STURMY, John

Sturmy’s elections to Parliament for Ludgershall in 1422 and Marlborough in 1423 are to be ascribed to the influence of his father Sir William, who as chief steward of Queen Joan’s estates and custodian of Ludgershall could ensure the return of his nominees, while Marlborough was the administrative headquarters of Savernake forest, of which he was hereditary warden. In 1422, the first Parliament of Henry VI’s reign, John was accompanied to the Commons by his nephew of the half-blood, John Seymour I* (Sir William’s grandson and legitimate coheir), and his cousin Robert Erle* (sitting for Great Bedwyn). All three newcomers were introduced to the House by Sir William himself, sitting for the county in what was to be the last of at least 12 Parliaments. As a former Speaker and established parliamentarian, he certainly knew the ropes; conversely, his kinsmen would be present in the Commons to lend him their support. In the return for Wiltshire John Sturmy and his cousin Erle are named as Sir William’s mainpernors.2 The Commons 1386-1421, iv. 520-3; C219/13/1.

While attending Parliament the kinsmen probably all stayed in the aged knight’s house in the parish of St. Brigid, a short walk from Westminster. John Sturmy was there again for the two sessions of the Parliament of 1423-4, and it was in Sir William’s house that both he and Erle witnessed the patriarch’s will on 20 Mar. 1427. In that testament Sir William left his son a precious covered cup, and named him, Erle and William Tourney as his executors.3 PCC 7 Luffenham (PROB11/3, f. 55). The three men entrusted with the dying man’s affairs then journeyed with him to his manor-house at Elvetham in Hampshire, where he died the next day. The speed with which Sir William’s affairs were settled was astonishing: the will was proved at Lambeth by Archbishop Chichele on 25 Mar., with administration being granted to John Sturmy and Tourney (they were acquitted on 21 Oct. following). Sir William’s legitimate heirs were his daughter Agnes (the widow of William Ringbourne and now the wife of John Holcombe) and his grandson Seymour; and his feoffees and executors seemingly arranged the division of his estates as he had wanted. At least, this much may be inferred from the fact that many years were to pass before Seymour questioned in the law-courts the legality of transactions put into effect while his grandfather lay dying. It was not until 1451, after the deaths of our MP and Robert Erle, that counter-petitions were sent to the chancellor by Seymour and Erle’s son, John Erle*, contesting possession of the knight’s manor of Wolf Hall and certain other of his properties. Depositions made in Chancery and before the chancellor’s commissaries at Marlborough early in 1452 reveal more about the scene at Elvetham back in 1427. Sir William’s chaplain testified that on Friday 21 Mar. his master had sealed letters of attorney which he gave to William Tourney, instructing him to deliver seisin of Wolf Hall and other of his manors to a group of feoffees. Tourney set off for Wiltshire at about three in the afternoon and made formal delivery of seisin of the estates before sunset on the Saturday evening; but unknown to him Sir William had died in his chaplain’s arms some five hours after he left on the Friday. Robert Erle and John Sturmy sent for a woman called Grete to close Sir William’s eyes, and after she had done so and laid out the body on his bed they called the servants into the chamber, and instructed them to keep the death secret until the Sunday, for reasons they did not explain. The two men told the prior of Easton Royal about Sir William’s death when he visited Elvetham on Saturday morning, informed him that they were co-executors and requested from him certain precious items kept for safety in his priory, promising him a gift of certain of the same in return for prayers for Sir William’s soul.4 CPR, 1446-52, pp. 554-6. At the time nothing untoward was suspected: the inquisition post mortem held in June blandly reported that various enfeoffments of Sturmy’s estates had been made ‘long before’ his death.5 CIPM, xxii. 716.

John’s illegitimate birth meant that he could not expect to inherit any of Sir William’s ancestral estates, and he willingly lent his support to the coheir Seymour, with whom he remained on amicable terms for the rest of his life. He witnessed a transaction later in 1427 whereby a body of feoffees, headed by Bishop Polton of Worcester, conveyed to Seymour a number of manors belonging to his inheritance.6 Wilts. Hist. Centre, Marquis of Ailesbury mss, 1300/43. Yet John’s father had not neglected to provide for him from properties he had acquired by purchase. These included the manor of Knowle in Little Bedwyn, which John later passed on to his own son, and with the addition of land in Timbridge and Henset grew to be a sizable estate of some 420 acres before the end of the century. His inheritance of this estate had been put into effect by Sir William’s feoffees, and it seems likely that it was also the knight’s intention that John should have his manor of Axford, although this met with opposition.7 CIPM, xxii. 716; VCH Wilts. xvi. 59; Wilts. Feet of Fines (Wilts. Rec. Soc. xli), 745. Immediately after Sir William’s death title to this manor was asserted by the under treasurer of England, William Darell*, and arbiters were named to decide the merits of his claim against that of Robert Erle. This attempt at arbitration evidently failed for in Easter term 1428 the manor was the subject of a suit in the court of common pleas brought by Darell, whose wife Elizabeth claimed it by virtue of an entail made in the first half of the fourteenth century, against a group of Sir William’s feoffees and executors, including John Sturmy. The latter asserted that at Michaelmas 1424 the feoffees had given him a lease of the manor for seven years. That same spring of 1428 he was said to be living at Axford when appointed as a commissioner to levy a subsidy in Wiltshire, but it is uncertain whether he was able to continue residing there until his death. By the 1460s the Darells had taken possession, but on what basis at law is unclear.8 E326/9671; CP40/669, rot. 371; VCH Wilts. xii. 49.

Sturmy may have still been living at Axford, some three miles to the east of Marlborough, when he was returned to Parliament for the third time, early in 1431. On this occasion he represented the borough of Great Bedwyn, situated not far away in the same part of eastern Wiltshire. It was at Marlborough that he served as a juror at inquisitions post mortem on (Sir) Richard Hankford* in May 1431, Joan, Lady Cobham, in March 1434, and John Stapilhull in April 1437.9 Devon RO, Hankeford mss, 47/5/1; CIPM, xxiii. 571; C139/65/37; 79/8; 121/18. Other indicators of his standing in the county are his appearances as an attestor to the indentures drawn up at Wilton following the shire elections to the Parliaments of 1432 and 1435,10 C219/14/3, 5. and on the list compiled in the spring of 1434 of the leading figures of the county who should take the generally-prescribed oath not to maintain malefactors.11 CPR, 1429-36, p. 371. His namesake took the same oath in Berks.: p. 402. As a ‘gentleman’ and executor of Sir William Sturmy he purchased a royal pardon on 15 May 1437.12 C67/38, m. 23.

No further appointments to public office had followed after Sturmy’s commission of nine years earlier, and of his private affairs little is recorded, save that he sued a husbandman of Bedwyn for a debt of £14: the man obtained a pardon of outlawry in 1438.13 CPR, 1436-41, p. 111. Sturmy joined (Sir) John Seymour and Robert Erle as witnesses to a deed of November 1441 relating to property in Bedwyn, which was conveyed to Robert Collingbourne*, his companion in the Parliament of ten years earlier.14 CCR, 1441-7, p. 43. Last recorded as a juror at the inquisition post mortem on Sir Stephen Popham*, conducted at Salisbury on 12 Oct. 1445,15 C139/121/18. he died before 10 Nov. 1446 when writs de diem clausit extremum were issued on his own account.16 CFR, xviii. 44. No post mortem survives. He was succeeded by his son William.

Some 18 years later William was a defendant in a suit brought in Chancery by John Kirkby and Anne his wife. The Kirkbys claimed that Anne’s uncle Maurice Hommedieux† had held a messuage in Bedwyn and some 100 acres of land nearby, of which he had enfeoffed John Sturmy and his heirs, to hold to his use. After the deaths of Hommedieux and Sturmy, William had allegedly kept the property for himself, taken the profits of £5 p.a., further wasted the estate to the tune of £72, and refused to relinquish Anne’s inheritance.17 C1/47/132.