BAWDE, Roger

From a well established local family,3A Robert Bawde was living at Maldon in the mid 1340s: Essex Feet of Fines, iii. 70. Bawde became a freeman of Maldon early in 1397. He began his long career as a borough official five years later but he was never to hold the position of bailiff. The borough court fined him for his poor exercise of the office of keeper of the market in 1414, and a jury presented in 1423 that he had failed to attend the same court in his capacity as a wardman.4 Ct. bk. D/B 3/1/1, f. 8; ct. rolls, D/B 3/3/9, m. 2; 1422-4, D/B 3/3/14, m. 4d. He also features in the borough court rolls for his involvement in various disturbances, as both perpetrator and victim. In 1416, for example, Richard Sampson* was amerced for hitting him with a broken bolt (’petulione’) and drawing blood and he for attacking Sampson with a knife.5 Ct. rolls, D/B 3/3/3, m. 1; 6, m. 1; 7, m. 2; 10, m. 7; 12, m. 1d. Bawde’s parliamentary career was apparently restricted to one Parliament, but he stood surety for Richard Galon* (his fellow MP in 1423) following Richard’s election to the Commons of 1426. He was still alive in January 1433 when he witnessed a conveyance of property in Maldon. He had at least one son, Thomas, admitted to the liberty of the borough in 1424.6 C219/13/4; Maldon deed, D/B 3/11/16; ct. bk. D/B 3/1/1, f. 22v.