo etc. Ita q'd h'eat corpus eius hic a die
4 Pasche in tres septimanas. Et unde vic' etc. Ad quem diem vic' non mis' br'e. Ideo sicut prius prec' est vic' q'd capiat eum si etc. Et salvo etc. Ita q'd h'eat corpus eius hic
5 in Octabis s'ci Mich'is. Et unde vic' etc. Postea scil't die Jovis px' post festum s'ci Mich'is isto eodem t'mino ven' hic pred'cus Joh'es per
6 Will'm Makwyk attorn' suum. Et op' se iiij^to die v'sus pred'cum Ric'm de pred'co pl'ito. Et ip'e non ven'. Et prec' fuit vic' etc."

Expanded Latin Text

Line Text
1 Londonia: ¶ Johannes Marchall civis et pandoxator Londonie queritur de Ricardo Isham gentilman de placito quod reddat ei
2 viginti et quatuor libras quas ei debet et iniuste detinet etc. Et ipse non venit. Et preceptum fuit vicecomiti quod summoneat eum etc. Et vicecomes modo mandavit quod nichil habet in
3 ballivia sua per quod potest summoneri etc. Ideo preceptum est vicecomiti quod capiat eum si etc. Et salvo etc. Ita quod habeat corpus eius hic a die
4 Pasche in tres septimanas. Et unde vicecomes etc. Ad quem diem vicecomes non misit breve. Ideo sicut prius preceptum est vicecomiti quod capiat eum si etc. Et salvo etc. Ita quod habeat corpus eius hic
5 in Octabis sancti Michaelis. Et unde vicecomes etc. Postea scilicet die Jovis proximo post festum sancti Michaelis isto eodem termino venit hic predictus Johannes per
6 Willelmum Makwyk attornatum suum. Et optulit se quarto die versus predictum Ricardum de predicto placito. Et ipse non venit. Et preceptum fuit vicecomiti etc."

English Translation

Line Text
1 London: ¶ John Marchall, citizen and brewer of London, complains of Richard Isham, gentleman, concerning a plea that he render to him
2 twenty-four pounds which he owes him and unjustly detains etc. And he does not come. And it was ordered to the Sheriff that he summon him etc. And the Sheriff now reported that he has nothing in
3 his bailiwick by which he can be summoned etc. Therefore it is ordered to the Sheriff that he take him if etc. And safely etc. So that he has his body here from the day of
4 Easter in three weeks. And concerning which the Sheriff etc. At which day the Sheriff did not send the writ. Therefore as previously it is ordered to the Sheriff that he take him if etc. And safely etc. So that he has his body here
5 in the Octave of Saint Michael. And concerning which the Sheriff etc. Afterwards, namely on Thursday next after the feast of Saint Michael in this same term came here the aforesaid John by
6 William Makwyk his attorney. And offered himself on the fourth day against the aforesaid Richard concerning the aforesaid plea. And he did not come. And it was ordered to the Sheriff etc."

CP 40/887 (Hilary 1484)

  • Image at AALT
  • County: London
  • Persons: John Marshall, Richard Isham, William Lovelas
  • Places: Kyngesdon

CP 40/887 (Hilary 1484) Legal Case Summary

This document, CP 40/887 from Hilary Term 1484, records a plea of debt brought by John Marshall of London, merchant, and Richard Isham of Aldem, gentleman, against William Lovelas, lately of Kyngesdon in Kent, gentleman.

The plea is a plea of debt for eight pounds (£8). The plaintiffs, John Marshall and Richard Isham, claim that William Lovelas owes them this sum and unjustly detains it. William Lovelas did not appear in court. The Sheriff was ordered to summon him, but reported he had no possessions. Therefore, the Sheriff was ordered to ensure his appearance four weeks after Easter.

The biographical significance of this case for Richard Isham is as follows:

  • Partnership with London Merchant: This case further illustrates Richard Isham's business partnership with John Marshall, a London merchant, reinforcing their ongoing financial collaborations.
  • Debt Recovery in London: The case, heard in London, is another instance of Richard Isham actively pursuing debt recovery through the London legal system.
  • Geographical Reach: The defendant's location in Kent (Kyngesdon) demonstrates the geographical scope of Richard Isham's financial and legal activities extending beyond Northamptonshire and London.

Transcribed using Claude Sonnet 3.7 Thinking with a draft from Transkribus.

Abbreviated Latin Text

Line Text
1 Londonia: ¶ Ioh'es Marchall de London m'cator et Ric'us Isham de Aldem Gentylm' p' attorn' suum op' se iiij die u'sus
2 Will'm Lovelas nup' de kyngedon in com' katia Gentilm' de pl'ito q'd reddat ei octo lib'as quas ei
3 debet & iniuste detinet etc Et ip'e non ven' Et p'cept' fuit vic' q'd sum' eum etc Et vic' modo mand' q'd nich'il h'et etc
4 Id'o p'cept' sic hic in Octbos etc Ad quam dies hic ven' p'dct' Ioh'es et Ric'i p' attorn' suum etc
5 op' se iiij die u'sus p'dict' Will'm de pl'ito pl'ti Et ip'e non ven' Et p'c fuit vic' q'd cap' etc Et vic' modo
6 mand' q'd non est inu'tus etc I'o sicut p'us p'cept' q'd sit hic a die pasche in iiij septim'as etc

Expanded Latin Text

Line Text
1 Londonia: ¶ Iohannes Marchall de London mercator et Ricardus Isham de Aldem Gentylman per attornatum suum optulit se quarto die uersus
2 Willelmum Lovelas nuper de kyngedon in comitatu katia Gentilman de placito quod reddat ei octo libras quas ei
3 debet et iniuste detinet etc Et ipse non uenit Et preceptum fuit uicecomiti quod summoneat eum etc Et uicecomes modo mandauit quod nichil habet etc
4 Ideo preceptum sic hic in Octabis etc Ad quam dies hic uenit predictus Iohannes et Ricardi per attornatum suum etc
5 optulit se quarto die uersus predictum Willelmum de placito placiti Et ipse non uenit Et preceptum fuit uicecomiti quod capiat etc Et uicecomes modo
6 mandauit quod non est inuentus etc Ideo sicut prius preceptum quod sit hic a die pasche in quatuor septimanas etc

English Translation

Line Text
1 London: ¶ John Marshall of London, merchant, and Richard Isham of Aldem, gentleman, by their attorney offered themselves on the fourth day against
2 William Lovelas, lately of Kyngesdon in the county of Kent, gentleman, concerning a plea that he render to them eight pounds which he
3 owes and unjustly detains etc. And he did not come. And it was ordered to the Sheriff that he summon him etc. And the Sheriff now reported that he has nothing etc
4 Therefore it is ordered thus here in the Octaves etc. At which day here came the aforesaid John and Richard by their attorney etc
5 offered themselves on the fourth day against the aforesaid William concerning the plea of the plea. And he did not come. And it was ordered to the Sheriff that he seize etc. And the Sheriff now
6 reported that he is not found etc. Therefore as previously ordered that he be here four weeks from the day of Easter etc.

CP 40/888 (Easter 1484)

  • [Index at AALT | Image at AALT]
  • Persons: John Marshall, Richard Isham, Lovelas
  • Places: London, Kyngesdon

CP 40/888 (Easter 1484)

Index at WAALT


County: London

Persons: John Marchall, Richard Isham, William Markwyk alias Makwyk

Places: London, Bosham

CP 40/888 (Easter 1484) Legal Case Summary

This document, CP 40/888 from Easter Term 1484, records a plea of debt brought by John Marchall and Richard Isham, gentleman, against William Markwyk, late of Bosham in Sussex, yeoman, also known as William Makwyk.

The plea is a plea of debt for a significant sum of thirty-nine pounds, thirteen shillings, and four pence (£39 13s 4d). The plaintiffs, John Marshall and Richard Isham, claim that William Markwyk owes them this amount and unjustly withholds it. William Markwyk did not appear in court. The Sheriff of London was initially ordered to arrest him, but reported that he was not found within the jurisdiction of London. It was then testified in the King's Court that William Markwyk was residing and moving about in Sussex. Consequently, the Sheriff of Sussex was ordered to arrest William Markwyk and ensure he appeared in court fifteen days after Trinity Term to answer the plea of John Marshall and Richard Isham. The Sheriff of London also reported that William Markwyk had no possessions within London that could be seized to compel his appearance.

The biographical significance of this case for Richard Isham is as follows:

Partnership with John Marshall Continues: This case further solidifies the established business partnership between Richard Isham and John Marshall. Their joint pursuit of debt recovery demonstrates their ongoing collaborative financial activities.

Substantial Debt Claim: The amount claimed, £39 13s 4d, is a considerable sum, indicating Richard Isham and John Marshall were involved in significant financial transactions and were prepared to pursue substantial debts through legal channels.

Geographical Reach Extends to Sussex: The defendant's location in Bosham, Sussex, highlights the expanding geographical scope of Richard Isham's financial and legal interests. While many cases are centered in London and Northamptonshire, this case demonstrates connections and dealings extending to the county of Sussex.

Multi-Jurisdictional Legal Action: The legal procedure in this case illustrates the workings of the court system across different counties. When the defendant was not found in London, the court efficiently directed action to the Sheriff of Sussex, based on testimony of his location, to ensure the legal process could continue. This demonstrates the reach and procedural mechanisms of the English legal system in the late fifteenth century.

Transcribed using Claude Sonnet 3.7 Thinking with a draft from Transkribus.

Abbreviated Latin Text

Line Text
1 London': ¶ Joh'es Marchall et Ric'm Isham Gentylman p' attorn' suu' op' se iiij'o die v'sus
2 Will'm Markwyk nup' de Bosham in Com' Sussex' yoman' de pl'ito q'd reddat eis triginta et novem
3 libras tresdecim solidos et quatuor denar' quos eis debet et iniuste detinet etc. Et ip'e non ven'. Et
4 prec' fuit vic' q'd cap'et eum etc. Et vic' modo mand' q'd non est inventus etc. Et sup' hoc testat'
5 est in cur' regis hic q'd latitat vagat' et discurrit in Com' Sussex' p'c' p'c' est vic' Sussex' q'd cap'at
6 eum si etc. Et salvo etc. Ita q'd h'eat corpus eius hic a die s'ce Trinitatis in xv dies ad respond'
7 p'fatis Joh'i et Ric'o de p'd'co pl'ito. Et unde vic' London' mandav' hic q'd p'd'cus Will'us nich'il h'et in
8 ball'a sua p' quod potest attach' etc. Ideo etc.

Expanded Latin Text

Line Text
1 Londonia: ¶ Johannes Marchall et Ricardus Isham Gentylman per attornatum suum optulit se iiijto die versus
2 Willelmum Markwyk nuper de Bosham in Comitatu Sussex yoman de placito quod reddat eis triginta et novem
3 libras tresdecim solidos et quatuor denarios quos eis debet et iniuste detinet etc. Et ipse non venit. Et
4 preceptum fuit vicecomiti quod caperet eum etc. Et vicecomes modo mandavit quod non est inventus etc. Et super hoc testatum,
5 est in curia regis hic quod latitat vagatur et discurrit in Comitatu Sussex preceptum preceptum est vicecomiti Sussex quod capiat
6 eum si etc. Et salvo etc. Ita quod habeat corpus eius hic a die sancte Trinitatis in xv dies ad respondendum,
7 prefatis Johanni et Ricardo de predicto placito. Et unde vicecomes London mandavit hic quod predictus Willelmus nichil habet in,
8 balliva sua per quod potest attachiari etc. Ideo etc.

English Translation

Line Text
1 London: ¶ John Marchall and Richard Isham, gentleman, by their attorney offered themselves on the fourth day against
2 William Markwyk, lately of Bosham in the County of Sussex, yeoman, concerning a plea that he render to them thirty-nine
3 pounds, thirteen shillings, and four pence, which he owes them and unjustly detains etc. And he does not come. And
4 it was ordered to the Sheriff that he should seize him etc. And the Sheriff now reported that he is not found etc. And moreover it is testified,
5 in the King's court here that he lurks, wanders, and roams in the County of Sussex. Therefore it is ordered to the Sheriff of Sussex that he seize
6 him if etc. And safely etc. So that he has his body here fifteen days from the day of Holy Trinity to answer
7 the aforesaid John and Richard concerning the aforesaid plea. And concerning which the Sheriff of London reported here that the aforesaid William has nothing in
8 his bailiwick by which he can be attached etc. Therefore etc.

CP 40/888 (Easter 1484)

  • [Index at AALT | Image at AALT]
  • County: London
  • Persons: John Marchall, Richard Isham, William Lovelas
  • Places: London, Kyngesdoun

CP 40/888 (Easter 1484)

  • [Index at AALT | Image at AALT]
  • County: London
  • Persons: John Marchall, Richard Isham, William Markwyk
  • Places: London, Bosham

CP 40/889 (Trinity 1484)

Index at WAALT

Image at AALT

County: Essex

Persons: Richard Isham, John Fuller

Places: Racheford

CP 40/889 (Trinity 1484) Legal Case Summary

This document, CP 40/889 from Trinity Term 1484, records a plea of debt brought by Richard Isham against John Fuller, lately of Racheford (Rochford), Essex, husbandman.

The plea is a plea of debt for four pounds (£4). Richard Isham, through his attorney, is claiming that John Fuller owes him this sum and unjustly detains it. John Fuller did not appear in court on the fourth day. As John Fuller had failed to appear, the Sheriff was initially ordered to arrest him. The Sheriff of Essex reported that John Fuller was not found within Essex. Therefore, the court ordered the Sheriff to repeatedly arrest (sicut pluries capiat), ensuring that John Fuller would be brought to court fifteen days after Easter to answer Richard Isham on the plea of debt.

The biographical significance of this case for Richard Isham is as follows:

Continued Debt Recovery Actions: This case from Trinity Term 1484 is another instance of Richard Isham actively pursuing debt recovery through the court system. This reinforces the pattern of financial engagement and legal recourse seen in other CP40 records.

Essex Legal Activity: The location of this case in Essex further demonstrates the geographical reach of Richard Isham’s legal and financial activities, extending beyond Northamptonshire, Middlesex, and London. Rochford in Essex represents a new county in his documented legal engagements.

Financial Transactions: The plea of debt for four pounds indicates Richard Isham's ongoing involvement in financial transactions and his use of the legal system to recover owed sums, even relatively smaller amounts, suggesting a consistent approach to managing his finances.

'Persistence in Legal Process: The repeated orders for arrest (sicut pluries capiat) highlight Richard Isham's persistence in pursuing legal action even when initial attempts to compel the defendant's appearance were unsuccessful.

Transcribed using Claude Sonnet 3.7 Thinking with a draft from Transkribus.

Abbreviated Latin Text

Line Text
1 Essex': ¶ Ric'us Isham p' attorn' suu' op' se iiij die v'sus Joh'em Fuller nup' de Racheford in com' p'd'o husbondman de
2 pl'o q'd reddat ei quatuor libras quas ei debet' iniuste detinet ut dicit Et ip'e non ven' Et sicut prius p'cept' fuit vic' q'd
3 capet eum etc Et vic' modo mand' q'd non est inuentus etc Io sicut plur' capiat' Ita q'd sit hic a die Pasche in xv dies etc"

Expanded Latin Text

Line Text
1 Essexia: ¶ Ricardus Isham per attornatum suum optulit se iiij die versus Johannem Fuller nuper de Racheford in comitatu predicto husbondman de
2 placito quod reddat ei quatuor libras quas ei debet et iniuste detinet ut dicit Et ipse non venit Et sicut prius preceptum fuit vicecomiti quod
3 caperet eum etc Et vicecomes modo mandavit quod non est inventus etc Ideo sicut pluries capiatur Ita quod sit hic a die Pasche in xv dies etc"

English Translation

Line Text
1 Essex: ¶ Richard Isham by his attorney offered himself on the fourth day against John Fuller, lately of Racheford in the aforesaid county, husbandman, concerning a
2 plea that he render to him four pounds which he owes him and unjustly detains as he says. And he does not come. And as previously it was ordered to the Sheriff that
3 he seize him etc. And the Sheriff now reported that he is not found etc. Therefore as many times let him be taken. So that he is here fifteen days from the day of Easter etc."

CP 40/890 (Michaelmas 1484)

Index at WAALT

Image at AALT

County: London

Persons: John Marchall, Richard Isham, William Markwyk

Places: London, Bosham

CP 40/890 (Michaelmas 1484) Legal Case Summary

This document, CP 40/890 from Michaelmas Term 1484, continues the plea of debt initiated by John Marchall, citizen and merchant of London, and Richard Isham, gentleman, against William Markwyk of Bosham in Sussex, also known as William Markwyk, lately of Bosham in Sussex.

The plea remains a plea of debt for thirty-nine pounds (£39). The plaintiffs, John Marshall and Richard Isham, are pursuing William Markwyk for this sum, which they claim he unjustly withholds. William Markwyk again failed to appear in court. As in the previous term (CP 40/888 Easter 1484), the Sheriff was ordered to arrest him (sicut pluries). The Sheriff of London reported that William Markwyk had no possessions within London. The court then issued a repeated order (Preceptum est vicecomiti sicut pluries) to inquire further, setting a deadline of the Morrow of All Souls (November 3rd) for this inquiry. Furthermore, the Sheriff was again ordered to arrest William Markwyk if found, ensuring his appearance in court fifteen days after St. Martin's Day (Martinmas, November 11th) to respond to John Marshall’s plea. The Sheriff of London again reported that William Markwyk was not found. Consequently, the court issued a repeated order for the Sheriff to initiate the process of outlawry against William Markwyk, requiring his exaction from county court to county court until outlawed. If apprehended before outlawry, he was to be held to appear in court fifteen days after the Feast of St. John the Baptist (June 24th) to answer John Marshall's plea. The Sheriff of London once more reported that William Markwyk was not found. Therefore, the court issued a further repeated order for his exaction in the Husting court of London (sicut pluries preceptum est vicecomiti quod exigatur eum in Hustengo), a specific court within the City of London for outlawry proceedings, indicating an escalation in the legal pressure on William Markwyk.

The biographical significance of this case for Richard Isham is as follows:

Persistent Debt Recovery Efforts: This record demonstrates the continued and escalating efforts of Richard Isham and John Marshall to recover the substantial debt from William Markwyk. The progression through multiple arrest orders and into outlawry proceedings illustrates their determination to pursue legal remedies to their fullest extent.

Complex Legal Procedures: The case showcases the intricate legal procedures for debt recovery in the late fifteenth century, including the shift from arrest warrants to county-level and then specific London court (Husting) outlawry processes when a defendant evades initial summons and arrest. Richard Isham’s involvement in such a protracted legal battle suggests a sophisticated understanding of these procedures.

Financial Risk and Management: The significant debt amount, £39, underscores the scale of financial risks and transactions Richard Isham and his partner John Marshall were engaged in. Their rigorous pursuit of this debt highlights the importance of effective debt management and legal recourse in their business dealings.

London Commercial and Legal Networks: The case, heard in London courts and involving a London merchant as co-plaintiff, further cements Richard Isham’s integration into London's commercial and legal networks. His ability to navigate these complex legal processes in London reinforces his professional acumen within this urban context.

Transcribed using Claude Sonnet 3.7 Thinking with a draft from Transkribus.

Abbreviated Latin Text

Line Text
1 London': ¶ Joh'es Marchall ciuis et m'cator London' et Ric'um Isham Gentilman per att'natu' suu' op' se iiij die v'sus Will'm Markwyk
2 de Bosham in com' Sussex' vocat' alias dict' Will'm Markwyk nup' de Bosham in com' Sussex' veniend' de pl'ito q'd reddat ei triginta
3 et nouem libras q's ei debet et iniuste detinet vt dicit. Et ip'e non ven'. Et p'cept' fuit vic' sicut plur' q'd
4 cap'et eu' etc. Et vic' modo mand' q'd nich'il h'et etc. P'ceptu' est vic' sicut plur' in crastino A'iar' q'd inquirat' in for'",
5 p'd'ca p'cept' est vic' q'd cap'et eu' si etc. Et saluo etc. Ita q'd h'eat corp' eius hic a die s'ci Martini in xv dies ad
6 respond' p'fat' Joh'i de p'd'co pl'ito. Et vnde vic' modo mand' q'd non est inuent' etc. P' q'd sicut plur' p'cept' est vic' q'd
7 exigifac' eu' de com' in com' quousq' etc. si etc. Et si etc. Ita q'd h'eat corp' eius hic a die s'ci Joh'is Bap'te in xv dies
8 ad respond' p'fat' Joh'i de p'd'co pl'ito. Et vnde vic' modo mand' q'd non est inuent' etc. P' q'd sicut plur' p'cept' est vic' q'd
9 exigat' eu' in Hustengo"

Expanded Latin Text

Line Text
1 Londonia: ¶ Johannes Marchall ciuis et mercator Londonie et Ricardum Isham Gentilman per attornatum suum optulit se iiij die versus Willelmum Markwyk
2 de Bosham in comitatu Sussexie vocatum alias dictum Willelmum Markwyk nuper de Bosham in comitatu Sussexie veniendum de placito quod reddat ei triginta
3 et nouem libras quas ei debet et iniuste detinet vt dicit. Et ipse non venit. Et preceptum fuit vicecomiti sicut pluries quod
4 caperet eum etc. Et vicecomes modo mandauit quod nichil habet etc. Preceptum est vicecomiti sicut pluries in crastino Animarum quod inquiratur in forma",
5 predicta preceptum est vicecomiti quod caperet eum si etc. Et salvo etc. Ita quod habeat corpus eius hic a die sancti Martini in xv dies ad
6 respondendum prefato Johanni de predicto placito. Et vnde vicecomes modo mandauit quod non est inuentus etc. Per quod sicut pluries preceptum est vicecomiti quod
7 exigi faciat eum de comitatu in comitatum quousque etc. si etc. Et si etc. Ita quod habeat corpus eius hic a die sancti Johannis Baptiste in xv dies
8 ad respondendum prefato Johanni de predicto placito. Et vnde vicecomes modo mandauit quod non est inuentus etc. Per quod sicut pluries preceptum est vicecomiti quod
9 exigatur eum in Hustengo"

English Translation

Line Text
1 London: ¶ John Marchall, citizen and merchant of London, and Richard Isham, gentleman, by their attorney offered themselves on the fourth day against William Markwyk
2 of Bosham in the county of Sussex, called otherwise said William Markwyk, lately of Bosham in the county of Sussex, to come concerning a plea that he render to them thirty-
3 and nine pounds which he owes them and unjustly detains as he says. And he does not come. And it was ordered to the Sheriff as many times that
4 he should seize him etc. And the Sheriff now reported that he has nothing etc. It is ordered to the Sheriff as many times on the Morrow of Souls that he inquire in the form
5 aforesaid. It is ordered to the Sheriff that he seize him if etc. And safely etc. So that he has his body here fifteen days from the day of Saint Martin to
6 answer the aforesaid John concerning the aforesaid plea. And concerning which the Sheriff now reported that he is not found etc. Therefore as many times it is ordered to the Sheriff that
7 he cause him to be exacted from county [court] to county [court] until etc. if etc. And if etc. So that he has his body here fifteen days from the day of Saint John the Baptist
8 to answer the aforesaid John concerning the aforesaid plea. And concerning which the Sheriff now reported that he is not found etc. Therefore as many times it is ordered to the Sheriff that
9 he exact him in the Husting."

CP 40/890 (Michaelmas 1484)

  • [Index at AALT | Image at AALT]
  • County: Essex
  • Persons: Richard Isham, John Fuller
  • Places: Ratheford

CP 40/891 (Hilary 1485)

  • [Index at AALT | Image at AALT]
  • County: London
  • Persons: John Marchall, Richard Isham, William Markwyk
  • Places: London, Bosham

Image is water damaged and impossible to transcribe completely

Catesby Will Deposition, 1488

Calendar of Patent Rolls Henry VII

Reference: Based on the text "3 HENRY VII.--PART II. 235" and "1488", this is likely from a published calendar of patent rolls from the reign of King Henry VII (reigned 1485-1509), specifically the 3rd year of his reign (August 22, 1487 - August 21, 1488), Part II, page 235. The document is from membrane rolls "Membranes 16, 17 and 18 (6, 5, 4)—cont."

Date: 1488 (year heading in document). The deposition itself would have been taken sometime around or after the events described, which appear to be in 1488 or shortly before.

Jurisdiction: Likely Chancery or Star Chamber proceedings given the nature of depositions and witness testimony related to a will dispute.

Persons:

Richard Isham of Lyncolnes Inne, 'gentilman': Key figure in this entry, acting as a witness or involved in the will-making process.

John Catesby (dying man): The testator whose will is in question. Described as "dying man John Catesby, late of Olthorp."

William Catesby the younger: Executor of William Catesby the elder, and involved in land ownership mentioned in the context.

Robert Soweche, servant of lord Scrope of Bolton, 'gentilman': Deponent and witness in the case.

John Norres: Mentioned as being present when the testator desired to make a will and sent for Richard Isham.

William Godard, DD, provincial of the Friars Minors: Deponent and witness, a religious figure who spoke with John Catesby.

Thomas Aynesworthe of Clyffe, co. Northampton, 'gentilman': Deponent and witness.

Margaret: Mentioned in relation to children and inheritance of the manor.

Sir William Catesby: Cousin of John Catesby, son of Sir William Catesby, suggested as heir.

Lord (said lord): Referring to a lord who owned lands of which William Catesby the younger had parcel.

Places:

Lyncolnes Inne (Lincoln's Inn), London: Richard Isham's location and professional affiliation.

Olthorp: Location of John Catesby's residence, "late of Olthorp."

Olde Fysshestreet in London: Location where William Godard spoke with the dying John Catesby.

Rothewell: Manor where William Catesby built a windmill and sent oak trees, mentioned by Thomas Aynesworthe.

Clyffe, co. Northampton: Thomas Aynesworthe's location.

Bolton: Lord Scrope of Bolton's title.

Grey Fryers in London: Location of a conversation about John Catesby's will.

Westminster Hall: Place where John Catesby said "the same" to John Norres.

Westminster: Mentioned in relation to departing to Westminster.

Catesby Will Deposition, 1488 - Document Summary

This document, dating from 1488, is an excerpt from depositions taken in a legal case concerning the will of John Catesby, late of Olthorp. The excerpt highlights testimonies from William Godard DD, Thomas Aynesworthe, and Robert Soweche, detailing John Catesby's intentions and actions leading up to his death and the circumstances surrounding his will (or lack thereof).

Of particular biographical significance for Richard Isham is the deposition of William Godard DD. Godard testified that he visited the gravely ill John Catesby ("dying man") in Olde Fysshestreet, London. He found John Catesby in the presence of "one Rychard Iseham," identified as "Richard Isham of Lyncolnes Inne, 'gentilman'." According to Godard's testimony, he prompted Richard Isham to "shrive" the dying John Catesby, suggesting Isham held a spiritual or advisory role in this context. Godard further stated that after Isham spoke with John Catesby, Isham reported that Catesby "could not speak."

Another deposition, from Robert Soweche, indicates that the testator, John Catesby, wished for "Margaret" to be brought to his manor and for their child to be his heir. These depositions, taken together, suggest a contested will or at least significant uncertainty surrounding John Catesby's final testamentary wishes, necessitating witness testimonies to clarify the situation. Richard Isham's presence at John Catesby's deathbed and his involvement in the will-making process are central elements highlighted in this excerpt.

Biographical Significance for Richard Isham:

Legal and Professional Context - Lincoln's Inn Affiliation: The document explicitly identifies Richard Isham as "Richard Isham of Lyncolnes Inne, 'gentilman'," a crucial detail that directly connects him to Lincoln's Inn, a prominent Inn of Court in London. This direct link reinforces the strong inference from other records that Richard Isham possessed legal training and was actively engaged in legal matters, even if not formally designated as an attorney in other sources. It provides definitive professional context for his activities.

Involvement in Will-Making and Testimonial Context: The deposition places Richard Isham directly within the context of will-making for a dying man. His presence at John Catesby's bedside and the request for him to "shrive" Catesby suggest a role beyond that of a mere bystander. While "shrive" primarily denotes the religious act of hearing confession, in this context, it likely implies a broader spiritual and advisory function, potentially encompassing assistance with the final wishes, including testamentary arrangements, of the dying man.

Witness in Legal Proceedings: Although this excerpt is drawn from depositions, it strongly suggests Richard Isham's potential role as a witness in legal proceedings related to the Catesby will. His actions and observations were deemed sufficiently relevant to be formally recorded as testimony, underscoring his credibility and standing within the community.

London Presence in 1488: The document firmly situates Richard Isham in London in 1488, specifically associating him with Lincoln's Inn and activities in Olde Fysshestreet. This detail contributes to building a chronological understanding of his movements and activities, complementing evidence from the CP40 rolls which also points to his increasing presence in London during the 1480s.

Network and Connections: This document reveals Richard Isham's connections to the Catesby family and potentially to William Godard DD, a religious figure of some standing as "provincial of the Friars Minors." The mention of John Norres further suggests a wider network of individuals within legal or gentry circles with whom Richard Isham was associated. Robert Soweche's deposition, referencing Lord Scrope of Bolton, hints at connections extending to the nobility or higher echelons of the gentry. These connections illuminate the social milieu in which Richard Isham operated and his access to diverse social and professional networks in London and beyond.

In summary, this deposition excerpt offers compelling evidence of Richard Isham's professional identity as a member of Lincoln's Inn in 1488, his involvement in will-making scenarios, and his integration into a network encompassing legal, religious, and potentially higher gentry circles within late fifteenth-century London. It adds a significant dimension to his biography, revealing a facet of his life beyond debt litigation and land transactions, portraying him as a man entrusted with sensitive personal and legal matters within his community.

Transcription of Catesby Will Deposition Excerpt

Line Text
1 Richard Isham of Lyncolnes Inne, 'gentilman,'
2 says that the testator sent for him by one Norres and the latter
3 desired him to move the said John to make a will, and
4 when he came to the said John he moved the deponent
5 in a matter that was between the lord marquess and him,
6 and so departed to Westminster. But the said John
7 made no will.

CP 40/907 (Hilary 1489)

Image at AALT

County: London

Persons: Joan or Jane Aderle, William Brocas, Richard Isham, Henry Quynby, Robert Thorncombe

Places: Hants, Shaldeford

CP 40/907 (Hilary 1489) Legal Case Summary

This document, CP 40/907 from Hilary Term 1489, records a plea of debt brought by Richard Isham, gentleman, and Henry Quynby, executors of the will of John Aderle, late citizen, and William Brocas, late of Southampton County, esquire, also an executor of the will of John Aderle, against Robert Thorncombe, late of Shaldeford in Surrey, husbandman, also called Robert Thorncombe, late of the parish of Shaldeford in Surrey, husbandman.

The plea is a plea of debt for eight pounds (£8). The plaintiffs, Richard Isham and Henry Quynby, as executors of John Aderle, along with William Brocas (also an executor of John Aderle), claim that Robert Thorncombe owes them this sum and unjustly detains it. Robert Thorncombe did not appear in court. As previously ordered, the Sheriff was commanded to arrest him. The Sheriff now reports that they are not found. Therefore, it is ordered, as many times previously, that he be arrested so that he is here in the Octave of the Purification of Blessed Mary (Candlemas).

The biographical significance of this case for Richard Isham is as follows:

Executor of a Will: This case reveals Richard Isham acting as an executor of the will of John Aderle, a London citizen. This demonstrates a new facet of Richard Isham's activities, extending beyond his personal legal actions to include estate administration and the fulfillment of testamentary duties for others.

Collaboration in Estate Management: Richard Isham is acting as co-executor with Henry Quynby and William Brocas. This highlights collaborative aspects of estate management in this period and Richard Isham's ability to work with others in such legal and financial roles.

London Legal and Financial Networks: The case is brought in London, involving executors of a London citizen's will, suggesting Richard Isham was integrated into London’s legal and financial networks, even when acting in a fiduciary capacity.

Debt Recovery for an Estate: Similar to his personal cases, Richard Isham is involved in debt recovery, but in this instance, to benefit the estate of John Aderle. This underscores the importance of debt recovery as a common legal and financial practice in the late fifteenth century and Richard Isham’s proficiency in utilizing the legal system for this purpose, both for himself and on behalf of others.

Abbreviated Latin Text

Line Text
1 London: ¶ Ric'us Isham Gentilman & Henr' Quynby Exec'ores testi Ioh'is Aderle nup' civ'is Will'i
2 Brocas nup' de com' Suth' Armig'i exec'ores testi Ioh'is Aderle nup' civ'is Will'i
3 Brocas nup' de com' Suth' Armig'i p' attorn' suu' op' se iiijto die v'sus Rob'tum Thorncombe
4 nup' de Shaldeford in com' Surr' husbondman alias d'c'm Rob'tum Thorncombe nup' de
5 parochia de Shaldeford in com' Surr' husbondman de pl'ito q'd reddat eis octo libras
6 quas eis iniuste detinet etc. Et ip'e non ven'. Et sicut prius prec' fuit vic' q'd cap'et eum etc. Et
7 vic' modo mand' q'd non sunt invent' etc. Id'o sicut plur' cap' q'd sit hic in Octabis
8 Purif' b'e Marie etc.",

Expanded Latin Text

Line Text
1 London: ¶ Ricardus Isham Gentilman et Henricus Quynby Executores testamenti Iohannis Aderle nuper civis Willelmi
2 Brocas nuper de comitatu Suthampton Armigeri executores testamenti Iohannis Aderle nuper civis Willelmi
3 Brocas nuper de comitatu Suthampton Armigeri per attornatum suum optulit se quarto die versus Robertum Thorncombe
4 nuper de Shaldeford in comitatu Surrie husbondman alias dictum Robertum Thorncombe nuper de
5 parochia de Shaldeford in comitatu Surrie husbondman de placito quod reddat eis octo libras
6 quas eis iniuste detinet etc. Et ipse non venit. Et sicut prius preceptum fuit vicecomiti quod caperet eum etc. Et
7 vicecomes modo mandat quod non sunt inventi etc. Ideo sicut pluries capiatur quod sit hic in Octabis
8 Purificationis beate Marie etc.",

English Translation

Line Text
1 London: ¶ Richard Isham, gentleman, and Henry Quynby, Executors of the will of John Aderle, late citizen, [and] William
2 Brocas, late of the county of Southampton, esquire, executors of the will of John Aderle, late citizen, [and] William
3 Brocas, late of the county of Southampton, esquire, by their attorney offered themselves on the fourth day against Robert Thorncombe,
4 late of Shaldeford in the county of Surrey, husbandman, otherwise called Robert Thorncombe, late of
5 the parish of Shaldeford in the county of Surrey, husbandman, concerning a plea that he render to them eight pounds
6 which he unjustly detains from them etc. And he does not come. And as previously it was ordered to the Sheriff that he seize him etc. And
7 the Sheriff now reports that they are not found etc. Therefore as many times let him be taken so that he is here in the Octave of the
8 Purification of Blessed Mary etc.",

CP 40/907 (Hilary 1489)

  • [Index at AALT | Image at AALT]
  • County: London
  • Persons: Joan or Jane Adarle, William Brocas, Richard Isham, Henry Quynby, Robert Thorncombe
  • Places: Shaldeford

CP 40/911 (Hilary 1490)

[Image at AALT http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT3/H7/CP40no911/aCP40no911fronts/IMG_0162.htm]

County: London

Persons: Richard Isham, Thomas Warde, William Wellys, William Hurst

Places: London, Warwick

CP 40/911 (Hilary 1490) Legal Case Summary

This document, CP 40/911 from Hilary Term 1490, records a plea of debt brought by Richard Isham of London, gentleman, and Thomas Warde of London, mercer, through their attorney William Wellys, against William Wellys of Warwick in Warwickshire, mercer, and William Hurst of Warwick in the same county, tailor.

The plea is a plea of debt for eight pounds (£8). The plaintiffs, Richard Isham and Thomas Warde, claim that William Wellys and William Hurst owe them this sum and unjustly detain it. The defendants, William Wellys and William Hurst, did not appear in court. As previously ordered, the Sheriff was commanded to arrest them. The Sheriff now reports that they are not found. Therefore, it is now ordered that the Sheriff cause them to be exacted in Husting from Husting until they are outlawed if they do not appear. If they are apprehended before outlawry, then they should be seized and safely kept so that their bodies are brought to court in the Octave of St. John the Baptist.

The biographical significance of this case for Richard Isham is as follows:

Partnership with London Mercer: This case again demonstrates Richard Isham’s business partnership with a London mercer, Thomas Warde. This consistent collaboration underscores Richard Isham's deep integration into London's commercial networks and his engagement in financial activities with London merchants.

Debt Recovery in London Court: The case is heard in London, further emphasizing Richard Isham's active involvement in London’s legal and financial affairs. He is utilizing the London court system to recover debts owed to him, even when the debtors are located outside of London (in Warwick).

Geographical Reach of Financial Activities: The defendants being located in Warwick, Warwickshire, highlights the extensive geographical reach of Richard Isham's financial dealings. His business and lending activities extended beyond London and Northamptonshire, encompassing the Midlands region.

Use of Legal System for Debt Enforcement: The document showcases the legal procedures for debt recovery, including orders for arrest and ultimately, the process of outlawry for non-appearance. Richard Isham and his partner are shown to be persistent in using the full force of the legal system to recover their debt.

Abbreviated Latin Text

Line Text
1 London: ¶ Ric'us Isham de London' gentilm' et Thom's Warde de London' m'cer p' Will'm Wellys attorn' suu',
2 op' se iiij die v'sus Will'm Wellys de Warwyk' in com' Warr' m'cer et Will'm Hurst de Warwyk',
3 in eod'm com' cissor' de pl'ito q'd redd' ei octo libr' quas ei debent et iniuste detinent",
4 Et ip'i non ven'. Et sicut plur' p'c' fuit vic' q'd cap'et eos si etc et salvo etc ita q'd h'eret",
5 corpora eor' hic ad hunc diem sc'l't in octabis s'c'i Hillar' Et vic' modo mand' q'd non sunt",
6 inventi. Et ideo modo mand' q'd non sunt inventi. Et ideo p'c' est vic' q'd exigi fac' eos de Hust'",
7 in Hust' quousq' etc utlagentur si non etc Et si etc tunc eos capiant et salvo etc",
8 ita q'd h'eant corpora eor' hic in octabis s'c'i Joh'is Bap'te etc unde etc"

Expanded Latin Text

Line Text
1 London: ¶ Ricardus Isham de London gentilman et Thomas Warde de London mercer per Willelmum Wellys attornatum suum",
2 optulit se quarto die versus Willelmum Wellys de Warwyk in comitatu Warr' mercer et Willelmum Hurst de Warwyk",
3 in eodem comitatu cissorem de placito quod reddant ei octo libras quas ei debent et iniuste detinent",
4 Et ipsi non venerunt. Et sicut pluries preceptum fuit vicecomiti quod caperet eos si etc et salvo etc ita quod haberet",
5 corpora eorum hic ad hunc diem scilicet in octabis sancti Hillarii Et vicecomes modo mandavit quod non sunt",
6 inventi. Et ideo modo mandavit quod non sunt inventi. Et ideo preceptum est vicecomiti quod exigi faciat eos de Hustingo",
7 in Hustingo quousque etc utlagentur si non etc Et si etc tunc eos capiant et salvo etc",
8 ita quod habeant corpora eorum hic in octabis sancti Johannis Baptiste etc unde etc"

English Translation

Line Text
1 London: ¶ Richard Isham of London, gentleman, and Thomas Warde of London, mercer, by William Wellys their attorney,
2 offered themselves on the fourth day against William Wellys of Warwick in the county of Warwick, mercer, and William Hurst of Warwick,
3 in the same county, tailor, concerning a plea that they render to them eight pounds which they owe and unjustly detain.
4 And they did not come. And as many times it was ordered to the Sheriff that he seize them if etc and safely etc so that he should have
5 their bodies here at this day namely in the octave of Saint Hilary. And the Sheriff now reported that they are not
6 found. And therefore now he reported that they are not found. And therefore it is ordered to the Sheriff that he cause them to be exacted from Husting
7 in Husting until etc they be outlawed if not etc And if etc then he should seize them and safely etc
8 so that he has their bodies here in the octave of Saint John the Baptist etc concerning which etc"

CP 40/911 (Hilary 1490)

Index at AALT Image at AALT

County: Northamptonshire

Persons: William Cutlere, John Hyndesson, Richard Isham, Robert Yarum, Thomas Lovet, John Brakys

Places: Astwell, Fawsley (Faucet), Sulgrave (Sarpenham)

CP 40/911 (Hilary 1490) Legal Case Summary

This document, CP 40/911 from Hilary Term 1490, records a Common Recovery concerning manors and lands in Northamptonshire. The demandants (plaintiffs in the fictitious suit) are William Cutlere and John Hyndesson, and the tenants (nominal defendants) are Richard Isham and Robert Yarum. This case, while appearing as a genuine lawsuit, is in fact a collusive legal procedure designed to disentail land and convert it to fee simple ownership.

William Cutlere and John Hyndesson initiate a writ of right against Richard Isham and Robert Yarum, claiming ownership of the manors of Astwell with appurtenances, thirty-two messuages, thirty-two tofts, two thousand acres of land, one hundred and thirty acres of meadow, five hundred acres of pasture, two hundred and thirty acres of woodland, and forty shillings of rents with appurtenances in Astwell, Fawsley, and Sulgrave (Sarpenham), Northamptonshire, as their right and inheritance. They claim seisin in demesne as of fee in the time of King Henry VI, taking profits to a certain value, and offer to prove their right. The case is brought in Common Pleas because the chief lord of the fee remitted his court to the King.

Richard Isham and Robert Yarum appear in court and defend against William and John's claim. They then vouch to warranty Thomas Lovet, who appears in court in person and warrants the manors, tenements, and rents to them. William Cutlere and John Hyndesson then pursue their claim against Thomas Lovet as the warrantor.

Thomas Lovet, as warrantor, further vouches to warranty John Brakys, who also appears in court and warrants the property to Lovet. William Cutlere and John Hyndesson then pursue their claim against John Brakys, the final warrantor (and common vouchee in this Common Recovery).

John Brakys, as the final warrantor, defends his right and places himself "upon the grand assize of the lord King," requesting a recognition (a form of jury trial) to determine whether he or William and John have the greater right to hold the property.

William Cutlere and John Hyndesson then request license to imparl (time for private negotiation), which is granted. Later in the same term, William and John return to court in person, but John Brakys, though solemnly demanded, does not return, defaulting in court.

As a result of Brakys' default, the court rules in favor of William Cutlere and John Hyndesson. It is "considered" that William Cutlere and John Hyndesson recover their seisin against Richard Isham and Robert Yarum of the manors, tenements, and rents. Richard Isham and Robert Yarum are to receive land of equal value from Thomas Lovet in compensation, and Thomas Lovet is to receive equivalent land from John Brakys. John Brakys is declared "in mercy" (liable to a nominal fine).

In summary, this CP40 record documents a Common Recovery, a collusive legal action, likely undertaken by Richard Isham and Robert Yarum to convert entailed land into fee simple. William Cutlere and John Hyndesson act as demandants in this process, and the chain of vouching to warranty with Thomas Lovet and John Brakys is part of the standard legal fiction of a Common Recovery. The ultimate outcome is a legal judgment that clears the title to the land and establishes fee simple ownership, likely for Richard Isham and Robert Yarum, or one of them, according to a pre-arranged agreement.

The biographical significance for Richard Isham is:

Land Management and Legal Strategy: This Common Recovery demonstrates Richard Isham's continued involvement in sophisticated land management and legal strategies. Utilizing a Common Recovery indicates a proactive approach to land ownership and control, likely to facilitate sale, inheritance, or other forms of land transfer free from entailment restrictions.

Financial Transactions and Landed Interests: While the precise reasons for this Common Recovery are not stated, it points to significant land holdings in Astwell, Fawsley, and Sulgrave and suggests ongoing management and potential transactions involving these properties.

Use of Common Recovery: Richard Isham’s participation in a Common Recovery, following the 1472 case, further illustrates his familiarity with and recourse to complex legal mechanisms for land management purposes.

Collaboration with Robert Yarum: The joint action with Robert Yarum suggests a partnership or shared interest in the lands involved in the Common Recovery, though the exact nature of their relationship is not detailed in this record.

Abbreviated Latin Text

Line Text
1 Norht': ¶ Will'us Cutlere et Joh'es Hyndesson in pp'iis p'sonis suis petier'nt v'sus Ric'm Iseham et Rob'tum Yarum
2 man'ia de Astwell' cum p'tin' et t'igint' et duo mesuagia t'igint' et duo tofta duo milia acrar' t're
3 centum et t'iginta acrar' p'ti quingentas acras pasture ducentas et t'igint' acras bosci et quatuor
4 ginta solidatos redditus cum p'tin' in Astwell' Faucet et Sarpenham ut ius et hereditatem suam
5 p' br'e d'ni Regis de r'cto quia capital' d'n's feodi illius remisit inde cur' suam d'no Regi etc
6 Et unde dic't q'd ip'imet fuer'nt seisiti de man'iis ten' et redditu p'd'cis cum p'tin' in d'nico suo
7 ut de feodo tempore pacis tempore d'ni H' nup' Regis Angl' sexti post conq'm capiendo inde
8 explet' ad valenc' etc Et q'd tale sit ius suum offerunt etc
9 Et p'd'ci Ric'us et Rob'tus in pp'iis p'sonis suis ven' et defend' ius p'd'cor' Will'i et Joh'is et totam
10 eor' demand' etc et totum etc Et quicquid etc Et maxime de man'iis ten' et redditu p'd'cis cum
11 p'tin' ut de feodo et iure etc Et voc' inde ad warr' Thomam Lovet qui p'sens est hic in cur' in
12 pp'ia p'sona sua et eis man'ia ten' et redditum illa cum p'tin' eis warantizat etc Et sup',
13 hoc p'd'ci Will'us et Joh'es petunt v'sus ip'm Thomam man'ia ten' et redditum p'd'ca cum p'tin',
14 in forma p'd'ca Et unde dic't q'd ip'imet fuer'nt seisiti de man'iis ten' et redditu p'd'cis cum
15 p'tin' ut de feodo et iure tempore pacis tempore d'ni H' nup' Regis Angl' sexti post conq'm capiendo
16 inde explet' ad valenc' etc Et q'd tale sit ius suum offerunt etc
17 Et p'd'cus Thomas ut tenens p' warantiam suam defend' ius p'd'cor' Will'i et Joh'is et totam
18 eor' demand' etc et totum etc Et quicquid etc Et maxime de man'iis ten' et redditu p'd'cis cum p'tin' ut
19 de feodo et iure etc Et ult'ius voc' inde ad warantizand' Joh'em Brakys qui p'sens est hic in cur' in
20 pp'ia p'sona sua et p'fatis man'ia ten' et redditum illa cum p'tin' ei war' etc Et sup' hoc p'd'ci Will'us et Joh'es
21 petunt v'sus ip'm Joh'em Brakys man'ia ten' et redditum p'd'ca cum p'tin' in forma p'd'ca etc
22 Et unde dic't q'd ip'imet fuer'nt seisiti de man'iis ten' et redditu p'd'cis cum p'tin' in d'nico suo ut de
23 feodo et iure tempore pacis tempore d'ni H' nup' Regis Angl' sexti post conq'm capiendo inde
24 explet' ad valenc' etc Et q'd tale sit ius suum offerunt etc
25 Et p'd'cus Joh'es Brakys ut tenens p' warantiam suam defend' ius p'd'cor' Will'i et Joh'is
26 et totam eor' demand' etc et totum etc et quicquid etc et maxime de man'iis ten' et redditu p'd'cis cum
27 p'tin' ut de feodo et iure etc Et ponit se inde in magnam assiam d'ni Regis et petit recognic'oem fieri utrum
28 ip'e maius ius h'eat tenendi man'ia ten' et redditum p'd'ca cum p'tin' sibi et her' suis ut tenenti inde
29 p' warantiam suam sicut illa tenet an p'd'ci Will'us et Joh'es Hyndesson h'endi eadem man'ia ten' et
30 redditum p'd'ca cum p'tin' sicut illa sup'ius petier'nt etc
31 Et p'd'ci Will'us et Joh'es Hyndesson petunt licenc' inde interloquendi et h'ent etc Et postea ijdem Will'us
32 et Joh'es reveniunt hic in cur' isto eodem t'mino in pp'iis p'sonis suis Et p'd'cus Joh'es Brakys solempnit'
33 exactus non revenit set in contemptum cur' recessit et defaltam fecit Ideo cons' est q'd p'd'ci Will'us et
34 Joh'es Hyndesson recup'ent seisinam suam v'sus p'd'cos Ric'm Iseham et Rob'tum Yarum de man'iis ten' et
35 redditu p'd'cis cum p'tin' tenend' eisdem Will'o et Joh'i Hyndesson et her' suis quiete de p'fato Ric'o et
36 Rob'to et her' suis et ec'am de p'd'co Thoma Lovet et her' suis et ec'am de p'fato Joh'e Brakys et her'
37 suis imp'pm Et q'd p'd'ci Ric'us Iseham et Rob'tus h'eant de t'ra p'd'ci Thome Lovet ad valenc' etc
38 Et q'd idem Thomas h'eat de t'ra p'd'ci Joh'is Brakys ad valenc' etc Et idem Joh'es in m'ia etc

Expanded Latin Text

Line Text
1 Northamptonia: ¶ Willelmus Cutlere et Johannes Hyndesson in propriis personis suis petierunt versus Ricardum Iseham et Robertum Yarum
2 maneria de Astwell cum pertinentiis et triginta et duo mesuagia triginta et duo tofta duo milia acrarum terre
3 centum et triginta acrarum prati quingentas acras pasture ducentas et triginta acras bosci et quatuor
4 ginta solidatos redditus cum pertinentiis in Astwell Faucet et Sarpenham ut ius et hereditatem suam
5 per breve domini Regis de recto quia capitalis dominus feodi illius remisit inde curiam suam domino Regi etc
6 Et unde dicunt quod ipsimet fuerunt seisiti de maneriis tenementis et redditu predictis cum pertinentiis in dominico suo
7 ut de feodo tempore pacis tempore domini Henrici nuper Regis Anglie sexti post conquestum capiendo inde
8 expleta ad valenciam etc Et quod tale sit ius suum offerunt etc
9 Et predicti Ricardus et Robertus in propriis personis suis venerunt et defendunt ius predictorum Willelmi et Johannis et totam
10 eorum demandam etc et totum etc Et quicquid etc Et maxime de maneriis tenementis et redditu predictis cum
11 pertinentiis ut de feodo et iure etc Et vocant inde ad warrantum Thomam Lovet qui presens est hic in curia in
12 propria persona sua et eis maneria tenementa et redditum illa cum pertinentiis eis warantizat etc Et super
13 hoc predicti Willelmus et Johannes petunt versus ipsum Thomam maneria tenementa et redditum predicta cum pertinentiis
14 in forma predicta Et unde dicunt quod ipsimet fuerunt seisiti de maneriis tenementis et redditu predictis cum
15 pertinentiis ut de feodo et iure tempore pacis tempore domini Henrici nuper Regis Anglie sexti post conquestum capiendo
16 inde expleta ad valenciam etc Et quod tale sit ius suum offerunt etc
17 Et predictus Thomas ut tenens per warantiam suam defendit ius predictorum Willelmi et Johannis et totam
18 eorum demandam etc et totum etc Et quicquid etc Et maxime de maneriis tenementis et redditu predictis cum pertinentiis ut
19 de feodo et iure etc Et ulterius vocat inde ad warantizandum Johannem Brakys qui presens est hic in curia in
20 propria persona sua et prefatis maneria tenementa et redditum illa cum pertinentiis ei warantizat etc Et super hoc predicti Willelmus et Johannes
21 petunt versus ipsum Johannem Brakys maneria tenementa et redditum predicta cum pertinentiis in forma predicta etc
22 Et unde dicunt quod ipsimet fuerunt seisiti de maneriis tenementis et redditu predictis cum pertinentiis in dominico suo ut de
23 feodo et iure tempore pacis tempore domini Henrici nuper Regis Anglie sexti post conquestum capiendo inde
24 expleta ad valenciam etc Et quod tale sit ius suum offerunt etc
25 Et predictus Johannes Brakys ut tenens per warantiam suam defendit ius predictorum Willelmi et Johannis
26 et totam eorum demandam etc et totum etc et quicquid etc et maxime de maneriis tenementis et redditu predictis cum
27 pertinentiis ut de feodo et iure etc Et ponit se inde in magnam assiam domini Regis et petit recognicionem fieri utrum
28 ipse maius ius habeat tenendi maneria tenementa et redditum predicta cum pertinentiis sibi et heredibus suis ut tenenti inde
29 per warantiam suam sicut illa tenet an predicti Willelmus et Johannes Hyndesson habendi eadem maneria tenementa et
30 redditum predicta cum pertinentiis sicut illa superius petierunt etc
31 Et predicti Willelmus et Johannes Hyndesson petunt licenciam inde interloquendi et habent etc Et postea iidem Willelmus
32 et Johannes reveniunt hic in curia isto eodem termino in propriis personis suis Et predictus Johannes Brakys solempniter
33 exactus non revenit set in contemptum curie recessit et defaltam fecit Ideo consideratum est quod predicti Willelmus et
34 Johannes Hyndesson recuperent seisinam suam versus predictos Ricardum Iseham et Robertum Yarum de maneriis tenementis et
35 redditu predictis cum pertinentiis tenendis eisdem Willelmo et Johanni Hyndesson et heredibus suis quiete de prefato Ricardo et
36 Roberto et heredibus suis et eciam de predicto Thoma Lovet et heredibus suis et eciam de prefato Johanne Brakys et heredibus
37 suis imperpetuum Et quod predicti Ricardus Iseham et Robertus habeant de terra predicti Thome Lovet ad valenciam etc
38 Et quod idem Thomas habeat de terra predicti Johannis Brakys ad valenciam etc Et idem Johannes in misericordia etc"

English Translation

Line Text
1 Northamptonshire: ¶ William Cutlere and John Hyndesson in their own persons sought against Richard Iseham and Robert Yarum
2 the manors of Astwell with appurtenances and thirty-two messuages, thirty-two tofts, two thousand acres of land,
3 one hundred and thirty acres of meadow, five hundred acres of pasture, two hundred and thirty acres of woodland and forty
4 shillings of rents with appurtenances in Astwell Fawsley and Sulgrave as their right and inheritance
5 by writ of the lord King of right because the chief lord of that fee remitted his court thereof to the lord King etc.
6 And concerning which they say that they themselves were seised of the aforesaid manors, tenements and rent with appurtenances in their demesne
7 as of fee in time of peace in the time of lord Henry, late King of England the Sixth after the Conquest, taking from them
8 profits to the value etc. And that such is their right they offer etc.
9 And the aforesaid Richard and Robert in their own persons came and defend the right of the aforesaid William and John and the whole
10 of their claim etc and the whole etc and whatever etc and especially concerning the aforesaid manors tenements and rent with
11 appurtenances as of fee and right etc And they vouch to warranty concerning it Thomas Lovet who is present here in court in
12 his own person and warrants to them those manors tenements and rent with appurtenances etc And upon
13 this the aforesaid William and John seek against him, Thomas, the manors tenements and rent aforesaid with appurtenances
14 in the form aforesaid And concerning which they say that they themselves were seised of the aforesaid manors tenements and rent with
15 appurtenances as of fee and right in time of peace in the time of lord Henry, late King of England the Sixth after the Conquest, taking
16 from them profits to the value etc And that such is their right they offer etc
17 And the aforesaid Thomas as tenant by his warranty defends the right of the aforesaid William and John and the whole
18 of their claim etc and the whole etc and whatever etc and especially concerning the aforesaid manors tenements and rent with appurtenances as
19 of fee and right etc And further he vouches to warranty concerning it John Brakys who is present here in court in
20 his own person and warrants to him the aforesaid manors tenements and rent with appurtenances etc And upon this the aforesaid William and John
21 seek against him, John Brakys, the manors tenements and rent aforesaid with appurtenances in the form aforesaid etc
22 And concerning which they say that they themselves were seised of the aforesaid manors tenements and rent with appurtenances in their demesne as of
23 fee and right in time of peace in the time of lord Henry, late King of England the Sixth after the Conquest, taking from them
24 profits to the value etc And that such is their right they offer etc
25 And the aforesaid John Brakys as tenant by his warranty defends the right of the aforesaid William and John
26 and the whole of their claim etc and the whole etc and whatever etc and especially concerning the aforesaid manors tenements and rent with
27 appurtenances as of fee and right etc And he puts himself thereupon on the grand assize of the lord King and asks for a recognition to be made as to whether
28 he has greater right to hold the manors tenements and rent aforesaid with appurtenances to himself and his heirs as tenant thereof
29 by his warranty as he holds them or the aforesaid William and John Hyndesson to have the same manors tenements and
30 rent aforesaid with appurtenances as they above sought etc
31 And the aforesaid William and John Hyndesson ask license to imparl therein and they have it etc And afterwards the same William
32 and John return here into court in this same term in their own persons And the aforesaid John Brakys solemnly
33 demanded does not return but in contempt of court withdrew and made default Therefore it is considered that the aforesaid William and
34 John Hyndesson should recover their seisin against the aforesaid Richard Iseham and Robert Yarum concerning the manors tenements and
35 rent aforesaid with appurtenances to hold to the same William and John Hyndesson and their heirs quit of the aforesaid Richard and
36 Robert and their heirs and also of the aforesaid Thomas Lovet and his heirs and also of the aforesaid John Brakys and his
37 heirs forever And that the aforesaid Richard Iseham and Robert should have [land] from the land of the aforesaid Thomas Lovet to the value etc
38 And that the same Thomas should have [land] from the land of the aforesaid John Brakys to the value etc And the same John [is] in mercy etc

CP 40/919 (Hilary 1492)

Index at AALT

Image at AALT

County: London

Persons: Richard Isham, Henry Quynby, Joan Adarle (deceased), William Brocas (deceased), Robert Thorncombe

Places: Shaldeford (Surrey), Southampton (Hampshire)

CP 40/919 (Hilary 1492) Legal Case Summary

This document, CP 40/919 from Hilary Term 1492, records a case of plea of debt in London that was not prosecuted by the plaintiffs. The plaintiffs are Richard Isham, gentleman, and Henry Quynby, servant of Joan Adarle, late wife of William Brocas, late of Southampton, Hampshire, esquire, executors of the testament of Joan Adarle. They had brought a writ of the lord King against Robert Thorncombe, late of Shaldeford in Surrey, husbandman, also called Robert Thorncombe, late of the parish of Shaleford, husbandman.

The plea was a plea of debt, but the plaintiffs, Richard Isham and Henry Quynby, did not prosecute this plea against Robert Thorncombe. As a result, it was ruled that the plaintiffs are "in mercy" (in misericordia), meaning they were liable to a nominal fine for failing to pursue their claim. The defendant, Robert Thorncombe, was dismissed "without day" (eat inde sine die), meaning he was discharged from the court without further obligation in this case.

The record explains the dismissal by stating that the plaintiffs ("the same placitantes," referring to Richard Isham and Henry Quynby as executors) had come to court to show that they, as executors, had been forewarned or summoned by John fforestp' and Richard, clerks ("probos & leg'les ho'ies" - honest and lawful men/clerks), to appear on this day (fifteen days from Hilary Term) to acknowledge and prosecute their plea of debt against Robert Thorncombe. Because Robert Thorncombe was challenged or accused at the suit of the aforesaid executors concerning the plea aforesaid, and the executors did not prosecute, the case was dismissed.

The biographical significance of this case for Richard Isham remains as follows:

Executor Role: This case reveals Richard Isham acting in the capacity of an executor of a will, specifically for Joan Adarle, the widow of William Brocas of Hampshire. This highlights a different facet of Richard Isham's activities beyond his own legal and financial affairs, showing him undertaking fiduciary duties for others.

Debt Recovery (Unpursued): The case is a plea of debt, consistent with Richard Isham's frequent involvement in debt-related legal actions. However, in this instance, the debt recovery was not pursued. This could suggest various reasons: a prior settlement, a reassessment of the viability of recovering the debt, or other estate management priorities taking precedence.

Geographical Reach of Executor Duties: The case connects Richard Isham to individuals and estates outside of his immediate Northamptonshire and London spheres. Joan Adarle and William Brocas were from Hampshire, and the defendant was from Surrey, indicating Richard Isham’s executor responsibilities extended geographically.

Professional Network: The mention of John fforestp' and Richard, clerks, as summoners suggests a network of individuals involved in legal processes, and Richard Isham's connection to such networks through his various legal engagements.

Abbreviated Latin Text

Line Text
1 London: ¶ Ric'us Isham Gentilman et Henr' Quynby s'viens Joh'e Adarle nup' ux'is
2 Will'i Brocas nup' de com' Suth't Armig'i execut's testam'ti Joh'e Adarle
3 nup' ux'is Will'i Brocas nup' de com' Suth't Armig'i qui tuler' br'e d'ni reg' v'sus
4 Rob'tum Thorncombe nup' de Shaldeford in com' Surr' Husbondman al' dc'm Rob'tum
5 Thorncombe nup' de p'och'ia de Saleford Husbondman de pl'ito deb'i non s't p'sec' hu-
6 jusm'i pl'ito v's' eu'. Ideo p'd'i in m'ia. Et p'd'cus Rob'tus eat inde sine die. q'a
7 id'm pl' ven' ad ostend' q'd p'd'ci execut's p'muniti fuer't p' Joh'em fforestp' & p' Ric'
8 cl'icos pbos & leg'les ho'ies ad hunc diem sc't a die s'ci Hill' in .xv. dies ad cognosc'
9 v's' p'd'cm Rob'tum pl'itm suu' p'd'cm. Et q' postq'm id'm Rob'tus cal'pn' fu't ad
10 sect' p'd'or' executor' sup' pl'ito p'd'co etc.

Expanded Latin Text

Line Text
1 London: ¶ Ricardus Isham Gentilman et Henricus Quynby serviens Johanne Adarle nuper uxoris
2 Willelmi Brocas nuper de comitatu Suthamptonie Armigeri executores testamenti Johanne Adarle
3 nuper uxoris Willelmi Brocas nuper de comitatu Suthamptonie Armigeri qui tulerunt breve domini regis versus
4 Robertum Thorncombe nuper de Shaldeford in comitatu Surrie Husbondman alias dictum Robertum
5 Thorncombe nuper de parochia de Saleford Husbondman de placito debiti non sunt prosecuti hu-
6 jusmodi placito versus eum. Ideo predicti in misericordia. Et predictus Robertus eat inde sine die. quia
7 idem placitantes venerunt ad ostendendum quod predicti executores premoniti fuerunt per Johannem fforestp' et per Ricardum
8 clericos probos et legales homines ad hunc diem scilicet a die sancti Hillarii in .xv. dies ad cognoscendum
9 versus predictum Robertum placitum suum predictum. Et quia postquam idem Robertus calumpniatus fuit ad
10 sectam predictorum executorum super placito predicto etc."

English Translation

Line Text
1 London: ¶ Richard Isham, gentleman, and Henry Quynby, servant of Joan Adarle, late wife of
2 William Brocas, late of the county of Southampton, Esquire, executors of the testament of Joan Adarle,
3 late wife of William Brocas, late of the county of Southampton, Esquire, who brought a writ of the lord king against
4 Robert Thorncombe, late of Shaldeford in the county of Surrey, Husbandman, otherwise called Robert
5 Thorncombe, late of the parish of Saleford, Husbandman, concerning a plea of debt, have not prosecuted this
6 kind of plea against him. Therefore the aforesaid [plaintiffs are] in mercy. And the aforesaid Robert should go thence without day, because
7 the same plaintiffs came to show that the aforesaid executors were forewarned by John fforestp' and by Richard,
8 clerks, honest and lawful men, to this day, namely fifteen days from the day of Saint Hilary, to acknowledge
9 against the aforesaid Robert their aforesaid plea. And because after the same Robert was challenged at the
10 suit of the aforesaid executors concerning the plea aforesaid etc.

CP 40/919 (Hilary 1492)

CP 40/919 (Hilary 1492) Legal Case Summary

This document, CP 40/919 from Hilary Term 1492, records a plea of debt brought by Alicia Isham, who was the wife of Richard Isham Senior, and Richard Isham Junior, son and heir of the aforementioned Richard Isham Senior, against John Wode, gentleman, lately of London, described as "alias called John Wode of Lincoln'," which refers to his association with Lincoln's Inn, a London-based Inn of Court, not the city of Lincoln.

The plea is a plea of debt for £10. The plaintiffs, Alicia and Richard Isham Junior, as executors of Richard Isham Senior, claim that John Wode owes them this sum which he unjustly detains. The document states that John Wode did not appear in court, and the Sheriff of London was ordered to summon him. The Sheriff reported that he had been ordered to summon John Wode for the 15th day of Easter. However, at the specified date, the Sheriff had not sent the writ.

The biographical significance of this case for the Isham family is as follows:

  • Post-Mortem Estate Management: This case, initiated after Richard Isham Senior's death in 1491, demonstrates his widow Alicia and his son Richard Isham Junior actively managing his estate and pursuing outstanding debts. This highlights Alicia's role as executor and Richard Junior's role as heir in continuing his father's financial affairs.
  • Debt Recovery: Similar to the earlier case involving Richard Isham Senior, this document shows the Isham family utilizing the legal system to recover debts owed to them. This reinforces the importance of credit and debt within the economic context of the late 15th century and the family's proactive approach to protecting their financial interests.
  • Family Continuity: The case being brought in the names of Alicia and Richard Junior together underscores the family's continuity and the transfer of responsibilities after Richard Senior's death. It illustrates how the widow and heir worked together to maintain the family's financial standing.
  • London and Lincoln's Inn Connections: The defendant, John Wode, is described as "lately of London, gentleman, alias called John Wode of Lincoln'," which, as clarified by expert analysis, refers to "John Wode, pensioner of Lincoln's Inn," a London-based Inn of Court, not the city of Lincoln. This reveals a professional and legal connection rather than a geographical link to Lincolnshire. It suggests the Isham family's dealings extended into legal circles in London, and potentially that Richard Isham Senior, who was also a member of Lincoln's Inn, had professional connections with John Wode through this legal society. This highlights the Isham family's engagement with the legal profession and London's Inns of Court.
  • Legal Process and Delays: The procedural details, noting the Sheriff's initial failure to send the writ, offer a glimpse into the realities of the legal process at the time, including potential delays and bureaucratic steps involved in debt recovery.

Will Transcription

Richard Isham’s last will and testament, composed shortly before his death in May 1491, offers invaluable personal insights that complement the picture of his life drawn from legal records. The will exists in two parts: a Latin testament made on 12 March 1490, and a subsequent English will dated 20 April 1491. Together, these documents reveal Richard Isham’s spiritual concerns, his provisions for family, and his aspirations for a lasting legacy.

The Latin testament, written in formal language, primarily addresses Richard’s religious wishes and burial arrangements. It commends his soul to Christ and the Virgin Mary, reflecting his devout Christian faith, and directs his body to be buried in the churchyard. He specifies arrangements for his funeral, including the participation of paupers, torchbearers, priests, and clerks, indicating a desire for a solemn and traditional burial service befitting his status. Significantly, the Latin testament also details his wish for a substantial marble gravestone, specifying its dimensions and the Latin inscription to be carved upon it, ensuring a lasting physical memorial. He names his wife Alice and his eldest son Richard Isham Jr. as his executors in this Latin testament.

The later English will, written in vernacular English, focuses on the practical aspects of estate distribution and family provision. It directs his feoffees to ensure his wife Alice receives the rents from his purchased lands in Little Bowden, Clipston, and Laughton for her lifetime, emphasizing his priority in securing her financial well-being. Following Alice’s death, the lands are entailed to his younger son Robert Isham and his heirs, with further remainders to his elder son Richard Jr. and then to Richard Isham Sr.’s right heirs, outlining a clear line of inheritance for his landed property. A specific marriage bequest of £40 is made to his daughter Dorothy, providing for her future. The residue of his goods and chattels is bequeathed to his wife Alice, further demonstrating his trust in her and her central role in managing his estate. Sir William Byrcheley and William Bayley are named as witnesses to this English will.

Taken together, Richard Isham’s wills provide a deeply personal dimension to his biography. They reveal his piety, his commitment to his family’s future, particularly ensuring the financial security of his wife and providing inheritances for his sons and daughter, and his concern for remembrance through a permanent memorial. These testamentary documents, alongside the legal records, paint a fuller picture of Richard Isham, not just as a legal figure and landholder, but as a man of his time concerned with both the spiritual and material well-being of himself and his family.


Latin Testament (12 March 1490)

Line Text
1 In nomine dni nri Ihu Cristi Ego Ricardus Iseham filius Roberti Iseham in Comitatu
2 Northamptoni armiger sane et bone memorie existens condo dispono ordino et
3 facio hoc pns testamentum meum modo et forma sequenti In primis lego et comendo
4 animam meam in sanctissimas manus dni nri Ihu Christi clamat in cruce afixatus
5 et preciosissimo sanguine suo reinentatis mundis et pribus beatissime marie virginis et stis
6 suffragiis cum finitior et sanctorum dei et lego cp vile et putridum corpus meum sepeliri
7 Ecliamq do plainment et mij distuciencys executors meos et volo qp xij paupet teneant
8 torto lucit et quatuor candelis circa cors respect meum in die sepultm ple et pongo
9 et quilit pro labore suo iiijd Et quilit sacerdos in exequijs meis & missa existens
10 habeat vjd Proviso semp qd sint pntes in choro in exequijs ante magnificat et
11 in missa an epistolam surcidat usq post missam de Requiem celebrant propustin d It quilit
12 clericos interestons exequise et misse modo & forma ut pmittit et cantant in choro jd
13 It volo qp pro decumt & oblicionibus oblite reddant Rcton sive curato meo iiso iijd
14 et volo qd lapis monumentl continent vij feed liptomy ppoct in langitudine ponats sup
15 tole rodadum memet et sculpant nomen meum sic huitm lapidem cum ista scriptura
16 hic iacet Ricul. Isseham gent filius Roberti Isseham de Com Northamton armiger
17 qui obiit tali die et Anno Eusqe anime ppiciet deus pppt amen It profidetr qp
18 exenitois psnti testamente meo ordino facio et constituo Alenam uxorem meam
19 et Ricm Isham filium & heredem meum meos veros executores ut ipsi deum pre
20 oculis hnts tam de pute testamento meo qm de ultima voluntatis de
21 debitum faciant complementm In cuius testimoniu huic pnte testo meo sigillum
22 meum apposui xij die Marcy Anno Regni Reg Henr septimi quinto hijs
23 testibus Ricardo Catesby et Willelmo Bermey ac aliis Willelmo Aurchesley

English Translation of Latin Testament

Line Text
1 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I, Richard Isham, son of Robert Isham in the County
2 of Northampton, esquire, being of sound and good memory, make, dispose, order, and
3 create this present testament of mine in the manner and form following. First, I bequeath and commend
4 my soul into the most holy hands of our Lord Jesus Christ, who suffered on the cross,
5 and redeemed the world with his most precious blood, and to the prayers of the most blessed Virgin Mary and all
6 saints in heaven, and I bequeath my vile and corrupt body to be buried in the
7 churchyard. And I give for my burial and for my distribution to my executors, and I wish that twelve paupers hold
8 torches alight and four candles around my body in respect on the day of burial, and I assign
9 to each for his labor four pence. And let every priest existing at my exequies and mass
10 have six pence. Provided always that they are present in the choir at Vespers before the Magnificat and
11 in the mass, and read the epistle and stay until after the Mass of Requiem is celebrated. Let each
12 clerk attending the exequies and mass in the manner and form as promised and singing in the choir [receive] one penny.
13 Also I wish that for tithes and oblations forgotten, two shillings and three pence be paid to my Rector or curate.
14 And I wish that a monumental stone, containing seven feet in length be procured, in length be placed upon
15 the tomb of my memory, and let my name be carved on this stone with this inscription:
16 "Here lies Richard Isham, gentleman, son of Robert Isham of the County of Northampton, esquire,
17 who died on such a day and year. May God have mercy on his soul. Amen." Also, I appoint that
18 for executors of this present testament of mine, I ordain, make, and constitute Alice my wife,
19 and Richard Isham, my son and heir, my true executors, so that they, having God before
20 their eyes, both concerning this my will and concerning [my] last wishes, may make due fulfillment.
21 In testimony of which to this present testament of mine I have affixed my seal,
22 on the twelfth day of March in the fifth year of the Reign of King Henry the Seventh, these
23 being witnesses: Richard Catesby and William Bermey and others, William Aurchesley.

English Will (20 April 1491)

Line Text
24 In the name of Ihn and of oure most blisside lady his most glorious moder and
25 vrigine I Richarde Isham remembring the misery of this transitorie and vnstable life
26 deigne and make this my last will as he after ensueth and folowith made the xx day
27 of Aprill in the vjt yere of the Reigne of king henry the vijth to be truly executed and
28 fulfilled after my true entent and mynde ffirst I will that my feoffes in and of all my
29 purchased landes and tenementes in litell Baddon and Clipston in the Countie of
30 Northampton and in Laughton in the Countie of leicestir shall stand still feffid of
31 the foresaid landes and tenementes to the vse and behof of my wif during hir lif she
32 to take all the Rentes Profitts and reveneue of the foresaid landes and tenementes, trus-
33 tyng verily that she will be singuler good moder vnto Richarde Issham my sonne
34 and heir and after hir decesse than I will that my feffes make or cause to be made a
35 sufficient and lawfull astate vnto Robert Issham my younger sonne and to his heirs
36 of his body lawfully begoten of all the foresaid landes and tenementes, And if it happe
37 the foresaid Robert my sonne to die with outen Issue than I will that all the foresaid
38 landes and tenementes remayne vnto Richarde Issham my elder sonne and to his heires
39 of his body lawfully begoten And if it happen the foresaid Richard to die with outen
40 Issue than I will that all the foresaid landes and tenementes remaynie vnto the right
41 heirs of me the foresaid Richard Isham the elder Item I will that my wif shall
42 have the keping of all my dedes and Evidences of my livelode during hir lif Item
43 I bequeath and give vnto Dorothe my doughter xl li for hir marriage All the Residue
44 of my goodes and Catallis and other Juels I give and bequeth vnto my wif to
45 her owne propre vse and behoff In witnesse wherof I the foresaid Richard Issham
46 theder have subscribed my own name with my own hand the day and yere a
47 bove said Wittnesse Sir william Berkeley, and william Bayley ¶


Inquisition Post Mortem C 142/8/93 (1492-1493)

Entry at TNA

Google Books Calendar Entry

Reference: C 142/8/93

Description (Short Title): Inquisition Post Mortem of Richard Isham, gentleman, Northamptonshire, 8 Hen VII.

Date: Writ dated 26 November, Inquisition dated 12 April, 8 Hen VII (1492-1493)

Jurisdiction: Inquisition Post Mortem

County: Northamptonshire

Persons:

Subject: Richard Isham, gentleman (deceased, Richard Isham Junior)

Places: Little Bowdon, Clipston, Newbold, Northamptonshire

C 142/8/93 Inquisition Post Mortem Summary

This document, C 142/8/93, is an Inquisition Post Mortem (IPM) for Richard Isham, gentleman, specifically Richard Isham Junior (deceased), located in Northamptonshire. The writ is dated 26 November of the 8th year of King Henry VII and the inquisition was taken on 12 April, 8 Henry VII (1492-1493).

This IPM was conducted following the death of Richard Isham Junior to determine his landholdings. The calendar abstract reveals that Richard Isham Junior was the son and heir of Richard Isham Senior, who died on 9 May in the 6th year of King Henry VII (1491). Prior to his death, Richard Isham Senior was seised of lands and had jointly enfeoffed William Aleyn, John Bryggeman, Henry Wade, John Tyson, and John Aspland (who were still surviving at the time of this IPM) to hold certain messuages and lands, including a messuage and eight score acres of land in Little Bowdon, with eight acres excepted. These feoffments were made to the uses of the last will of Richard Isham Senior.

Richard Isham Junior himself died on 24 November (year not specified in abstract, but implied to be shortly after his father, likely 1492). At the time of his death, Richard Isham Junior was seised only of the excepted messuage and eight acres of land in Little Bowdon in fee.

The IPM identifies Robert Isham, aged 12 years and more, as Richard Isham Junior's brother and heir.

The inquisition details the tenures and values of various landholdings, which although technically pertaining to Richard Isham Senior's arrangements and partially inherited by Richard Isham Junior, provide insight into the family's landed wealth in Northamptonshire:

  • Childe Maner and 200 acres of land in Clypston and Newbold: valued at 40 shillings per annum, held of the Abbot of St Edmund's Bury, service unknown.
  • Eighty acres of land in Clypston and Newbold: valued at 12 shillings per annum, held of Sir Thomas Pilkyngton, service unknown.
  • A messuage and eight score acres of land in Little Bowdon: valued at 5 marks per annum, held of Prince Arthur as of the castle of Berkhamsted by fealty, 2s rent, and suit of court every three weeks.
  • A messuage and 18 acres of land in Little Bowdon: valued at 13 shillings and 4 pence per annum, held of Nicholas Grillyn as of the castle of Braybroke, service unknown.
  • A messuage and 40 acres of land in Little Bowdon: valued at 8 shillings per annum, held of the said Nicholas Grillyn as of the said castle, service unknown.
  • A messuage and 40 acres of land in Little Bowdon: valued at 6 shillings and 8 pence per annum, held of the Prior of St John of Jerusalem in England, service unknown.
  • Eight acres of land in Little Bowdon: valued at 8 pence per annum, held of the said Prior, service unknown.
  • A messuage in Little Bowdon: valued at 4 pence per annum, held of William Pope, service unknown.

The biographical significance of this document for the Isham family and Richard Isham Senior's biography is as follows:

  • Confirms Death and Heir of Richard Isham Junior: The IPM confirms the death of Richard Isham Junior and identifies his younger brother, Robert Isham, as his heir, clarifying the immediate line of succession after Richard Isham Senior's death. It also indicates Richard Isham Jr.'s relatively short lifespan, predeceasing his younger brother.
  • Details Isham Family Landholdings: Although concerning Richard Isham Junior's estate, the IPM provides a valuable snapshot of the Isham family's landholdings in Northamptonshire, particularly in Clipston, Newbold, and Little Bowdon. It outlines the types of properties (manors, messuages, acreage), their values, and the feudal lords from whom they were held, offering insights into the family's landed wealth and social standing.
  • Clarifies Richard Isham Senior's Will and Feoffment: The IPM abstract refers to Richard Isham Senior's feoffment to trustees and his last will, indicating that he had made provisions for his lands before his death. This context helps interpret the Common Recovery of 1490 (CP 40/911) as likely part of these pre-mortem inheritance arrangements.
  • Genealogical Information: The IPM provides key genealogical details, confirming Robert Isham (younger son) as the heir to Richard Isham Junior and giving Robert's age as "12 and more" in 1492-1493, aiding in reconstructing the Isham family tree and timeline.
  • Feudal Context of Land Ownership: The IPM’s detailed listing of feudal tenures underscores the feudal context of land ownership in the late 15th century and Richard Isham's position within this hierarchical landholding system, owing service and rents to various lords, including prominent figures like Prince Arthur and religious institutions.

Inquisition Post Mortem of William Isham (1516)

Reference at TNA

County: Northamptonshire

Persons: William Isham, Robert Isham (father), Thomas Isham (son and heir), Elena (wife of Thomas Isham), John Thorp (clerk), Robert Isham (clerk), John Selby (clerk), Robert Codyngton (clerk), Richard Isham (Brother), John Isham (Brother), John Palmer, Simon Ingram, Richard Preste, Richard Wodefforde, John Redell, Thomas Colez (clerk), John Tresham, Philip Mulsho Aunger, John Watte, William Lane, William Isham (third son of William Isham), Humphrey Stafford, Ralph Lane, Thomas Grene, Edward Duke of Buckingham, William Russell, Abbot of St. Peter's Burgh, Abbot of Bury St Edmunds.

Places: Kettering, Pightesley (Pyghtesle'), Scaldwell, Huoston (Houghton), Irchester (Irchestre), Irthlingborough (Irchinghburg'), Barton Seagrave (Barton Segr've), Thorp Malsor, Crowleton (Crowghton), Aldem (mentioned in other CP40 cases as "of Aldem").

Inquisition Post Mortem of William Isham (1516) Summary

This document is an Inquisition Post Mortem (IPM) taken at Kettering, Northamptonshire, on 22 October in the 8th year of King Henry VIII's reign (1516). It was conducted before Robert Mathewe, the King's escheator for Northamptonshire, following a writ of Diem clausit extremum issued after the death of William Isham, Esquire. The jury, sworn by William Flecton and others, investigated William Isham’s landholdings at the time of his death.

The jury found that William Isham held no lands directly from the King in chief or by service. However, they determined that William's father, Robert Isham, had been seized of extensive lands and tenements in various Northamptonshire locations: Pightesley, Scaldwell, Houghton, Irchester, Irthlingborough, Barton Seagrave, Thorp Malsor, Crowleton, and a cottage in Kettering.

Robert Isham, by charter, had enfeoffed (transferred property to trustees) a group of individuals including John Thorp (clerk), Robert Isham (clerk), Richard Isham (presumably Richard of Clipston), and others, to hold these properties in fee simple for the use of Robert Isham and his heirs. After Robert Isham's death, the 'use' (effectively the beneficial ownership) of these lands descended to William Isham as Robert's son and heir.

Subsequently, at William Isham’s request, the trustees conveyed lands in Houghton and Irchester to Thomas Isham (William's son) and his wife Elena, to be held by them and their legitimate heirs, with a remainder to Philip Thorp and other feoffees if Thomas's line failed. This conveyance is evidenced by a charter dated 11 May in the 2nd year of King Richard III (1485), shown to the jury.

Later, William Isham entered into possession of the property in Scaldwell, removing the original trustees. He then, by charter dated 26 November in the 23rd year of King Henry VII (1507), enfeoffed Thomas Colez (clerk), John Tresham, and others, of all his lands and tenements in Scaldwell, to fulfill his last will.

The IPM concludes that William Isham died on 13 May in the 2nd year of the current King (Henry VIII, thus 1510). Following William's death, the 'use' of the Scaldwell property descended to his son and heir, Thomas Isham, as William had not specified its disposition in his will. The 'use' of the remaining lands also descended to Thomas Isham as heir.

Thomas Isham is identified as William's son and nearest heir, aged 50 years or more at the time of the inquisition (1516).

The IPM details the feudal tenures of the various landholdings:

11 messuages and 12 virgates in Pightesley held of the King in right of Humphrey Stafford by free socage.

5 messuages, 7 cottages, and 6 virgates in Pightesley held of Ralph Lane by free socage.

Lands in Houghton and Irchester held of the King as part of the Duchy of Lancaster for 40s 7d per annum.

Lands in Irthlingborough held of the Abbot of St. Peter's Burgh for 2d per annum.

Lands in Crowleton held of the heirs of Thomas Grene for 6d annual rent.

Lands in Scaldwell held of the Abbot of Bury St Edmunds (service unknown to jury).

Lands in Barton held of Edward Duke of Buckingham (service unknown to jury).

Lands in Thorp Malsor held of the heirs of William Russell for 12d annual rent.

Lands in Kettering held of the Abbot of St. Peter's Burgh (service unknown to jury).

The total annual value of all the tenements, beyond reprises (deductions), is assessed at £40 40s.

In witness whereof, both the escheator and the jurors affixed their seals to the inquisition, dated at Kettering on the day, year, and place mentioned above.

Abbreviated Latin Text

Line Text
1 Escr' Robertum Campson
2 Inquisiċo capta apud Keteryng' in com' North' vicesimo secundo die mensis Octobr' Anno regni Regis Henrici octaui octauo coram Roberto Mathewe escaetore dicti d'ni Reg' in com' pred'co virtute br'is de Diem claus' extremum eidem escaet' directi et huic inqui-
3 sic'oni annex' post mortem Will'i Ish'm Armig'i p' sacr'm Will'i Flecton' etc. Qui dicunt sup' sacr'm suum quod Will'us Ish'm in d'co br'i no'i'at' die quo obijt nulla tenuit t'ras neq' ten' in Com' pred'co de d'co d'no Rege in capite in d'nico s'uic'o reu'c'one neq' s'uic',
4 nec aliquo alio modo. Sed dicunt q'd Rob'tus Ish'm pat' pred'ci Will'i Ish'm in d'co br'i no'i'at' fuit seis'us de sexdecim mesuag' septem cotag' octo virgat' t're et aliis hereditament' cum p'tin' in Pyghtesle'. Et de vno mesuag' et duab' virgat' t're
5 et lib'is reddit' decem et septem solidor' cum p'tin' in Scaldwell'. Ac de duobus mesuag' et de octo virgat' t're cum p'tin' in Huoston. Et de duab' virgat' t're in Irchestre. Et de triginta et duab' acr' prati in Irchinghburg'. Nec de vno mesuag' et de vna
6 virgat' t're cum p'tin' in Barton Segr've. Et de vno mesuag' et dimid' virgat' t're cum p'tin' in Thorp' malsor. Et de vno mesuag' et de duab' virgat' t're cum p'tin' in Crowleton. Et de vno cotag' cum p'tin' in Keteryng' in d'co com' North'. Et sic
7 seis'us p' cartam suam feoffauit Ioh'em Thorp' cl'icum Rob'tum Ish'm cl'icum Ioh'em Selby cl'icum Rob'tum Codyngton' cl'icum Ric'um Ish'm Iohem' Ish'm Ioh'em palmer Simon' Ingram Ric'um preste Ric'um Wodefforde et Ioh'em Redell H'end',
8 et ten'nd' o'ia pred'ca mesuag' t'ras et ten' ac cet'a p'missa cum p'tin' prefat' Ioh'i Thorp' Rob'to Ish'm Ioh'i Selby Rob'to Codyngton' Ric'o Ish'm Ioh'i Ish'm Ioh'i palmer Simoni Ingram Ric'o preste Ric'o Wodefforde et Ioh'i Redell et
9 hered' et assign' suis imp'p'm ad vsu' pred'ci Rob'ti hered' et assign' suor'. Et postea pred'cus Rob'tus Ish'm obijt post cui' mortem vsus pred'cor' t'rar' et ten' descend' prefato Will'o Ish'm in d'co br'i no'i'at' vt fil' et hered' pred'ci Rob'ti Ish'm. Et postea,
10 pred'ci Ioh'es Thorp' Rob'tus Ish'm Ioh'es Selby Rob'tus Codyngton' Ric'us Ish'm Ioh'es Ish'm Ioh'es palmer Simon Ingram Ric'us preste Ric'us Wodefforde et Ioh'es Redell ad instanc' et desider'm pred'ci Will'i Ish'm deder't o'ia pred'ca t'ras et
11 ten' in Huoston et Irchestre prefat' Thome Ish'm et Elene vx'i sue et hered' de corp'ib' eor' l'time procreat'. Et si pred'ctus huiusmodi exit' remaner' prefat' Phil'o Thorp' al's feoffat' vt plenius apparet p' cartam inde fact' coram iur' pred'cis sup',
12 capc'one hui' inquisi'c'onis in euiden' ostens' cui' dat' est vndecimo die mens' Maicij anno regni Regis Ric'i t'cij s'c'do. Postea pred'cus Will'us Ish'm in pred'co mesuag' duab' virgat' t're et lib'o reddit' xvij s cum p'tin' in Scaldwell',
13 pred'ca intrauit et possessionem in eisdem t'ris et tenement' cepit et prefat' Ioh'em Thorp' Rob'tum Ish'm Ioh'em Selby Rob'tum Codyngton' Ric'um Ish'm Ioh'em Ish'm Ioh'em palmer Simonem Ingram Ric'um preste Ric'um Wodefforde et Ioh'em,
14 Redell a possessione sua mesuag' t'rar' et reddit' pred'cor' in Scaldwell' pred'ca amouit et expellauit. Et sic inde seis'us p' cartam suam iur' pred'cis sup' capc'onem hui' inquisiċonis in euiden' ostens' cui' dat' est apud Pyghtesle' pred'ca xxvj
15 die mens' Nouembr' anno regni Regis Henrici septimi post conquestu' Angl' vicesimo t'cio no'i'e o'im t'rar' et ten' prat' past' pastur' et hereditament' cum p'tin' in Scaldwell' pred'ca que sibi iure hereditario post mortem pred'ci Rob'ti patris
16 sui descender' feoffauit Thoma' Colez cl'icum Ioh'em Tresham phil' Mulsho Aunger et Ioh'em watte Will'um Lane et Will'um Ish'm Tercios fil' d'ci Will'i Ish'm H'end' et tenend' o'ia pred'ca t'ras ten' prat' past' pastur' et cet'a p'missa cum
17 p'tin' prefat' Thome Colez Ioh'i Tresham Phil'o Mulsho Ioh'i watte Will'o Lane et Will'o Ish'm hered' et assign' suis ad intencionem ad obs'uand' et p'implend' vltima' voluntatem pred'ci Will'i Ish'm. Et postea pred'cus Will'us obijt post
18 cui' mortem vsus pred'cor' mesuag' duar' virgat' t're et liber' reddit' xvij s cum p'tin' in Scaldwell' pred'ca descend' Thome Ish'm vt fil' et hered' pred'ci Will'i Ish'm in d'co br'i no'i'at' eo q'd in testamento nec in vltima voluntate
19 sua alicui nec econtra voluit nec disposuit. Et dicunt q'd pred'cus Will'us Ish'm obijt terciodecimo die maij anno secundo d'ni Regis nunc post cui' obitum vsus residuu' pred'car' t'rar' et ten' et cet'or' p'missor' descend' prefato Thome
20 Ish'm vt fil' et hered' pred'ci Will'i. Et dicunt q'd pred'cus Thomas est fil' et heres ei' ppinquior et est etat' quinquaginta annor' et ampli'. Et dicunt vlteri' q'd vndecim mesuag' et duodecim virgat' t're cum p'tin' in
21 Pyghtesle' tenent' de d'no Rege vt in iure Humfridi Stafford rac'one attincti auctoritate p'liamenti p' s'uic' lib'i socag'. Et dicunt q'd quinq' mesuag' septem cotag' et sex virgat' t're cum p'tin' in Pyghtesle' pred'ca tenent',
22 de Rad'o Lane armig'o p' s'uic' lib'i socag'. Et q'd o'ia pred'ca t'ras et ten' in Huoston et Irchestre tenent' de d'no Rege vt de ducat' suo Lancastr' p' s'uic' quadraginta solidor' et septem denar' p' o'ib' denar'. Et pred'ce t're in
23 Irchinghbur' tenent' de Abb'e S'c'i Petri p' s'uic' ij d p' annu' p' o'i s'uic'. Et pred'ca t'ras et ten' in Crowghton tenent' de hered' Thome Grene p' s'uic' sex denar' annui reddit' p' o'i s'uic'. Et pred'ca t'ras et ten' in
24 Scaldwell' tenent' de Abb'e de Bury p' quod s'uic' iur' ignorant. Et pred'ce t're in Barton tenent' de Edwardo Duce Buk' p' quod s'uic' iur' ignorant. Et pred'ce t're in Thorp Malsor tenent' de hered' Will'i
25 Russell p' s'uic' xij d annui reddit'. Et pred'ce t're in Keteryng' tenent' de Abb'e de Burgo s'c'i Petri p' quod s'uic' iur' ignorant. Et o'ia pred'ca tenement' valent p' annu' vlt' repris' li xl s',
26 In cui' rei testimoniu' tam pred'c'us escaetor q'm pred'ci iur' huic inquisi'c'oni sigilla sua apposuer' Dat' die anno et loco sup'd'cis.

Expanded Latin Text

Line Text
1 Escaetorem Robertum Campson
2 Inquisicio capta apud Keteryng in comitatu Northamptonie vicesimo secundo die mensis Octobris Anno regni Regis Henrici octaui octauo coram Roberto Mathewe escaetore dicti domini Regis in comitatu predicto virtute breuis de Diem clausit extremum eidem escaetori directi et huic inqui-
3 sicioni annexi post mortem Willelmi Isham Armigeri per sacramentum Willelmi Flecton etc. Qui dicunt super sacramentum suum quod Willelmus Isham in dicto breui nominatus die quo obijt nulla tenuit terras neque tenementa in Comitatu predicto de dicto domino Rege in capite in dominico seruicio reuercione neque seruicio
4 nec aliquo alio modo. Sed dicunt quod Robertus Isham pater predicti Willelmi Isham in dicto breui nominato fuit seisitus de sexdecim mesuagiis septem cotagiis octo virgatis terre et aliis hereditamentis cum pertinenciis in Pyghtesle. Et de vno mesuagio et duabus virgatis terre
5 et liberis redditibus decem et septem solidorum cum pertinenciis in Scaldwell. Ac de duobus mesuagiis et de octo virgatis terre cum pertinenciis in Huoston. Et de duabus virgatis terre in Irchestre. Et de triginta et duabus acris prati in Irchinghburgh. Nec de vno mesuagio et de vna
6 virgata terre cum pertinenciis in Barton Segraue. Et de vno mesuagio et dimidia virgata terre cum pertinenciis in Thorp malsor. Et de vno mesuagio et de duabus virgatis terre cum pertinenciis in Crowleton. Et de vno cotagio cum pertinenciis in Keteryng in dicto comitatu Northamptonie. Et sic
7 seisitus per cartam suam feoffauit Iohannem Thorp clericum Robertum Isham clericum Iohannem Selby clericum Robertum Codyngton clericum Ricardum Isham Iohannem Isham Iohannem palmer Simonem Ingram Ricardum preste Ricardum Wodefforde et Iohannem Redell Habendas
8 et tenendas omnia predicta mesuagia terras et tenementa ac cetera premissa cum pertinenciis prefatis Iohanni Thorp Roberto Isham Iohanni Selby Roberto Codyngton Ricardo Isham Iohanni Isham Iohanni palmer Simoni Ingram Ricardo preste Ricardo Wodefforde et Iohanni Redell et
9 heredibus et assignatis suis imperpetuum ad vsum predicti Roberti heredibus et assignatis suorum. Et postea predictus Robertus Isham obijt post cuius mortem vsus predictorum terrarum et tenementorum descendebat prefato Willelmo Isham in dicto breui nominato vt filio et heredi predicti Roberti Isham. Et postea
10 predicti Iohannes Thorp Robertus Isham Iohannes Selby Robertus Codyngton Ricardus Isham Iohannes Isham Iohannes palmer Simon Ingram Ricardus preste Ricardus Wodefforde et Iohannes Redell ad instanciam et desiderium predicti Willelmi Isham dederunt omnia predicta terras et
11 tenementa in Huoston et Irchestre prefatis Thome Isham et Elene vxori sue et heredibus de corporibus eorum legitime procreatis. Et si predictus huiusmodi exitus remanere prefato Philipo Thorp aliis feoffatis vt plenius apparet per cartam inde factam coram iuratis predictis super
12 capcione huius inquisicionis in euidentiam ostensam cuius datus est vndecimo die mensis Maicij anno regni Regis Ricardi tercij secundo. Postea predictus Willelmus Isham in predicto mesuagio duabus virgatis terre et libero redditu xvij s cum pertinenciis in Scaldwell
13 predicta intrauit et possessionem in eisdem terris et tenementis cepit et prefatos Iohannem Thorp Robertum Isham Iohannem Selby Robertum Codyngton Ricardum Isham Iohannem Isham Iohannem palmer Simonem Ingram Ricardum preste Ricardum Wodefforde et Iohannem
14 Redell a possessione sua mesuagiorum terrarum et reddituum predictorum in Scaldwell predicta amouit et expellauit. Et sic inde seisitus per cartam suam iuratis predictis super capcionem huius inquisicionis in euidentiam ostensam cuius datus est apud Pyghtesle predicta xxvj
15 die mensis Nouembris anno regni Regis Henrici septimi post conquestum Anglie vicesimo tercio nomine omnium terrarum et tenementorum pratorum pastorum pasturarium et hereditamentorum cum pertinenciis in Scaldwell predicta que sibi iure hereditario post mortem predicti Roberti patris
16 sui descendere feoffauit Thomam Colez clericum Iohannem Tresham philipum Mulsho Aunger et Iohannem watte Willelmum Lane et Willelmum Isham Tercios filium dicti Willelmi Isham Habendas et tenendas omnia predicta terras tenementa prata pasta pasturas et cetera premissa cum
17 pertinenciis prefatis Thome Colez Iohanni Tresham Philipo Mulsho Iohanni watte Willelmo Lane et Willelmo Isham heredibus et assignatis suis ad intencionem ad obseruandam et perimplendas vltimam voluntatem predicti Willelmi Isham. Et postea predictus Willelmus obijt post
18 cuius mortem vsus predictorum mesuagiorum duarum virgatarum terre et liberorum reddituum xvij s cum pertinenciis in Scaldwell predicta descendebat Thome Isham vt filio et heredi predicti Willelmi Isham in dicto breui nominato eo quod in testamento nec in vltima voluntate
19 sua alicui nec econtra voluit nec disposuit. Et dicunt quod predictus Willelmus Isham obijt terciodecimo die maij anno secundo domini Regis nunc post cuius obitum vsus residuum predictarum terrarum et tenementorum et ceterorum premissorum descendebat prefato Thome
20 Isham vt filio et heredi predicti Willelmi. Et dicunt quod predictus Thomas est filius et heres eius propinquior et est etatis quinquaginta annorum et amplius. Et dicunt vlterius quod vndecim mesuagia et duodecim virgatas terre cum pertinenciis in
21 Pyghtesle tenentur de domino Rege vt in iure Humfridi Stafford racione attincti auctoritate parliamenti per seruicium liberi socagii. Et dicunt quod quinque mesuagia septem cotagia et sex virgatas terre cum pertinenciis in Pyghtesle predicta tenentur
22 de Radulfo Lane armigero per seruicium liberi socagii. Et quod omnia predicta terras et tenementa in Huoston et Irchestre tenentur de domino Rege vt de ducatu suo Lancastrie per seruicium quadraginta solidorum et septem denariorum pro omnibus denariis. Et predicte terre in
23 Irchinghburgh tenentur de Abbate Sancti Petri per seruicium ij d per annum pro omni seruicio. Et predicta terras et tenementa in Crowghton tenentur de heredibus Thome Grene per seruicium sex denariorum annui redditus pro omni seruicio. Et predicta terras et tenementa in
24 Scaldwell tenentur de Abbate de Bury per quod seruicium iurati ignorant. Et predicte terre in Barton tenentur de Edwardo Duce Buk per quod seruicium iurati ignorant. Et predicte terre in Thorp Malsor tenentur de heredibus Willelmi
25 Russell per seruicium xij d annui redditus. Et predicte terre in Keteryng tenentur de Abbate de Burgo sancti Petri per quod seruicium iurati ignorant. Et omnia predicta tenementa valent per annum vltra reprisas li xl s
26 In cuius rei testimonium tam predictus escaetor quam predicti iurati huic inquisicioni sigilla sua apposuerunt Datum die anno et loco supradictis.

English Translation

Line Text
1 Escheator Robert Campson
2 Inquisition taken at Kettering in the county of Northampton on the twenty-second day of the month of October in the eighth year of the reign of King Henry the Eighth before Robert Mathewe, escheator of the said lord King in the aforesaid county by virtue of a writ of Diem clausit extremum directed to the same escheator and to this inquisition
3 annexed after the death of William Isham, Esquire, by the oath of William Flecton etc. Who say upon their oath that William Isham, named in the said writ, on the day he died, held no lands nor tenements in the aforesaid County of the said lord King in chief, in demesne, service, reversion, nor service,
4 nor in any other way. But they say that Robert Isham, father of the aforesaid William Isham, named in the said writ, was seised of sixteen messuages, seven cottages, eight virgates of land and other hereditaments with appurtenances in Pightesley. And of one messuage and two virgates of land
5 and free rents of seventeen shillings with appurtenances in Scaldwell. And of two messuages and of eight virgates of land with appurtenances in Houghton. And of two virgates of land in Irchester. And of thirty-two acres of meadow in Irthlingborough. Nor of one messuage and of one
6 virgate of land with appurtenances in Barton Seagrave. And of one messuage and half a virgate of land with appurtenances in Thorp Malsor. And of one messuage and of two virgates of land with appurtenances in Crowleton. And of one cottage with appurtenances in Kettering in the said county of Northamptonshire. And thus
7 seised, by his charter, he enfeoffed John Thorp, clerk, Robert Isham, clerk, John Selby, clerk, Robert Codyngton, clerk, Richard Isham, John Isham, John Palmer, Simon Ingram, Richard Preste, Richard Wodefforde, and John Redell, To Have
8 and to hold all the aforesaid messuages, lands and tenements and other premises with appurtenances to the aforesaid John Thorp, Robert Isham, John Selby, Robert Codyngton, Richard Isham, John Isham, John Palmer, Simon Ingram, Richard Preste, Richard Wodefforde, and John Redell and
9 their heirs and assigns forever to the use of the aforesaid Robert, his heirs and their assigns. And afterwards the aforesaid Robert Isham died, after whose death the use of the aforesaid lands and tenements descended to the aforesaid William Isham named in the said writ as son and heir of the aforesaid Robert Isham. And afterwards
10 the aforesaid John Thorp, Robert Isham, John Selby, Robert Codyngton, Richard Isham, John Isham, John Palmer, Simon Ingram, Richard Preste, Richard Wodefforde, and John Redell at the instance and desire of the aforesaid William Isham gave all the aforesaid lands and
11 tenements in Houghton and Irchester to the aforesaid Thomas Isham and Elena his wife and the heirs of their bodies lawfully begotten. And if the aforesaid such issue should fail, [remainder] to the aforesaid Philip Thorp and other feoffees as more fully appears by a charter thereof made before the jurors aforesaid upon the
12 taking of this inquisition shown in evidence, whose date is the eleventh day of the month of May in the second year of the reign of King Richard the Third. Afterwards the aforesaid William Isham in the aforesaid messuage, two virgates of land and free rent of seventeen shillings with appurtenances in Scaldwell
13 aforesaid entered and took possession in the same lands and tenements and the aforesaid John Thorp, Robert Isham, John Selby, Robert Codyngton, Richard Isham, John Isham, John Palmer, Simon Ingram, Richard Preste, Richard Wodefforde, and John
14 Redell from their possession of the messuages, lands and rents aforesaid in Scaldwell aforesaid removed and expelled. And thus being seised thereof, by his charter shown in evidence to the jurors aforesaid upon the taking of this inquisition, whose date is at Pightesley aforesaid the twenty-sixth
15 day of the month of November in the twenty-third year of the reign of King Henry the Seventh after the conquest of England in the name of all lands and tenements, meadows, pastures, pasturages and hereditaments with appurtenances in Scaldwell aforesaid which to him by hereditary right after the death of the aforesaid Robert his father
16 descended, he enfeoffed Thomas Colez, clerk, John Tresham, Philip Mulsho Aunger and John Watte, William Lane and William Isham, the Third son of the said William Isham, To Have and to hold all the aforesaid lands, tenements, meadows, pastures, pasturages and other premises with
17 appurtenances to the aforesaid Thomas Colez, John Tresham, Philip Mulsho, John Watte, William Lane and William Isham, their heirs and assigns for the intention to observe and fulfill the last will of the aforesaid William Isham. And afterwards the aforesaid William died after
18 whose death the use of the aforesaid messuages, two virgates of land and free rents of seventeen shillings with appurtenances in Scaldwell aforesaid descended to Thomas Isham as son and heir of the aforesaid William Isham named in the said writ because in his testament nor in [his] last will
19 he neither wished nor disposed to anyone or to the contrary. And they say that the aforesaid William Isham died on the thirteenth day of May in the second year of the lord King now, after whose death the use of the residue of the aforesaid lands and tenements and other premises descended to the aforesaid Thomas
20 Isham as son and heir of the aforesaid William. And they say that the aforesaid Thomas is his son and nearest heir and is of the age of fifty years and more. And they say further that eleven messuages and twelve virgates of land with appurtenances in
21 Pightesley are held of the lord King as in the right of Humphrey Stafford by reason of attainder by authority of parliament by the service of free socage. And they say that five messuages, seven cottages and six virgates of land with appurtenances in Pightesley aforesaid are held
22 of Ralph Lane, esquire, by the service of free socage. And that all the aforesaid lands and tenements in Houghton and Irchester are held of the lord King as of his duchy of Lancaster by the service of forty shillings and seven pence for all dues. And the aforesaid lands in
23 Irthlingborough are held of the Abbot of Saint Peter's by the service of 2d per year for all service. And the aforesaid lands and tenements in Crowleton are held of the heirs of Thomas Grene by the service of six pence annual rent for all service. And the aforesaid lands and tenements in
24 Scaldwell are held of the Abbot of Bury, by what service the jurors are ignorant. And the aforesaid lands in Barton are held of Edward Duke of Buckingham, by what service the jurors are ignorant. And the aforesaid lands in Thorp Malsor are held of the heirs of William
25 Russell by the service of 12d annual rent. And the aforesaid lands in Kettering are held of the Abbot of Burgh St. Peter, by what service the jurors are ignorant. And all the aforesaid tenements are worth per year beyond reprises £40 40s,
26 In witness of which matter, both the aforesaid escheator and the aforesaid jurors have affixed their seals to this inquisition. Given on the day, year and place abovesaid.
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Barron, Oswald. Northamptonshire Families. London: Mitchell and Hughes, 1906, 77-79. [Microfilm reel]. Columbus Metropolitan Library, Owning Institution; FamilySearch International, Publisher Digital, Accessed 9 February 2025, https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/971287-northamptonshire-families.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Black Books of Lincoln's Inn (Volume II, Part 1), see === Black Books of Lincoln's Inn (Volume II, Part 1) === section.
  3. ↑ Patent Rolls, Edward IV: 1477-1485 (London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1901), 52. [Google Books Digital Version]. Accessed 9 February 2025, https://archive.org/details/calendarpatentr12offigoog/page/52/mode/2up?q=isham.
  4. ↑ 9.0 9.1 CP 40/841 (Hilary 1472) - Common Recovery Analysis, see === CP 40/841 (Hilary 1472) - Common Recovery === section.
  5. ↑ C 1/39/294 Chancery Case Summary, see === C 1/39/294 === section.
  6. ↑ GI/2 Grant Summary, see === GI/2 === section.
  7. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Richard Isham Will, English Will, see === Will Transcription === section.
  8. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Richard Isham Will, Latin Testament, see === Will Transcription === section.
  9. ↑ C 142/8/93 Inquisition Post Mortem Summary, see === C 142/8/93 === section.
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