ROKKE, John

Rokke was apparently no native of Wells, but qualified for admission to the freedom without paying an entry fine by virtue of his marriage to the widow of one of the citizens. No evidence of his trade or profession has been discovered, but he may have had some training in the law, if it was he, rather than a namesake, who by 1413 was one of the feoffees of the estates of Sir Walter Rodney†.4 CIPM, xx. 106; CFR, xiv. 50; C4/6/95. In chronological terms, it is just possible that Rokke was the ‘man of letters’ who attested a notarial instrument at Wells cathedral in Sept. 1385: HMC Wells, ii. 641. It seems rather more improbable that he was the man of this name who served as reeve of the cathedral chapter’s manor of Knapp between 1392 and 1395: ibid. 22, 26. The extent of his property in Wells and its suburbs has not been established, but he apparently owned a small estate at Somerton in central Somerset.5 Som. Feet of Fines, 140. Rokke became a freeman of Wells on the day of his first return to the Commons, most likely to qualify him for election: his sureties were his parliamentary colleague Richard Setter alias Milers* and Simon Bailly†, both of whom had a year earlier provided similar guarantees for Robert Elwell†, probably also to facilitate his return.6 The Commons 1386-1421, iii. 19; convocation act bk. p. 236. Rokke was not on this occasion part of the delegation of citizens that communicated the election result to the sheriff, but he nevertheless attended the county court and was permitted to set his seal to the indenture attesting the names of the knights of the shire, in spite of the questions over the franchise that this technically raised.7 C219/13/1.

It appears that although Rokke had not previously held civic office, he already commanded considerable respect among the citizens of Wells. Even while sitting in the Commons he was named one of the auditors of the city’s accounts, and the following autumn he became one of the constables of the peace, the second most prestigious post in the civic hierarchy. Evidently his services in the Commons had also been to the citizens’ satisfaction, for he gained immediate re-election, his colleague this time being the newly elected master, John Godwin alias Glasier*.8 C219/14/3; convocation act bk. pp. 241, 242.

A year later, Rokke himself attained this highest civic dignity, and he went on to serve a further three terms as master of Wells. In the intervening years, he was once again charged with the audit of the city accounts in 1426-7, represented his community in the Parliaments of 1427 and 1429, and in 1426, 1432, 1435 and 1437 formed part of the civic delegation attesting the Wells election indenture with the sheriff, on the second and third occasions doing so as the serving master.9 HMC Wells, ii. 668, 670; convocation act bk. pp. 246, 254, 277, 285; C219/13/4; 14/3, 5; 15/1. Little else is known of his activities. He periodically mediated in his neighbours’ disputes, as was to be expected of one of the leading citizens of Wells, and witnessed local property deeds; while further afield he was occasionally empaneled on local juries. He attested the Somerset shire election indentures in 1427 and 1432, but only once (in 1424) found sureties for a man newly admitted to the freedom – the tailor John Hardyng alias Devenyssh.10 Convocation act bk. pp. 236, 238, 243, 250, 256; HMC Wells, ii. 667, 670; Wells City Chs. (Som. Rec. Soc. xlvi), 140; CIPM, xxiv. 186; C219/13/5; 14/3. The date of his death has not been established. He is recorded as witness to a grant by a canon of Wells, Master John Bathe, in June 1437, but is not heard of thereafter. His presumed daughter and heiress, Joan, married Robert Grenefeld and was alive in 1471.11 Reg. Bekynton (Som. Rec. Soc. xlix), 196; Som. Feet of Fines, 140.