HALL, Richard

Hall, whose trade or profession has not been discovered, was admitted to the freedom of Wells in October 1417, having married the widow of a deceased citizen.3 Ibid. 215. He rose rapidly through the ranks of the citizens, serving as a constable of the peace in the following year, and was elevated to the mastership of the city just another 12 months later. He was also active in communal life at other times, periodically standing surety for newly admitted freemen (including Thomas Horewode*), attesting their property deeds and mediating their disputes.4 Wells City Chs. (Som. Rec. Soc. xlvi), 105-7, 140, 143, 144; Wells convocation act bk., pp. 215, 220, 226, 227, 232, 238, 247, 289; CCR, 1435-41, p. 117. In April 1419 he was among the citizens appointed by the community of Bath to assess and collect individual contributions to a prest of 50 marks offered to Henry V.5 Wells convocation act bk., p. 220. On three separate occasions after his own two Parliaments he was a member of the civic delegation to the shire court which communicated Wells’s choices of parliamentary representatives to the sheriff.6 C219/13/5/88, 14/2/81, 3/80.

As a leading citizen and an experienced former city officer, Hall was a natural choice as an MP, and he was certainly qualified in terms of his residence in Wells. The terms on which he agreed to serve are rather less certain: in 1425 his parliamentary colleague, the newly admitted citizen Robert Chiselden*, agreed to claim no remuneration other than his victuals; Hall’s terms of service were not explicitly recorded.7 Wells convocation act bk., p. 248. A year later, Hall may not have been his neighbours’ first choice: when noting the election, the town clerk initially named the men elected on 4 Feb. as John Godwin alias Glasier* and John Pedewell*. Subsequently, however, Godwin’s name was struck out, and that of Hall inserted in its place. It is unclear whether Godwin had refused to serve (perhaps in view of the Parliament’s meeting place at Leicester, rather than Westminster), or whether Hall had strongly pressed his candidature for personal reasons, but it was the latter whose name was eventually sent to the sheriff for submission to Chancery.8 Ibid. 251. Although there is a discrepancy between the dates of the sheriff’s indenture recording the names of all the representatives elected by the Som. boroughs and the date of the election provided in the Wells records, this is accounted for by the practice of dating the former to the day of the shire elections: C219/13/4/76.

Little is known of Hall’s personal affairs. In the spring of 1435 the tailor John Hardyng alias Devenyssh had licence from the mayor and community to bring litigation at common law against him and John Godwin as the sureties of the local clerk Richard Horewell, but no similar transactions have been found.9 Wells convocation act bk., p. 287. Hall is last recorded as a surety at Wells in 1436, and may have died not long after. Thomas Hall, who represented the city in three Parliaments may have been his son.