COOK, John I

Cook came from Silverton, a village to the north of Exeter. By the last years of Richard II’s reign he had joined the ranks of the merchant community of Exeter and in 1399 he was admitted to the freedom, paying an entry fine of £1 6s. 8d. A prominent draper, he himself trained his two sons, Thomas and William, who were respectively admitted to the freedom in 1417 and 1418 on completion of their apprenticeships.4 Exeter Freemen, 38, 42. By this date Cook had embarked on the civic cursus of office holding, first being elected receiver at Michaelmas 1413. For the following 12 years he consistently held city office, including three terms as mayor, and he also completed repeated terms as a constable or mayor of the Exeter staple. It was during the first of Cook’s three mayoralties that his elder son Thomas was first elected to Parliament, some days before being admitted to the freedom of the city, and Cook himself provided sureties for his attendance.5 C219/12/2. By contrast, John himself was only returned to the Commons once. The Parliament of 1422 met in the wake of the accession of the infant Henry VI, and it is probable that Cook, who had relinquished the mayoralty just days before the elections, was regarded as a safe choice to represent Exeter in these difficult circumstances.

By comparison with his well-documented interest in city government, Cook’s business concerns have left little trace on the record. Debts owing to him from Nicholas Whitelegh of Topsham in 1402 and 1405 for purchases of merchandise provide evidence of his business dealings inland, as may similar debts owing 20 years later by chapmen from Chard in Somerset and Kingsbridge in Devon.6 C131/222/10; C241/196/6; CP40/652, rot. 241d. Cook last served on the council of Exeter in 1425-6 and probably died soon after, as there is no further mention of him in the city’s records. The government of Exeter became dominated by his family for some years after his death, for like him both of his sons served as mayors no fewer than three times.7 The Commons 1386-1421, ii. 646.