HARPER, John (d.1464), of Rushall, Staffs.

Attestor, parlty. elections, Staffs. 1423, 1432, 1437, 1442, 1455.

Steward and receiver of Anne, countess of Stafford’s ldship. of Stafford 15 July 1428-prob. Oct. 1438; steward for feoffees of Thomas, earl of Stafford (d.1392) in Staffs., Glos., Northants. 15 Mar. 1437-prob. Oct. 1438; Humphrey, earl of Stafford (later duke of Buckingham), at Tyseo, Warws. 15 Nov. 1438-c. July 1460; John, Lord Dudley, at Dudley, Staffs. aft. 1440–?; I. Rowney, ‘Staffs. Political Community’ (Keele Univ. Ph.D. thesis, 1981), i. 62. the abbot of St. Werbergh, Chester, at Weston-upon-Trent, Staffs. by 1444 – ?; William Booth, bp. of Coventry and Lichfield, at East Cannock and Rugeley, Staffs. by 25 Nov. 1449–?; CP40/758, rot. 118. liberty of bp. of Coventry and Lichfield in Staffs. and Salop 25 Mar. 1459–d. Rowney, ii. 437.

Escheator, Staffs. 4 Nov. 1428 – 12 Feb. 1430, 5 Nov. 1432–3, 5 Nov. 1439 – 4 Nov. 1440.

J.p.q. Staffs. 24 Mar. 1430 – d.

Commr. Herefs., London, Mdx., Salop, Staffs., Warws., Worcs. Mar. 1431 – Dec. 1461; of gaol delivery, Stafford castle May 1435, Aug. 1438, Oct., Nov. 1439 (q.), Oct. 1447 (q.), Oct. 1450, Oct. 1452 (q.), Oct. 1453, Mar., Oct. 1454 (q.), Oct. 1456 (q.), Oct. 1457 (q.), Oct. 1460 (q.), Oct. 1461 (q.), Mar. 1464 (q.), Lichfield Dec. 1440, Stafford Oct. 1441 (q.), Nov. 1443, Oct. 1458 (q.); C66/437, m. 14d; 442, m. 15d; 445, m.19d; 448, m. 33d; 451, m. 35d; 457, m. 22d; 465, m. 26d; 472, m. 18d; 476, m. 2d; 478, m. 21d; 479, m. 20d; 482, m. 16d; 484, m. 13d; 486, m. 20d; 490, m. 23d; 494, m. 25d; 508, m. 20d. to treat for loans, Staffs. Nov. 1440, June 1446.

Justice itinerant (appointed by Humphrey, earl of Stafford) to hear great sessions at Newport Feb. 1432, Brecon Jan. 1440, Jan. 1443, Jan. 1445, Mar. 1446.

Custodian, estates of abbey of Burton-upon-Trent, Staffs. 20 July 1433–40.

Auditor, estates of John Talbot, earl of Shrewsbury, by 1442-prob. July 1453; auditor-gen. for Humphrey, earl of Stafford and duke of Buckingham c.1439-c. July 1460; auditor, forfeited estates of Richard Neville, earl of Warwick 9 Dec. 1459-prob. July 1460; jt. auditor, estates of the duchy of Lancaster in S. Wales and Glos. 10 Dec. 1461–d.; He was reappointed in error in Mar. 1465, for he was then dead: CPR, 1461–7, p. 429. auditor, estates in Wales, Salop, Herefs. and Glos. held by the Crown during the minorities of the dukes of Buckingham and Norfolk and the earl of Shrewsbury, and of all ministers of the Crown in Wales, Chester, Flint and the Forest of Dean 1 Jan. 1462 – d.