Sir John Rochford Knight

  Information about this person:

• Background Information: From GEN-MEDIEVAL-L Archives. ¹⁹³
From: Douglas Richardson <royalancestry@msn.com>
Subject: Sir John Rochford (c.1355-1410), uncle of John de Sutton
Date: Sun, 30 Dec 2007 15:02:21 -0800 (PST)

John Rochford, Knt., of Boston, Lincolnshire, medieval writer, Knight of the Shire for Lincolnshire, 1390, 1394, 1397, 1399, Knight of the Shire for Cambridgeshire, 1407, Alderman of the Corpus Christi Guild, Boston, Lincolnshire, 1381-1386, 1391-1394, 1397-1399, 1409, Steward of the Duchy of Lancaster honour of Bolingbroke, Lincolnshire, 1399-1407, Steward of the Lincolnshire estates of Thomas Holand, Earl of Kent, forfeited for treason, 1400-1410, Constable of the Bishop of Ely's castle of Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, 1401-1410, younger son of Saier de Rochford, Knt., of Fenn (in Boston), Lincolnshire, Sheriff and Escheator of Lincolnshire, Knight of the Shire for Lincolnshire, Keeper of the King of France at Somerton Castle, Lincolnshire, by his 2^nd wife, Joan, daughter of Roger Hillary, Knt., Chief Justice of the Commons Pleas. He married before 1381-2 (date of fine) Alice Hastings, daughter of Hugh de Hastings, Knt., of Elsing, Brisley and Grimston, Norfolk, by Margaret (or Margery), daughter of Adam de Everingham, Knt., 2nd Lord Everingham. They had one son, William (died young), and four daughters, Joan (wife of Robert Roos), Alice (wife of William Gibthorpe, Knt.), _____ (wife of John Holbeach, Knt.) and Margaret (wife of Frederick Tilney). He was born say 1355. He received a good education in England, and afterwards studied in France and Italy. He and his wife, Alice, were members of the Guild of Corpus Christi, in Boston, Lincolnshire. In 1379 he was appointed to his first royal commission, which involved an inquiry into a disorder at Boston, Lincolnshire. Sometime before 1396, he served as a trustee for his nephew, John de Sutton. In 1398 and 1399 he obtained papal indults for the use of a portable altar and for plenary remission of sins at the hour of death. He was co-heir in 1400 to his uncle, Roger Hillary, Knt., by which he inherited the manors of Shelfield (in Walsall), Staffordshire and Stretton-on-Fosse, Warwickshire. In 1401 he was bound over in sums of £100 to do no harm to Robert Kerville, whom he appears to have threatened or assaulted. In 1403 he and his brother, Ralph Rochford, Knt., were granted keepership of the estates of Sir James Roos' younger son, Robert Roos, then a royal ward. In 1405 he was summoned to meet King Henry IV at Coventry, Warwickshire, and accompany him on his expedition to Wales. Towards the end of his life, he compiled digests of and indexes to various well known chronicles. His best known work is Notabilia extracta de viginiti uno libris Flavii Josephi which he completed in 1406. His wife, Alice, died in 1409. SIR JOHN ROCHFORD died 13 Dec. 1410. He left a will dated 20 October 1410, proved 14 Dec. 1410, requesting burial at Barlings Abbey, Lincolnshire, next to his late wife, Alice.

References:

Blomefield, Hist. of Norfolk 4 (1775): 712 (wife identified as Alice, daughter of Sir Hugh de Hastings). Parkin, An Essay Towards a Topog. Hist. of the County of Norfolk 9 (1808): 107-108 (wife Alice identified as "daughter of Sir Hugh Hastings"), 115. Erdeswick, Survey of Staffordshire (1820): 338-339. Watson, A Hist. Account of the Ancient Town and Port of Wisbech (1827): 130, 484, 623. Chambers, A General Hist. of the County of Norfolk 2 (1829): 493-494. Walker & Craddock, The Hist. of Wisbech, and the Fens (1849): 273. Thompson, Hist. & Antiq. of Boston (1856): 320 ("Sir John Rochford was famous for his high birth, long travels through France and Italy, and his translation of 'Josephus, His Antiquities,' 'Polychronicon,' &c. He was one of the knights of the shire 14 Richard II., and sheriff of Lincolnshire, 1392, 1401, and 1409. His name also occurs as commissioners of sewers 1377, 1393, 1410, and 1421."). Grazebrook, Barons of Dudley 1 (Colls. Hist. Staffs. 9(2)) (1888): 61-62. D.N.B. 17 (1897): 74 (biog. John de Rochford). Grazebrook, Shenstone Charters (Colls. Hist. Staffs. 17) (1896): 78 (De Banco suit dated Trinity, 9 Henry V, lists plaintiffs as Margaret widow of Fratrice [sic] Tylney, Margaret Roos, and Elizabeth Gybthorp, these evidently being Sir John Rochford's surviving heirs). Rye, Cal. of Feet of Fines for Suffolk (1900): 255. Larken & Maddison, Lincolnshire Peds. 3 (H.S.P. 52) (1904): 829 (Rochford pedigree). List of Inqs. ad Quod Damnum 2 (PRO Lists and Indexes 22) (1906): 662. Watkin, Inventory of Church Goods temp. Edward III (Norfolk Rec. Soc. 19(2)) (1948): 211 (biog. of John Rochford) (Rochford arms: Quarterly or and gules, a bordure sable bezanty). VCH Warwick 5 (1949): 154. Repingdon, Reg. of Philip Repingdon 2 (Lincoln Rec. Soc. 58) (1963): 211-213 (will of Sir John de Rochford). VCH Stafford 17 (1976): 171; 14 (1990): 241. Ellis, Cat. of Seals in the P.R.O. 1 (1978): 55 (seal of John de Rochefort, knight dated 1390--In a richly cusped circle, a shield of arms: quarterly (hatched and plain), a bordure charged with eight roundels. No legend, but in its place a band of running scrolled ornament.). Roskell et al., House of Commons 1386-1421 4 (1992): 219- 221 (biog. of John Rochford) (incorrectly states that John Rochford was not the son of Joan Hillary). Sainty, Judges of England (Selden Soc. Supp. Ser. 10) (1993): 63 (re. Sir Roger Hillary). VCH Stafford 17 (1976): 279.

• Background Information. ¹²³⁰
The Visitacion of Norffolk, Tilney Pedigree, pp. 287-289, Sir PhilipTiney, knight married Dame Grace, heir of Richard Rosse of Ryngboro. They were the parents of Frederick Tilney who married Margaret, daughter and coheir of Sir John Rochford.

John married Alice de Hastings, daughter of Sir Hugh Hastings Knight and Margaret de Everingham.¹⁹³ (Alice de Hastings was born about 1352 in Gressenhall, Mitford, Norfolk, England.)