Commons 1422-1461

Attestor, parlty. election, Leicester 1455.

Mayor, Leicester Mich. 1460–1, 1470 – 71; steward of the fair 1477 – 81; auditor of account, south quarter 1477 – 78, north quarter 1479–80. Leicester Bor. Recs. ed. Bateson, ii. 448, 453–4.

Attestor, parlty. elections, Grimsby 1447, 1455, 1463. Bull. IHR, xlii. 217–18.

Chamberlain, Grimsby Oct. 1446–7; quarterman Aug. 1447–?, Feb. 1454–?; bailiff Oct. 1449–50; auditor May 1452–?, Oct. 1453–4, 1457 – 58, 1462 – 63, 1464 – 65; tax assessor Oct. 1454; mayor’s councillor Dec. 1454–?, Oct. 1461–2, 1464 – 65, 1468 – 69, Dec. 1475 – Oct. 1476; mayor Oct. 1459–60, 1470 – 71; coroner 1468–9. Grimsby ct. rolls 1/101, 25, 28, 30, 32–33, 36, 38 Hen. VI, 1–2, 4, 8–9 Edw. IV; ct. bk. 1/102/1, ff. 40, 72v-73. The quatermen were the officials responsible for supervising purchases made by the burgesses as a body for the town’s common profit.

Tax collector, Dorset Dec. 1414, Nov. 1415.

Commr. of inquiry, Devon, Som. Mar. 1418 (wastes on Fitzwaryn estates).

Commr. of inquiry, Kent, Suss. July 1410 (piracy).

Mayor, Rye Aug. 1411 – 12, ?1418 – 21; jurat 1412 – 14.

Jurat, Sandwich Dec. 1423–5, 1431 – 39; mayor 1426 – 27; dep. mayor Apr. 1434.

Attestor, parlty. election, Kent 1437.

Bailiff, Canterbury Mich. 1418–19; jurat 1419 – 21, 1422 – 24, 1426 – 28, 1432 – 34, 1438 – 40, 1441 – 43, 1444 – 46, 1447 – 48, 1451–2. Canterbury Cath. Archs., Canterbury city recs., chamberlains’ accts. 1393–1445, CCA-CC-F/A/1, f. 35v.

Commr. Canterbury, Kent Nov. 1435 – Dec. 1450.

Bailiff, Chislet, Kent, for St. Augustine’s abbey by 1443. Add. 32311, f. 42.

Attestor, parlty. election, Lincs. 1453.

Gov. L. Inn 1424 – 26, 1427–8. L. Inn Black Bks. i. 2, 3.

Commr. of sewers, Lindsey Nov. 1430 (q.), Nov. 1432 (q.), Lincs., Notts., Yorks. July 1433 (q.), Lincs. Nov. 1441, Lindsey July 1444, Mar. 1446, Lincs. July 1448, Lindsey Jan. 1451, Lincs., Notts., Yorks. Mar. 1452, Lindsey Feb. 1453, July, Nov. 1456, Lincs., Notts., Yorks. Mar. 1465; inquiry, Lincs. Feb. 1433 (wastes committed in manor of Bonby), Notts. May 1433 (choked waterways in vale of Belvoir q.), Lincs. Nov. 1437 (customs offences), July 1439 (customs offences and concealments of Crown’s feudal dues), Sept. 1449 (treasons, etc. q.), KB9/265/79. July 1452 (lands late of (Sir) John Pygot*); oyer and terminer, Yorks. July 1438 (close breaking at Thirsk), Feb. 1453 (offences against Joan, wid. of (Sir) Henry Beaumont II*); gaol delivery, Lincoln castle Mar. 1439 (q.); to distribute tax allowance, Lincs. Mar. 1442, June 1445, July 1446; assess subsidy, Lindsey Aug. 1450; of array Sept. 1457, Sept. 1458, Dec. 1459; to assign archers, Lincs. Dec. 1457; of arrest Nov. 1460.

J.p. Lindsey 30 Nov. 1430-Dec. 1453 (q.), 13 Dec. 1453-July 1455, 7 July 1455-May 1461 (q.).

Steward, cts. of the dean and chapter of Lincoln at Glentham and Fillingham, Lincs. by 1433–d. N.L. Ramsey, ‘The English Legal Profession’ (Cambridge Univ. Ph.D. thesis, 1985), p. c.

Attestor, parlty. elections, Bristol 1450, 1453, 1455. All as ‘junior’.

Bailiff, Bristol Mich. 1442–3, 1450–1. Recs. All Saints Bristol, iii (Bristol Rec. Soc. lvi), 406; Trans. Bristol and Glos. Arch. Soc. xxvi. 131.

Commr. to distribute tax allowance, Bristol Aug. 1449; assess tax Aug. 1450; of arrest Oct. 1452, Jan. 1455. But it is possible that the commr. of Aug. 1450 and Jan. 1455 was his fa.

?Dep. to Ralph Butler, Lord Sudeley, chief butler of England, Bristol by June 1454. Little Red Bk. Bristol ed. Bickley, i. 236–8. Again, it is not clear whether this John Sharp was the MP or his fa. (or another man altogether).

Attestor, parlty. elections, Bristol 1425, 1426, 1427, 1431, 1433, 1437, 1447, 1449 (Feb.), 1449 (Nov.), 1450, 1453, 1455. Difficulties in distinguishing Sharp from his father and namesake make it impossible to establish which of the two men attested the Bristol elections to the Parls. of 1417, 1419, 1420, 1421 (May) and 1421 (Dec.).

Bailiff, Bristol Mich. 1424–5; CCR, 1422–9, p. 330. sheriff 9 Oct. 1427–12 Oct. 1428; CFR, xv. 191, 239. mayor Mich. 1432–3, 1439–40. Trans. Bristol and Glos. Arch. Soc. xxvi. 131; CCR, 1435–41, p. 372; CPR, 1436–41, p. 411.

Commr. of inquiry, Bristol May 1428 (illegal conveyance of pilgrims), Nov. 1434 (non-payment of customs), Apr., June, July 1440 (piracy), Feb. 1441 (ownership of Irish salmon shipped to Bristol), June 1441 (conduct of the King’s officers); to assess subsidy Jan. 1436; distribute tax allowance Mar. 1442; collect subsidy May 1444; assess tax Aug. 1450; of arrest Jan. 1455. But it may have been his son who served on the last two of these commissions.

Constable of the Bristol staple 8 Oct. 1428–9, 1 Oct. 1431–2, 1433 – 35, 16 Oct. 1438–9, 21 Oct. 1452–3, 14 Oct. 1457–61; C67/25. mayor 1 Oct. 1432–3, 20 Oct. 1439–40. Ibid. But it is possible that his son served some of these terms as constable.

Collector of customs and subsidies, Bristol 27 June 1443–31 Jan. 1447. CFR, xvii. 235–7; xviii. 50–52; E122/18/46; E403/769, m. 6; E356/19, rots. 6d, 7; Little Red Bk. Bristol ed. Bickley, ii. 49–51.

?Dep. to Ralph Butler, Lord Sudeley, chief butler of England, Bristol by June 1454. Little Red Bk. i. 236–8. Again, it is not clear whether this John Sharp was the MP, his son or another man altogether.