LANGLEY, Geoffrey

Like many other citizens who represented Rochester in Henry VI’s Parliaments, Langley is an obscure figure. Not all that is recorded about him redounds to his credit. At an unknown date between 1417 and 1424, he was the subject of a complaint to the chancellor from a local man, Philip Broun, who said that Langley had joined Thomas Bolour† and John Potager* in a vicious assault on him, out of their ‘haut malice et enmyte’. The three men not only left Broun for dead in the castle ditch while robbing him of 36s., but had subsequently constrained him until he parted with various items of bread, wine, spices and poultry, as well as a haunch of beef.2 C1/4/120. It may be, however, that the three assailants were acting in an otherwise un-documented official capacity. In 1418-19 Langley was serving, along with William Hodsole, as one of the constables of the city, when they and John Deeping*, the coroner, were ordered to arrest John Burdet (a member of the Warwickshire family), and deliver him to the justices of King’s bench, but several years later, in Easter term 1423, he and Hodsole were themselves attached to appear in the same court to answer for Burdet’s escape from their custody to seek sanctuary in St. Andrew’s cathedral.3 KB27/647, rex rot. 17; 648, rex rot. 6.

Langley was again associated with Thomas Bolour in October 1424, when the two of them were the arbiters chosen by their former accomplice John Potager in a dispute over an obligation.4 CP40/659, rot. 526. In the following year Langley sued a local skinner, John Norwode, for an assault which had taken place in Rochester during Easter week.5 CP40/657, rot. 427. He is not recorded after his election to Parliament in 1427.