| Constituency | Dates |
|---|---|
| Hertfordshire | 1420, 1423, 1429 |
Attestor, parlty. elections, Herts. 1422, 1426, 1427, 1431, 1432, 1433, 1435, 1437.
Commr. of gaol delivery, Hertford May, July 1423, Feb. 1427, Feb. 1431, Feb. 1443, Royston July 1435, Hertford castle July 1438;2 C66/410, mm. 27d, 35d; 420, m. 15d; 429, m. 21d; 437, m. 8d; 442, m. 21d; 455, m. 11d. to treat for loans, Essex, Herts. Mar. 1430, Mar. 1431; assess taxes, Herts. Apr. 1431, Jan. 1436; take an assize of novel disseisin Apr. 1435;3 C66/437, m. 18d. of inquiry May 1436 (concealments); to treat for payment of a tax Feb. 1441.
J.p. Herts. 7 July 1423 – Dec. 1443, 9 June 1445 – d.
Sheriff, Essex and Herts. 6 Nov. 1424 – 15 Jan. 1426.
Escheator, Essex and Herts. 26 Nov. 1431 – 5 Nov. 1432.
To add to the earlier biography,4 The Commons 1386-21, ii. 131-2. it might be noted that during his career Barley must have accumulated considerable legal experience, since he served as a justice of gaol delivery as well as a j.p. and in 1435 he was one of those whom the Chancery appointed to take an assize of novel disseisin.
Exchequer records show that in mid 1429 Barley, John Kirkby I* and William Rokesburgh† entered a recognizance with John Fray†, one of the barons. By means of this security, they acknowledged that they owed Fray £100 (which they undertook to repay in ten annual instalments of £10) although not recorded are the circumstances in which the debt arose.5 E159/205, recogniciones Trin.
Barley had already begun lending money to the Crown before the government approached him for a loan of £40 in 1436, since in 1430 the Exchequer arranged to repay him and others a previous loan of just under £50.6 E403/695, m. 12.