HAMMOND, John

The tailor John Hammond lived in Exeter’s North Street in the parish of St. Kerian.3 Mayor’s ct. roll 16-17 Edw. IV, rot. 32d; CP40/805, rot. 31d. He was admitted to the freedom of the city on 8 Oct. 1442 having paid the customary fine of £1,4 Exeter Freemen ed. Rowe and Jackson, 50. Hammond must be distinguished from an older namesake who served an apprenticeship with John Batyn and on its completion in 1424 was admitted to the freedom of Exeter. It may have been he who in 1427 was among the owners of Le Mary of Teignmouth: Exeter Freemen ed. Rowe and Jackson, 44; CP40/696, rot. 324. It was probably a third John Hammond who served as bailiff of Teignbridge hundred between 1454 and 1456: CP40/778, rot. 30; 779, rot. 253d; 780, rot. 153d; 782, rot. 560. and first began to play a part in the political life of Exeter in the autumn of 1447, when he was elected one of the city stewards. That same year, he was also first recorded among the citizens electing the mayor and senior city officers, and over the subsequent three decades he was regularly present among this electoral college. He himself went on to serve four further terms as steward, as well as holding office as one of the wardens of the Exe bridge in 1452-3 and as city receiver in 1465-6, and in most of the intervening years serving as a member of the city council.5 Mayor’s ct. rolls, 26-27, 28-32, 33-38 Hen. VI, 39 Hen. VI-2 Edw. IV, 3-11, 12-13 Edw. IV. Hammond’s official duties could be varied and included pleasant tasks, such as taking wine with the recorder, Nicholas Radford*, in February 1452, as well as more onerous ones, like escorting one Richard Orenge to London for an appearance before the King’s council in 1465 in a suit brought by Henry Hull*, or a shorter journey to Shute in the same year to consult Humphrey Stafford IV*, Lord Stafford, over 50 ‘kideneys’.6 Exeter city recs., receiver’s accts. 30-31 Hen. VI, 5-6 Edw. IV. It is nevertheless indicative of his standing among the citizens of Exeter that he was able to command parliamentary wages of 60s., substantially more generous than those allowed to many other of the city’s MPs, albeit somewhat short of the customary rate of 2s. per day.7 Ibid. 34-35 Hen. VI.

Hammond made his will on 21 April 1474. He asked for burial in the cathedral cemetery of Exeter to the south-east of the charnel house. He bequeathed his residence in the city to his wife Alice for her life, with provision for its subsequent sale for the benefit of his soul, as well as those of his parents and his two wives. Alice was also to have all the contents of their house, on condition that she should find a chaplain to sing mass for the said souls in the church of St. Kerian for a period of six months at a salary of four marks. Alice was appointed her husband’s executor, and John Rewer supervisor of the will. The exact date of Hammond’s death is uncertain, but it probably occurred not long after, for at Michaelmas 1474 he was not re-elected to the ranks of the council of 24. He was certainly dead by May 1477 when his will was proved and enrolled in the mayor’s court.8 Exeter mayor’s ct. roll 16-17 Edw. IV, rot. 32d. About that time (and certainly before 1485), Hammond’s widow and executrix petitioned the chancellor against Robert Dawe, an acquaintance of her deceased husband, for a bond which the latter had unjustly pleaded at Exeter in the same court.9 C1/59/101.