GIRLINGTON, William

The younger son of a minor Richmondshire family, Girlington was described as a tailor when he purchased the freedom of York in the first half of 1405.3 Freemen of York (Surtees Soc. cxvi), 108. No evidence survives of his early years in the city, but he was of sufficient standing by February 1421 to be chosen as one of the chamberlains. In September 1426 he was appointed to the joint shrievalty of York, and at the end of his official year he almost certainly joined the council of 24. He was serving in that capacity in July 1428 when he was among those councillors who passed ordinances for the regulation of the city’s wool broggers, and he was still one of the 24 when he witnessed the parliamentary election of June 1433.4 C219/14/4. It is unclear whether or not he had joined the ranks of the aldermen before he was elected mayor in February 1440.

Although he had abandoned the tailor’s craft by the 1430s, Girlington was still unusual among the highest echelon of York civic society in that he was a draper rather than a mercer or wool merchant.5 Merchant Tailors of York (Borthwick Texts and Studies, xxxiii), 43. His commercial activities led him into occasional difficulties. In Hilary term 1432 William Kirkeby, one of the farmers of the alnage in York, appeared before the barons of the Exchequer to claim Girlington had sealed cloth using a counterfeit alnage seal. Girlington travelled to Westminster in May 1432 to deny the charges and was eventually acquitted by a local jury. In June 1435, however, Kirkeby made a new allegation before the barons: he claimed that Girlington had assaulted him after he had confronted him for selling unsealed cloth from his shop in Pesegate. Again he was acquitted.6 E159/208, recorda Hil. rots. 9d, 10d; 211, recorda Trin. rot. 16. Nevertheless, it seems that Girlington maintained an extensive regional trade network, which ranged from fellow merchants from York, Whitby and Hull to members of the northern gentry and nobility. The latter may have proved Girlington’s downfall, for in the final years of his life he was engaged in repeated law suits against these men and women of substance seeking to recover debts they owed him. The debtors included among others Sir John Middleton*, Sir William Leigh*, Sir Robert Ughtred*, Sir William Mauleverer, Thomas Bethom*, Richard Hansard of South Kelsey, Elizabeth, the widow of Robert, Lord Scales, and Sir Henry Percy of Athol, as well as Sir Alexander Neville* (who alone owed the staggering sum of £145 7s. 2½d.).7 CP40/705, rots. 150, 159; 717, rots. 32, 34, 77d, 173, 348d, 349, 405; 724, rots. 20d, 151, 154d, 178, 215d, 261, 279d; 732, rots. 29, 74, 453.

In February 1440 Girlington was elected as mayor of York. One of his first duties was, along with the aldermen, to assess aliens resident in the city towards the new parliamentary subsidy.8 E179/217/45. More interestingly, according to a later complaint, he also illegitimately used the powers of his office to enrich himself. Robert Davyson, a local man, claimed that during Girlington’s mayoralty he had brought a Scot before the city court, claiming him as his prisoner and hoping to receive a ransom of £100. Girlington, however, ‘by his wronge and maistrie toke the said Scot’, defrauding Davyson of his ransom. Despite promising restitution, the mayor had ‘longe tyme delaied youre said besecher by faire laungage’. Davyson sought remedy against Girlington’s executors in the court of Chancery.9 C1/24/193.

On 15 Jan. 1442 Girlington, along with another alderman, Thomas Ridley*, was elected to attend the Parliament summoned to assemble at Westminster ten days later. Both men received wages for 50 days’ service at the customary rate of 4s. per day, less than the duration of the single parliamentary session. Both, however, were busy at Westminster on the city’s business outside the Commons. Their main concern appears to have been negotiating for an inspeximus of York’s charter. Both MPs received a further 30s. for their efforts in writing and presenting various bills concerning the charter. In this they were joined by three lawyers, including William’s kinsman, Nicholas Girlington*. Their efforts were successful and on 24 Apr. the city received the confirmation of its liberties.10 York Memo. Bk. iii (Surtees Soc. clxxxvi), 130; York City Chamberlains’ Acct. Rolls, 25; CChR, vi. 30-31.

Girlington made his will on 20 May 1444. He asked to be buried in his parish church of St. Andrew, and provided 42 marks for two chaplains to sing there for three years for his soul and that of his first wife, Emma, and a further 21 marks for similar masses to be sung in St. Martin’s, Coney Street. Further provision for his soul was made in the form of bequests to the Minster, the mendicant orders in the city, the fraternity of St. John the Baptist, the hospital of St. Leonard and the Maison dieu. Alms were also to be distributed among the inmates of York’s various gaols, while 100 paupers were to be given cloth and act as mourners at his funeral. Perhaps optimistically, he also asked his executors to provide every pauper in the city with a set of bed linen. Having no issue of his own, he made provision for a number of relatives, including the children of his deceased brother, John, and the bastard sons of his uncle, another John Girlyngton. Agnes, daughter of his kinsman Henry Girlyngton, was to have ten marks for her marriage. His various properties in the city were left to his widow, Joan, with remainder to his kinsman, Nicholas. He also appointed Nicholas as his executor, alongside his widow, his fellow aldermen, Richard Warter* and John Marton*, William Stillington and Robert Wardrop. Girlington was dead by 7 June, when his widow accepted administration, but it was not until 30 July that the last executor, Marton, accepted his charge.11 Test. Ebor. ii (Surtees Soc. xxx), 93-95; Borthwick Inst., Univ. of York, York registry wills, prob. reg. 2, ff. 82v-83v.

Girlington’s executors’ apparent reluctance appears to have been well founded. Before long they were involved in litigation concerning Girlington’s marriage to Joan Golding. At an unknown date Girlington had appeared before Master John Marshall, justiciar of Archbishop Kemp, in the consistory court. Marshall had ordered him to ‘forswere her and never to have to do wyth her by way of syn no wyth her come in suspect places’. Accordingly, he had entered into an obligation for £40 with Marshall to marry her before a certain day. Marshall had insisted that no condition be written on the obligation, ‘for he seid it was nought þe use of the Cort’, and Girlington had unwisely agreed. Despite Girlington having married Joan as promised, Marshall had later sued out a vexatious action of debt against his executors (except Warter and Stillington whom he claimed had not accepted their charge) in the local courts. In the mid 1450s, unable to secure a remedy at common law, the executors complained to the chancellor.12 C1/24/52; 26/617.

Joan survived her husband by 13 years, after marrying John Deyne, another York draper, soon after Girlington’s death. Almost certainly outliving her second husband as well, she made her will in April 1457, asking to be buried beside Girlington in the church of St. Andrew’s and appointing her brother, William, as her executor.13 York registry wills, prob. reg. 6, f. 355; J. Kermode, ‘Merchants of York, Hull and Beverley in the 14th and 15th Cents.’ (Sheffield Univ. Ph.D. thesis, 1990), app. 4.