Michael Matthew Groat PhD's Genealogical Database

Individuals: 97,713  Families: 61,838  
Gedcom Last Modified: December 14, 2025 00:59:10

Robert Bourchier, 1st Baron Bourchier


Preferred Parents:
Father: John de Bourchier, b. ABT 1290 in Halstead, Essex, England   d. ABT 1329 in Halstead, Essex, England
Mother: Helen Colchester, b. ABT 1281 in Halstead, Essex, England   d. 1349 in Halstead, Essex, England

Family 1: Margaret Prayers,    b. 7 OCT 1307 in Sible Hedingham, Essex, England    d. 1 JUN 1360 in Little Easton, Essex, England
  1. William Bourchier, b. ABT 1330 in Halstead, Essex, England     d. 5 JUL 1375 in Little Easton, Essex, England
Sources:
  1. Title: Wikiwand: Lord Chancellor
    Author: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    Publication: Name: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Lord_Chancellor;
    Note: The Lord Chancellor, formally the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest ranking among those Great Officers of State which are appointed regularly in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the Prime Minister. The Lord Chancellor is outranked only by the Lord High Steward, another Great Officer of State, who is appointed only for the day of coronations. The Lord Chancellor is appointed by the Sovereign on the advice of the Prime Minister. Prior to the Union there were separate lord chancellors for England and Wales, for Scotland and for Ireland. The Lord Chancellor is a member of the Cabinet and, by law, is responsible for the efficient functioning and independence of the courts. In 2007, there were a number of changes to the legal system and to the office of the Lord Chancellor. Formerly, the Lord Chancellor was also the presiding officer of the House of Lords, the head of the judiciary in England and Wales and the presiding judge of the Chancery Division of the High Court of Justice, but the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 transferred these roles to the Lord Speaker, the Lord Chief Justice and the Chancellor of the High Court respectively. The current Lord Chancellor is Robert Buckland, who is also Secretary of State for Justice. One of the Lord Chancellor's responsibilities is to act as the custodian of the Great Seal of the Realm, kept historically in the Lord Chancellor's Purse. A Lord Keeper of the Great Seal may be appointed instead of a Lord Chancellor. The two offices entail exactly the same duties; the only distinction is in the mode of appointment. Furthermore, the office of Lord Chancellor may be exercised by a committee of individuals known as Lords Commissioners of the Great Seal, usually when there is a delay between an outgoing chancellor and their replacement. The seal is then said to be 'in commission'. Since the 19th century, however, only lord chancellors have been appointed, the other offices having fallen into disuse. History The office of Lord Chancellor of England may trace its origins to the Carolingian monarchy, in which a Chancellor acted as the keeper of the royal seal. In England, the office dates at least as far back as the Norman Conquest (1066), and possibly earlier. Some give the first Chancellor of England as Angmendus, in 605. Other sources suggest that the first to appoint a Chancellor was Edward the Confessor, who is said to have adopted the practice of sealing documents instead of personally signing them. A clerk of Edward's, Regenbald, was named "chancellor" in some documents from Edward's reign. In any event, the office has been continuously occupied since the Norman Conquest. The staff of the growing office became separate from the king's household under Henry III and in the 14th century located in Chancery Lane. The chancellor headed the writing office or chancery. Formerly, the Lord Chancellor was almost always a churchman, as during the Middle Ages the clergy were among the few literate men of the realm. The Lord Chancellor performed multiple functions—he was the Keeper of the Great Seal, the chief royal chaplain, and adviser in both spiritual and temporal matters. Thus, the position emerged as one of the most important ones in government. He was only outranked in government by the Justiciar (now obsolete). As one of the King's ministers, the Lord Chancellor attended the "curia regis" or Royal Court. If a bishop, the Lord Chancellor received a writ of summons; if an ecclesiastic of a lower degree or, if a layman, he attended without any summons. The "curia regis" would later evolve into Parliament, the Lord Chancellor becoming the prolocutor of its upper house, the House of Lords. As was confirmed by a statute passed during the reign of Henry VIII, a Lord Chancellor could preside over the House of Lords even if not a Lord himself. The Lord Chancellor's judicial duties also evolved through his role in the "curia regis." Petitions for justice were normally addressed to the King and the "curia," but in 1280, Edward I instructed his justices to examine and deal with petitions themselves as the Court of King's Bench. Important petitions were to be sent to the Lord Chancellor for his decision; the more significant of these were also to be brought to the King's attention. By the reign of Edward III, this chancellery function developed into a separate tribunal for the Lord Chancellor. In this body, which became known as the High Court of Chancery, the Lord Chancellor would determine cases according to fairness (or "equity") instead of according to the strict principles of common law. The Lord Chancellor also became known as the "Keeper of the King's Conscience." Churchmen continued to dominate the Chancellorship until the 16th century. In 1529, after Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, who was Lord Chancellor and Archbishop of York, was dismissed for failing to procure the annulment of Henry VIII's first marriage, laymen tended to be more favoured for appointment to the office. Ecclesiastics made a brief return during the reign of Mary I, but thereafter, almost all Lord Chancellors have been laymen. Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury (1672–73) was the last Lord Chancellor who was not a lawyer, until the appointment of Chris Grayling in 2012. The three subsequent holders of the position, Michael Gove (2015–16), Elizabeth Truss (2016–2017) and David Lidington (2017-2018) are also not lawyers. However, the appointment of David Gauke in January 2018 meant that once again the Lord Chancellor was a lawyer. The office Formerly, when the office was held by ecclesiastics, a "Keeper of the Great Seal" acted in the Lord Chancellor's absence. Keepers were also appointed when the office of Lord Chancellor fell vacant, and discharged the duties of the office until an appropriate replacement could be found. When Elizabeth I became queen, Parliament passed an Act providing that a Lord Keeper of the Great Seal would be entitled to "like place, pre-eminence, jurisdiction, execution of laws, and all other customs, commodities, and advantages" as a Lord Chancellor. The only difference between the two offices is the mode of appointment—a Lord Chancellor is appointed by formal letters patent, but a Lord Keeper is appointed by the delivery of the Great Seal into their custody. Formerly, it was customary to appoint commoners to the office of Lord Keeper, and peers to the office of Lord Chancellor. A Lord Keeper who acquired a peerage dignity would subsequently be appointed Lord Chancellor. The last Lord Keeper was Robert Henley, who was created a Baron in 1760 and was appointed Lord Chancellor in 1761. Since then, commoners as well as peers have been appointed to the post of Lord Chancellor; however, until the 21st-century changes to the office, a commoner would normally have been created a peer shortly after appointment. It is also possible to put the office of Lord Chancellor into commission (that is to say, to entrust the office to a group of individuals rather than a single person). The individuals who exercise the office become known as "Lords Commissioners of the Great Seal." Lords Commissioners of the Great Seal have not been appointed since 1850. Formerly, there were separate Chancellors of England, Scotland and Ireland. When the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland united to form the Kingdom of Great Britain under the Act of Union 1707 the offices of the Chancellor of England and the Lord Chancellor of Scotland were combined to form a single office of Lord Chancellor for the new state. Similar provision was not made when Great Britain and Ireland merged into the United Kingdom under the Act of Union 1800. Thus, the separate office of Lord Chancellor of Ireland continued to exist until the formation of the Irish Free State in 1922. The office of Lord Chancellor of Ireland was abolished, and its duties transferred to the Governor of Northern Ireland, and later the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Thus, the Lord Chancellor remains "Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain," and not "Lord High Chancellor of the United Kingdom." Functions Legislative functions The Lord Chancellor used to be the presiding officer of the House of Lords by right of prescription. The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 removed this function, leaving the choice of a presiding officer to the House of Lords itself. Ultimately, the Lords chose to elect a Lord Speaker, which title was already used in the Standing Orders. Whenever the Sovereign appoints Lords Commissioners to perform certain actions on his or her behalf (for example, to formally declare in Parliament that the Royal Assent has been granted, or to prorogue or dissolve Parliament), the Lord Chancellor usually serves as the principal or senior Lord Commissioner. The other Lords Commissioners, by convention, are members of the House of Lords who are Privy Counsellors (generally the leaders of the three main parties and the Convenor of the Crossbenches). In this role the Lord Chancellor wears Parliamentary Robes—a full-length scarlet wool gown decorated with miniver fur. The Lord Chancellor wears a tricorne hat, but the other Lords Commissioners wear bicorne hats. During the period that Jack Straw, an MP, was Lord Chancellor, he was officially named as one of the Lords Commissioners, but did not take part in the formal ceremonies of granting Royal Assent and proroguing Parliament. The Lord Speaker has been appointed a Lord Commissioner and does take part in the ceremonies. The role of principal Lord Commissioner during this period has been taken by the Leader of the House of Lords. (There was only one exception: when John Bercow was presented for Royal Approbation for the office of Speaker of the House of Commons in 2009, Straw was the principal Lord Commissioner, and the Lord Speaker was not in the Commission.) This precedent has continued since then. It is unclear how these arrangements would change if a future Lord C..
  2. Title: Wikiwand: Great Seal of the Realm
    Author: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    Publication: Name: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Great_Seal_of_the_Realm;
    Note: The Great Seal of the Realm or Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (known prior to the Treaty of Union of 1707 as the Great Seal of Great Britain and the Great Seal of Ireland; and from then until the Union of 1801 as the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland) is a seal that is used to symbolize the Sovereign's approval of important state documents. Scotland has had her own great seal since the 14th century. The Acts of Union 1707, joining the kingdoms of Scotland and England, provide for the use of a single Great Seal for the united kingdoms. However, it also provides for the continued use of a separate Scottish seal to be used there (this seal continues to be called the "Great Seal of Scotland" though it is not technically one). The Welsh Seal was introduced in 2011. Sealing wax is melted in a metal mold or matrix and impressed into a wax figure that is attached by cord or ribbon to documents that the Monarch wishes to make official. History Edward the Confessor sometime before A.D. 1066 started using a "Great Seal" casting in wax of his own visage to signify that a document carried the force of his will. With some exceptions, each subsequent monarch up to 1603 and the Union of the Crowns which united the crowns of Scotland and England has chosen his or her own design for the Great Seal. When opening Parliament, on 3 September 1654, the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell was escorted by the three "Commissioners of the Great Seal of the Commonwealth of England," who were Whitelock, Lisle, and Widdrington. This Seal was inscribed with "The Great Seal of England, 1648," displaying the map of England, Ireland, Jersey, and Guernsey on one side, with the Arms of England and Ireland. On the other side was shown the interior of the House of Commons, the Speaker in the chair, with the inscription, "In the first year of Freedom, by God's blessing restored, 1648." In 1655, Cromwell appointed three Commissioners of the Great Seal of Ireland, Richard Pepys, Chief Justice of the Upper Bench, Sir Gerard Lowther, Chief Justice of the Common Bench; and Miles Corbet, Chief Baron of the Exchequer. But they held the seal only until 1656, when Cromwell nominated William Steele, Chief Baron of the Court of Exchequer in England, Lord Chancellor of Ireland. In 1688, while attempting to flee to France, James II destroyed his Great Seal, apparently by throwing it into the River Thames in the hope that the machinery of government would cease to function. James's successors, William III and Mary II, used the same seal matrix in their new Great Seal. This may have been a deliberate choice, in order to imply the continuity of government. A new obverse was created, but the reverse was crudely adapted by inserting a female figure beside the male figure. When Mary died, the obverse returned to the design used by James II, while the female figure was deleted from the reverse. Thus, William III used a seal that was identical to James II's, except for changes to the lettering and coat of arms. Edward VIII, who abdicated in order to marry Wallis Simpson only a few months after succeeding to the throne, never selected a design for his own seal and continued to use that of his predecessor, George V. The longer-lived British monarchs have had several Great Seals during their reigns. Only one matrix of the Great Seal exists at a time, and since the wax used for the Great Seal has a high melting point, the silver plates that cast the seal eventually wear out. Queen Victoria had to select four different Great Seal designs during the sixty-three years of her reign. The current seal matrix was authorized by the Privy Council in July 2001. It was designed by James Butler and replaced that of 1953, designed by Gilbert Ledward. The obverse shows a middle-aged Elizabeth II enthroned and robed, holding in her right hand a sceptre and in her left the orb. The circumscription "'ELIZABETH . II . D . G . BRITT . REGNORVMQVE . SVORVM . CETER . REGINA . CONSORTIONIS . POPVLORVM . PRINCEPS . F . D ."is the abbreviated Latin form of the royal title.On the reverse are the full royal arms, including crest, mantling and supporters. This is the first time that the royal arms have provided the main design for one side of the British Great Seal. The reverse of the 1953 version depicted the Queen on horseback, dressed in uniform and riding sidesaddle, as she used to attend the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony for many years until the late 1980s. The seal's diameter is 6 inches (150 mm) and the combined weight of both sides of the seal matrix exceeds 275 troy ounces (302 oz; 8,600 g). Usage The Great Seal is attached to the official documents of state that require the authorisation of the monarch to implement the advice of the Government. Under today's usage of the Great Seal, seals of dark green wax are affixed to letters patent elevating individuals to the peerage, blue seals authorize actions relating to the Royal family, and scarlet seals appoint bishops and implement various other affairs of state. In some cases the seal is replaced by a wafer version, a smaller representation of the obverse of the Great Seal embossed on colored paper attached to the document being sealed. This simpler version is used for royal proclamations, letters-patent granting the royal assent, writs of summons to Parliament and for licenses for the election of bishops and commissions of the peace. It formerly constituted treason to forge the Great Seal. The Great Seal of the Realm is in the custody of and administered by the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal. This office has been held jointly with that of Lord Chancellor since 1761. The current Lord Chancellor is Robert Buckland. The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 reiterates that the Lord Chancellor continues to be the custodian of the Great Seal. The Clerk of the Crown in Chancery, who also is Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, heads Her Majesty's Crown Office, and is responsible for the affixing of the Great Seal. He is assisted by the Deputy Clerk of the Crown. Day-to-day custody is entrusted to the Clerk of the Chamber, and subordinate staff include a Sealer, and two Scribes to Her Majesty's Crown Office. Section 2 of the Great Seal Act 1884 governs the use of the Great Seal of the Realm: "2 - (1) A warrant under Her Majesty’s Royal Sign Manual, countersigned by the Lord Chancellor, or by one of Her Majesty’s Principal Secretaries of State, or by the Lord High Treasurer, or two of the Commissioners of Her Majesty’s Treasury, shall be a necessary and sufficient authority for passing any instrument under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom, according to the tenor of such warrant; Provided that any instrument which may now be passed under the Great Seal by the fiat or under the authority or directions of the Lord Chancellor or otherwise without passing through any other office may continue to be passed as heretofore. (2) The Lord Chancellor may from time to time make, and when made revoke and vary, regulations respecting the passing of instruments under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom, and respecting the warrants for that purpose, and the preparation of such instruments and warrants, and every such warrant shall be prepared by the Clerk of the Crown in Chancery. (3) No person shall make or prepare any warrant for passing any instrument under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom, or procure any instrument to be passed under that Seal otherwise than in manner provided by this Act or the Crown Office Act 1877; and any person who acts in contravention of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanour.” Inscriptions on the Great Seal The Great Seal for each successive monarch is inscribed with the monarch's names and titles on both sides of the seal. Some of those used in the past are shown below. Where the inscriptions on both sides of the seal are identical, only one is given. Where they are the same except for the use of abbreviations, the one with the fuller forms is given. Where they are different, they are shown separated by a slash. Kingdom of England Edward the Confessor. SIGILLVM EADVVARDI ANGLORVM BASILEI Seal of Edward, Sovereign of the English. William II. WILLELMVS DEI GRATIA REX ANGLORVM William, by the grace of God, King of the English. Henry I. HENRICVS DEI GRATIA REX ANGLORVM / HENRICVS DEI GRATIA DVX NORMANNORVM Henry, by the grace of God, King of the English / Henry, by the grace of God, Duke of the Normans. Stephen. STEPHANVS DEI GRATIA REX ANGLORVM Stephen, by the grace of God, King of the English. Henry II. HENRICVS DEI GRATIA REX ANGLORVM / HENR[ICVS] DEI GRA[TIA] DVX NORMANNORVM ET AQUIT[ANORVM] ET COM[ES] ANDEG[AVORVM] Henry, by the grace of God, King of the English / Henry, by the grace of God, Duke of the Normans and of the Aquitanians and Count of the Angevins. Richard I. RICARDVS DEI GRATIA REX ANGLORVM / RICARDVS DEI GRATIA DVX NORMANNORVM ET AQUITANORVM ET COMES ANDEGAVORVM Richard, by the grace of God, King of the English / Richard, by the grace of God, Duke of the Normans and of the Aquitanians and Count of the Angevins. John. IOHANNES DEI GRACIA REX ANGLIE ET DOMINVS HIBERNIE / IOH[ANNE]S DVX NORMANNIE ET AQUITANIE COMES ANDEGAVIE John, by the grace of God, King of England and Lord of Ireland / John, Duke of Normandy and of Aquitaine, Count of Anjou. Henry III. HENRICVS DEI GRACIA REX ANGLIE DOMINVS HIBERNIE DVX AQUITANIE Henry, by the grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland, Duke of Aquitaine. Edward I. EDWARDVS DEI GRACIA REX ANGLIE DOMINVS HYBERNIE DVX AQUITANIE Edward, by the grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland, Duke of Aquitaine. Edward II. EDWARDVS DEI GRACIA REX ANGLIE DOMINVS HYBERNIE DVX AQUITANIE Edward, by the grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland, Duke of Aquitaine. Edward III. EDWARDVS DEI GRACIA REX ANGLIE D[OMI]N[V]S HIBERNIE ET AQUITANIE Edward, by the grace of God, King of Englan..
  3. Title: IPM of Robert Burghcher
    Author: Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Vol. 9, 21-25 Edward III: 1347-1352. (London, 1916), pp 241-243, Writ
    Publication: Name: https://archive.org/details/cu31924011387879/page/240/mode/2up;
    Note: The inquisition was taken 22 Sept 1349. Though many sources say he died 18 May 1349 (23 Edw III: 25 Jan 1349-24 Jan 1350), this is the date of his IPM and a writ to the escheator of Essex after his death. Another writ to the same escheator is dated 10 Dec 1349. As he died in Bordeaux, it is impossible that he died in May. Other sources say he died in August 1349. A history of the plague in Bordeaux says: "From its first entry into France in the early days of 1348, the plague was ever spreading far and wide. A letter from Avignon speaks of the ravages of the mortality in the whole of Provence, and of its having, before the end of April 1348, reached Toulouse and Bordeaux on its journey westward. By August of this year (1348) Bordeaux was engulfed in suffering from the disease."
  4. Title: Death of Robert Bourchier at Bordeaux
    Author: In the wake of the plague : the Black death and the world it made by Cantor, Norman F., 2002, New York : Perennial/HarperCollins, p 45, 47 (see also pp 42, 43)
    Publication: Name: https://books.google.com/books?id=5QK_5hVmDz4C&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=Bourchier&f=false;
    Note: Page 45: “The mayor of Bordeaux in August 1348, greeted the prince (Joan) and her entourage . . . and commented to Joan and her three leading officials, the former royal chancellor Robert Bouchier [sic]; the diplomatic layer Andrew Ullford; and the local cathedral priest, Gerald de Podio, that plague was causing trouble in Bordeaux.” “The royal chateau [at Bordeaux] overlooking the water became a charnel house of horror. Robert Bourchier, the chancellor who had survived the Battle of Crecy, was one of the first to be struck down by the plague. He died on August 20.” p 47
  5. Title: "Fifty ancestors of Henry Lincoln Clapp: who came to New England from 1620 to 1650. pt. [1]-, Parts 1-2," by Henry Lincoln Clapp
    Author: Press of D. Clapp & son, 1902
    Publication: Name: https://books.google.com/books?newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&id=e3E7AAAAMAAJ&q=robert+bourchier#v=onepage&q=robert%20de%20bourchier&f=false;
    Page: Mentioned on page 69
  6. Title: Robert Bourchier in The Complete Peerage
    Author: Cokayne, George Edward and Vicary Gibbs ed. Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Vol. II: Bass - Canning, 2nd edition (London, 1912).
    Publication: Name: https://archive.org/details/completepeerageo02coka/page/246/mode/2up?view=theater;
  7. Title: License to Crenelate Stanstead Hall for Robert de Burghcher
    Author: Calendar of the Patent Rolls, Edward III, vol. 5: 1340-1343.(London, 1900), p 225
    Publication: Name: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015031079299&view=1up&seq=241;
    Note: 3 Jun. Tower of London. Licence for Robert de Burghcher to crenellate his dwelling-place of Stanstede. By K.
  8. Title: CHAPTER XIV. CHANCELLORS AND KEEPERS OF THE GREAT SEAL FROM THE APPOINTMENT OF SIR ROBERT BOURCHIER TILL THE APPOINTMENT OF WILLIAM DE WICKHAM
    Publication: Name: https://ia800204.us.archive.org/11/items/cu31924084250335/cu31924084250335.pdf;
    Note: CHAPTER XIV. CHANCELLORS AND KEEPERS OF THE GREAT SEAL FROM THE APPOINTMENT OF SIR ROBERT BOURCHIER TILL THE APPOINTMENT OF WILLIAM DE WICKHAM. THE first lay Lord Chancellor appointed by an English King was Sir Robert Bourchier, Knight" — a distinguished soldier. He was the eldest son of Sir John Bourchier, a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas,—the representative of a family long seated at Halstead, in Essex. His education was very slender, being engaged in military adventures from early youth; but he showed great capacity as well as courage in the field, and was a particular favorite of King Edward III., whom he accompanied in all his campaigns. In 1337 he was at the battle of Cadsant, and had lately before Tournay witnessed the discomfiture of all Edward's mighty preparations for the conquest of France. He joined in the loud complaints against the ministers who had been appointed to superintend the supplies and levies at home, and in the advice that the Stratfords should be punished for their supposed misconduct. The resolution being taken to put down the ascendency of ecclesiastics,—from the shrewdness and energy of this stout knight, he was thought a fit instrument to carry it into effect, and not only was the Great Seal delivered to him, but he was regarded as the King's chief councillor. After Robert de Stratford, the late Chancellor, had been released from prison, he made submission, and it was agreed to take no farther steps against him. He appears now to have retired from politics, and we read no more of him except that he acquired great applause for the prudence with which he suppressed a mighty sedition in the University of Oxford, arising from the opposite fac- tions of the northern and southern scholars,—the former, by reason of the many grievances they complained of, having retired for a time to Stamford in Lincolnshire. He afterwards resided entirely in his diocese. His life was prolonged to the 9th of April, 1392. But it was determined to take ample vengeance on ExChancellor John de Stratford, to whose mismanagement was imputed the bad success of the war, and who continued to defy the power of the Crown. First came a proclamation under the Great Seal, framed by Lord Chancellor Bourchier, and ordered to be read in all churches and chapels,—charging the Ex-Chancellor with having intercepted the supplies granted to the King, and either with having appropriated them to himself, or having diverted them from their legitimate objects. To his Stratford opposed a pastoral letter, victoriously refuting the accusation. But parliament was always considered the ready engine of vengeance in the hands of the dominant party, and one was summoned to meet at Westminster, in April, 1341. Still some apprehensions were entertained from the sacred character of the party to be accused, and from his eloquence and influence if he were regularly heard in his own defense. The King and his military Chancellor therefore resorted to the unconstitutional step of withholding from him a writ of summons, thinking that he might thus be prevented from appearing in the Upper House. The Ex-Chancellor, nothing appalled, sent a re- monstrance to the King, stating (among other things), "that there' were two powers by which the world was governed, the holy, pontifical, apostolic dignity, and the royal subordinate authority; that of these two powers the clerical was evidently the supreme, since priests were to answer at the tribunal of the Divine judgment for the conduct of Kings themselves; that the clergy were the spiritual fathers of all the faithful, and therefore of Kings and Princes, and were entitled by a heavenly charter to direct their wills and actions, and to censure their transgressions; and that Prelates had heretofore cited Emperors before their tribunal, had sat in judgment on their life and behavior, and had anathematized them for their obstinate offenses." On the day when parliament met, the Archbishop showed himself before the gates of Westminster Hall, —arrayed in his pontifical robes,—holding the crosier in his hand, and attended by a pompous train of priests. This ceremony being finished, he was proceeding to the chamber where the Peqrs were assembled, but he was forbid by the captain of the guard to enter. While demanding admittance, he was seized by officers and carried to the bar of the Court of Exchequer, where he was called upon to plead to an information which had been filed against him by the Attorney General, and which treated him as a great pecuniary defaulter to the Crown. He then stationed himself in Palace Yard, and solemnly protested that he would not stir from that place till the King gave him leave to come into parliament, or a sufficient reason why he should not. Standing there in this manner, with the emblems of his holy office, some that were by began to revile him, saying to him, "Thou art a traitor: thou hast deceived the King and betrayed the realm." He answered them, "The curse of the Almighty God and of his blessed Mother, and of St. Thomas, and mine also, be upon the heads of them that inform the King so. Amen, amen." During two days the King rejected his application; but he petitioned the Peers against the injury thus offered to the first Peer in the realm, and the House took it up as a matter of privilege. The King agreed to a personal conference with him in the Painted Chamber, and after some discussion, consented to his taking his seat in the House; but his Majesty then abruptly withdrew, and employed Sir John Darcy and Sir William Killesby to accuse him before the citizens of London and the House of Commons. The Lords, alarmed for the rights and honor of their body, prayed the King to acknowledge, that when a Peer was impeached by the Crown for high crimes and misdemeanors, he could not be compelled to plead before any other tribunal than the House of Peers; and when Edward objected that such an acknowledgment would be prejudicial to the public interests, and derogatory to the royal prerogatives, they requested his permission to refer the matter to a committee of four prelates, four earls, and four barons. The committee reported, as an undeniable principle, " that no Peer could be arraigned or brought to judgment, except in parliament and by his peers." This was unanimously approved of by the House, and embodied in an address to the King.' The apprehension of serious consequences from this rupture, and the necessity of securing a supply, induced Edward to declare that he was willing that the charge should drop. The triumph of the Primate was complete, for he now desired that, "whereas he had been publicly defamed through the realm, he might be arraigned in open parliament before his peers; "but the King adjourned the matter to the next parliament, and then he ordered all the proceedings against him to be annulled artd vacated. In truth, the Ex-Chancellor's crime consisted in expostulating with the King about his profuseness, and in persuading him to make peace with France. He lived seven years afterwards, universally honored and beloved; and at his death, after founding and endowing a college at his native place, he left all his estate to his servants and domestics. He is said to have been "a man of a mild and gentle nature, more inclinable to pardon the guilty than to punish them with severity, and very charitable to the poor." Bourchier, during his short Chancellorship, was entirely occupied with the King's political business, particularly in the management of his diplomacy,—the duties of foreign secretary of state, which were transacted by the Chancellor, being at this time very onerous. He trans- ferred the Great Seal almost always into the custody of the Master of the Rolls or the King's Chamberlain, who sealed writs, and ordinarily sat in the Court of Chancery, —although, on great occasions, the Lord Chancellor himself, notwithstanding his inexperience, attended in person, and decided according to his own notions of law and equity. The King sometimes took the Seal into his own keeping, without meaning to make any change in the office of Chancellor. On the 7th of August in this year, Bourchier having experienced no loss of favor, and not meaning to resign his office, under an order he received to that effect, sent the seal to the palace by Ralph Lord Stafford and Philip de Weston. The King kept it in his own possession till the next day, and having sealed some grants with it, he returned it to the Chancellor. If there had been complaints of ecclesiastical Chancellors, this experiment of conferring the office on an illiterate layman, who neglected its duties, caused unprecedented dissatisfaction; and there was an agitation in favor of the plan for restraining the prerogative of the Crown in the appointment of its officers, which had dis- tracted the weak reigns of Henry III. and Edward II. The matter was taken up by the legislature, and the Commons, by petition to the King, prayed (tantamount to passing a bill) " that the Chancellor, together with the other great officers, might be chosen in open parliament, and that, at the same time, they should be openly swornto obey the laws of the land and Magna Charta." The ferment in the public mind..was so great, and such was the necessity for soothing the Commons with a view to a supply, that the King did not venture to put a direct veto upon this proposal, and he yielded this much, "that if any such office, by the death or other failure of the in- cumbent, become void, the choice to remain solely with the King, he taking therein the assent of his Council, but that every such officer shall be sworn at the next parliament, according to the petition; and that every parliament following, the King shall resume into his hands all such offices, so as the said officers shall be left liable to answer all objections." The Commons expressed themselves satisfied with this concession, and the Prelates and Barons approving of the arran..
  9. Title: Cracroft's Peerage: Bourchier, Baron (E, 1348 - abeyant 1646)
    Author: Website, Cracroft's Peerage, First written 16 Nov 2003, ã Copyright: Heraldic Media Limited. All rights reserved.
    Publication: Name: http://www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk/bourchier1348.htm;
    Note: Cracoft's Peerage draws heavily on Burke works and frequently gives no sourcing: it may give useful pointers but should not be cited as a source. all Burke reference works (including Burke’s Peerage, Burke’s Dormant and Extinct Peerages, and Burke’s Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies). They have many errors. 19th century editions are especially unreliable.
  10. Title: Tudor Place: Robert BOURCHIER
    Publication: Name: http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/BOURCHIER1.htm#Robert%20BOURCHIER1;
    Note: Information incomplete.
  11. Title: Robert Burghcher in Calendar of Fine Rolls
    Author: Calendar of Fine Rolls, Edw III, vol. 6, 1347-1356, 203-4.
    Publication: Name: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015017688956&view=1up&seq=215;
  12. Title: Robert Bourchier on WikiTree
    Author: WikiTree contributors, "Robert Bourchier", WikiTree, http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Bourchier-14 (accessed 18 April 2022)
    Publication: Name: http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Bourchier-14;
    Note: Some information is incorrect.
  13. Title: Wikiwand: Robert Bourchier, 1st Baron Bourchier
    Author: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    Publication: Name: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Robert_Bourchier,_1st_Baron_Bourchier;
  14. Title: Robert Bourchier, 1st Baron Bourchier. Wikipedia
    Publication: Name: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Bourchier,_1st_Baron_Bourchier;
    Note: Robert Bourchier (or Boussier), 1st Baron Bourchier (d. August 20, 1349) was the eldest son of John de Bourchier (d.circa 1330) (alias Boucher, Boussier, etc.), a Judge of the Common Pleas, by his wife Helen of Colchester. He served on a diplomatic mission to France in 1327 and was returned as a member of parliament for the county of Essex in 1328-9, 1330 (twice), 1332 (once), and 1339 (both). In 1334 he was chief justice of the king's bench in Ireland. Military action during invasion of Scotland in 1335, was stated to have been present at the Battle of Cadsand in 1337. On 14 December 1340, the first lay Lord Chancellor of England. He resigned his office on 29 October 1341. Robert continued to serve in the King's Council, as a diplomat and as a soldier. In 1342, he commanded a contingent in Brittany, and is recorded as being at the Battle of Crécy in 1346. He was summoned to parliament as a peer in November 1348 and from then was known as Lord Bourchier (or Burgchier). He died the following year, of the Black Death in Bordeaux. He was later buried at Halstead. At some time before 1329 he married Margaret Prayers, daughter and heiress of Sir Thomas Prayers of Sible Hedingham and his wife Anne of Essex. They had two known children.
  15. Title: "Epochs of English History: A Complete Edition in One Volume, Part 1," by Mandell Creighton
    Author: Longmans, Green & Company, 1886
    Publication: Name: https://books.google.com/books?id=aNyCb3qAiQsC&pg=PA219#v=onepage&q=Bourchier&f=false;
    Page: Mentioned on page 254
  16. Title: Millennium File
    Publication: Name: https://search.ancestry.com/collections/7249/records/10908804;
  17. Title: "Lives of the lord chancellors and keepers of the great seal of England: from the earliest times till the reign of Queen Victoria," by Campbell, John Campbell, Baron, 1779-1861
    Author: Publication date: 1878 Topics: Judges Publisher: New York : Cockcroft Collection: cornell; americana Digitizing sponsor: MSN Contributor: Cornell University Library Contributor: usage rights See terms Language: English
    Publication: Name: https://archive.org/details/cu31924084250335/page/n247?q=robert+Bourchier;
    Page: pp 223-231
  18. Title: Wikiwand: Halstead
    Author: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    Publication: Name: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Halstead;
    Note: Halstead is a town and civil parish in the Braintree District of Essex in England. It has a population of 11,906. The town lies near Colchester and Sudbury, in the Colne Valley. It initially developed on the hill to the north of the river. The name Halstead is said to derive from the Old English hald (refuge, shelter, healthy) and "stede" (site, place or farm), meaning "healthy farm," "safe place" or "place of refuge." Area The wide High Street is dominated by the 14th-century church of St Andrew, which was extensively renovated in the Victorian period, but retains much older decoration, including tomb monuments from the 14th century and earlier. The historic core of Halstead can be observed on a walk up the market hill. A river walk runs through the town from east to west. Just outside the town is Broaks Wood, a popular area for walking owned by the Forestry Commission. Halstead Public Gardens were established in 1900 and are noted for their floral displays. The Antiques Centre is full of interesting pieces, ranging from clothing to household items. Mills Townsford Mill spans the river at the bottom of the town houses. In 1818, Samuel Courtauld built two mills, Townsford at Halstead and another at Bocking. At the end of 1824, Halstead Mill was sold to Stephen Beuzeville. In 1825, Samuel installed a steam engine at Bocking Mill. An agreement dated 19 January 1825 was drawn up between Beuzeville and Samuel Courtauld and partners for the conversion of Halstead Mill for silk throwing. Beuzeville was to provide the expertise, capital, and supply the silk; Courtauld was to erect the power looms and operate the mill in return for a share in the profits; Beuzeville was to take delivery of the yarn and manufacture the crêpe, on which he was a technical expert with 20 years' experience. The mill appears to have been in operation by the summer of 1825, with Joseph Ash as manager. The introduction of new technology was important but the mills still remained heavily dependent on manpower, or more accurately, woman-power. The looms required supervision by an army of young female workers and even in 1838, more than 92 per cent of the workforce was female. In 1827 Stephen Beuzeville was declared bankrupt; a formal deed of sale dated 11 April 1828 was created between the commissioners in bankruptcy and Samuel Courtauld, whereby Halstead Mill (subject to charges of £300) was sold to Courtaulds for a cash payment of £1,500. Stephen and his father joined Courtaulds as employees. Amenities Halstead has a library situated in a large open-plan building, which was built in 1864–1866 as the corn exchange, and has also housed a technical school. Nearby Moyns Park, a Grade I listed Elizabethan country house, is said to have been where Ian Fleming put the finishing touches to his novel "From Russia, with Love." A history society holds regular monthly meetings. A town museum attached to the town council offices features historical artefacts and objects of local interest. The Empire Theatre in Butler Road hosts occasional bingo nights. Halstead is also home to Hume's Bakery, which opened in 1960, and trades at the same shop today. Notable people In birth order: Robert Bourchier, 1st Baron Bourchier (died 1349), Lord Chancellor of England, had an estate here. John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Bourchier (died 1400), soldier and diplomat, inherited the estate here. Bartholomew Bourchier, 3rd Baron Bourchier (died 1409), politician, died at his estate here. Bernard Barton (1784–1849), Quaker poet, was apprenticed to a shopkeeper and married here. Dummy, the Witch of Sible Hedingham (c. 1788 – September 4, 1863), a deaf-mute charged with witchcraft, was beaten by a mob and died in Halstead workhouse. Samuel Courtauld (1793–1881), opened a textile mill here in 1818. George Courtauld (1802–1861), textile magnate, was married here in 1829. Isaac Baker Brown (1811–1873), notable gynaecologist and obstetrician, went to school here. Augustine Stow (1833–1903), Australian politician, was born here. Decimus Alfred Ball (1836–1890), notable slum landlord in London, was born here. Sir John Mark Davies (1840–1919), Australian politician, was born here. Samuel Courtauld (1876–1947), art collector and industrialist, became a director of the silk mill here in 1901. Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies (1891–1992), London-born actress, died here. Alan Sainsbury, Baron Sainsbury (1902–1998), grandson of the founder of the Sainsbury's supermarket chain, was a resident and died here. Steve Lamacq (born 1964), BBC Radio 2 DJ, grew up here, attended Ramsey School, and is a resident. Matt Cardle (born 1983), was the 2010 winner of The X Factor and is a resident Schools Halstead is the home to three primary schools known as Holy Trinity, St. Andrew's, and Richard de Clare. Halstead has one secondary school called The Ramsey Academy (formerly Ramsey secondary school), which is located to the north of the town center. Many other secondary schools are within easy travelling distance; most pupils opt for either Sible Hedingham, Braintree or Colchester. The Yellow House School is an independent school for children with special needs, situated in Sible Hedingham. Places of worship The Anglican parish church is St Andrew's in Parsonage St. Holy Trinity Church, Halstead was declared redundant in April 1987 and is preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust. Halstead also has a Methodist church, which opened as a Primitive Methodist chapel in 1874. Halstead Baptist Church is in Hedingham Road and Grace Baptist Church in Colchester Road, as is the Catholic Church of St Francis of Assisi. The United Reformed Church of Halstead is in Kings Road. Sport Halstead's largest football club is Halstead Town F.C. The club plays in the 10th tier of the English football league system, in the Eastern Counties Football League Division One. The town is home to Halstead Cricket Club which fields three teams in the Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Championship. During the 2011 season the club, with the help of club member and former Bangladesh bowling coach Ian Pont brought in Bangladeshi international cricketer Syed Rasel. Other players to have played both first class cricket and for the club include former Essex and Leicestershire batsman Darren Robinson, international coach Richard Pybus and New Zealand U-19 and Canterbury bowler Matt Henry. Since 2010 the town has a rugby club called Halstead Templars R.F.C.
  19. Title: Robert Bourchier, 1st Baron Bourchier in The Peerage
    Author: Citations [S37] BP2003 volume 1, page 355. See link for full details for this source. Hereinafter cited as. [S37] [S6] G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume II, page 246. Hereinafter cited as The Complete Peerage. [S2] Peter W. Hammond, editor, The Complete Peerage or a History of the House of Lords and All its Members From the Earliest Times, Volume XIV: Addenda & Corrigenda (Stroud, Gloucestershire, U.K.: Sutton Publishing, 1998), page 103. Hereinafter cited as The Complete Peerage, Volume XIV. [S6] Cokayne, and others, The Complete Peerage, volume II, page 250. [S6] Cokayne, and others, The Complete Peerage, volume II, page 247.
    Publication: Name: http://thepeerage.com/p13988.htm#i139874;
    Note: Robert Bourchier, 1st Baron Bourchier M, #139874, d. circa 18 May 1349 Robert Bourchier, 1st Baron Bourchier was the son of John Bourchier and Helen of Colchester. He married Margaret Prayers, daughter of Sir Thomas Prayers and Anne of Essex. He died circa 18 May 1349, from the plague. He was buried at Halstead, Essex, England. He was a Man at Arms in 1324. He held the office of Member of Parliament (M.P.) for Essex from 1329 to 1330. He held the office of Member of Parliament (M.P.) for Essex in 1332. He held the office of Chief Justice of the King's Bench [Ireland] in July 1334, but he did not accept the office. He fought in the Battle of Cadsant in 1337, in the French Wars. He held the office of Member of Parliament (M.P.) for Essex in 1339. He held the office of Lord Chancellor between 14 December 1340 and 28 October 1341. He fought in the Battle of Crécy on 26 August 1346. He was with the Embassy to treat for peace with France in 1347. He was created 1st Baron Bourchier [England by writ] on 20 November 1348. He was with the Embassy to treat for peace with France in 1349. Children of Robert Bourchier, 1st Baron Bourchier and Margaret Prayers: Sir William Bourchier d. 1375 John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Bourchier b. 12 Mar 1329, d. 21 May 1400
  20. Title: Wikiwand: Canting arms
    Author: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    Publication: Name: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Canting_arms;
    Note: Canting arms are heraldic bearings that represent the bearer's name (or, less often, some attribute or function) in a visual pun or rebus. The term was derived from the Anglo-Norman cant, meaning song or singing. French heralds used the term armes parlantes (English: "talking arms"), as they would sound out the name of the armiger. Many armorial allusions require research for elucidation because of changes in language and dialect that have occurred over the past millennium. Canting arms – some in the form of rebuses – are quite common in German civic heraldry. They have also been increasingly used in the 20th century among the British royal family.[citation needed] When the visual representation is not straightforward but as complex as a rebus, this is sometimes called a rebus coat of arms.[citation needed] An in-joke among the Society for Creative Anachronism heralds is the pun, "Heralds don't pun; they cant." Examples of canting arms Personal coat of arms A famous example of canting arms are those of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (consort of King George VI of the United Kingdom). Her arms (pictured below) contain in sinister (i.e. on the bearer's left, viewer's right) the bows and blue lions that make up the arms of the Bowes and Lyon families. [pictures of personal arms] Municipal coat of arms Municipal coats of arms which interpret the town's name in rebus form are also called canting. Here are a few examples. [pictures of municipal arms] Ecclesiastical coats of arms [pictures of ecclesiastical arms]
  21. Title: Foundation for Medieval Genealogy: ROBERT (-[18 May] 1349, bur Halstead, Essex)
    Publication: Name: http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/ENGLISHNOBILITYMEDIEVAL3.htm#_ftnref707;
    Note: ROBERT (-[18 May] 1349, bur Halstead, Essex). Lord Chancellor 14 Dec 1340. He was summoned to Parliament 20 Nov 1348, whereby he is held to have become Lord Bourchier. He died of the plague. m MARGARET Prayers, daughter of THOMAS Prayers of Sible Hedingham, Essex & his wife Anne of Essex. Robert & his wife had two children:
  22. Title: Writ of diem clausit extremum for Robert Bourgchier
    Author: Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Vol. 9, 21-25 Edward III: 1347-1352. (London, 1916), Corrigendum, no. 688
    Publication: Name: https://archive.org/details/cu31924011387879/page/464/mode/2up;
    Note: No. 688. Robert Bourgchier. The date of the missing writ of diem clausit extremum on Robert Bourgchier (No. 239) is given as 18 May on the authority of the Fine Roll. The entry on the Fine Roll follows immediately after an entry dated 18 May and is itself dated ut supra [as above]. The entry immediately following is a writ of diem clausit extremum, also dated ut supra, on John Hunteman, the original of which is extant (see No. 365) and dated 18 August. From internal evidence this appears to be about the right date for the writ on Robert Bourgchier and on closer examination of the Fine Roll the writ of 18 May is found to be misplaced among a number of writs of August. The reading 18 May should therefore be probably 18 August.
  23. Title: Wikiwand: Battle of Crécy
    Author: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    Publication: Name: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Battle_of_Cr%C3%A9cy;
    Note: The Battle of Crécy took place on 26 August 1346 in northeast France between a French army commanded by King Philip VI and an English army led by King Edward III. The French attacked the English while they were traversing northern France during the Hundred Years' War resulting in an English victory and heavy loss of life among the French. The English army had landed in the Cotentin Peninsula on 12 July. It had burned a path of destruction through some of the richest lands in France to within 2 miles (3 km) of Paris, sacking many towns on the way. The English then marched north, hoping to link up with an allied Flemish army which had invaded from Flanders. Hearing that the Flemish had turned back, and having temporarily outdistanced the pursuing French, Edward had his army prepare a defensive position on a hillside near Crécy-en-Ponthieu. Late on 26 August the French army, which greatly outnumbered the English, attacked. During a brief archery duel a large force of French mercenary crossbowmen was routed by Welsh and English longbowmen. The French then launched a series of cavalry charges by their mounted knights. These were disordered by their impromptu nature, by having to force their way through the fleeing crossbowmen, by the muddy ground, by having to charge uphill, and by the pits dug by the English. The attacks were further broken up by the effective fire from the English archers, which caused heavy casualties. By the time the French charges reached the English men-at-arms, who had dismounted for the battle, they had lost much of their impetus. The ensuing hand-to-hand combat was described as "murderous, without pity, cruel, and very horrible." The French charges continued late into the night, all with the same result: fierce fighting followed by a French repulse. The English then laid siege to the port of Calais. The battle crippled the French army's ability to relieve the siege; the town fell to the English the following year and remained under English rule for more than two centuries, until 1558. Crécy established the effectiveness of the longbow as a dominant weapon on the Western European battlefield. Background Since the Norman Conquest of 1066, English monarchs had held titles and lands within France, the possession of which made them vassals of the kings of France. Following a series of disagreements between Philip VI of France (r. 1328–1350) and Edward III of England (r. 1327–1377), on 24 May 1337 Philip's Great Council in Paris agreed that the lands held by Edward in France should be taken back into Philip's hands on the grounds that Edward was in breach of his obligations as a vassal. This marked the start of the Hundred Years' War, which was to last 116 years. In 1345 Edward's main army sailed on 29 June and anchored off Sluys in Flanders until 22 July, while Edward attended to diplomatic affairs. When it sailed, probably intending to land in Normandy, it was scattered by a storm. There were further delays and it proved impossible to take any action with this force before winter. Meanwhile, Henry, Earl of Derby, led a whirlwind campaign through Gascony at the head of an Anglo-Gascon army. He heavily defeated two large French armies at the battles of Bergerac and Auberoche, captured more than 100 French towns and fortifications in Périgord and Agenais and gave the English possessions in Gascony strategic depth. In March 1346 a French army numbering between 15,000 and 20,000, "enormously superior" to any force the Anglo-Gascons could field, including all the military officers of the royal household, and commanded by John, Duke of Normandy, the son and heir of Philip VI, marched on Gascony. They besieged the strategically and logistically important town of Aiguillon. On 2 April the arrière-ban, the formal call to arms for all able-bodied males, was announced for the south of France. French financial, logistical and manpower efforts were focused on this offensive. Derby, now Lancaster, sent an urgent appeal for help to Edward. Edward was not only morally obliged to succour his vassal, but contractually required to; his indenture with Lancaster stated that if Lancaster were attacked by overwhelming numbers, then Edward "shall rescue him in one way or another." Meanwhile, Edward was raising a fresh army, and assembled more than 700 vessels to transport it – the largest English fleet ever to that date. The French were aware of Edward's efforts, and to guard against the possibility of an English landing in northern France, relied on their powerful navy. This reliance was misplaced, and the French were unable to prevent Edward successfully crossing the Channel. Prelude Further information: Crécy campaign The English landed at Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, Normandy, on 12 July 1346. They achieved complete strategic surprise and marched south. Edward's soldiers razed every town in their path and looted whatever they could from the populace. Caen, the cultural, political, religious and financial centre of north west Normandy, was stormed on 26 July and subsequently looted for five days. More than 5,000 French soldiers and civilians were killed; among the few prisoners was Raoul, Count of Eu, the Constable of France. On 29 July Edward sent his fleet back to England, laden with loot, with a letter ordering that reinforcements, supplies and money be collected, embarked and loaded respectively, and sent to rendezvous with his army at Crotoy, on the north bank of the mouth of the River Somme. The English marched out towards the River Seine on 1 August. The French military position was difficult. Their main army, commanded by John, Duke of Normandy, the son and heir of Philip VI, was committed to the intractable siege of Aiguillon in the south west. After his surprise landing in Normandy Edward was devastating some of the richest land in France and flaunting his ability to march at will through France. On 2 August, a small English force supported by many Flemings invaded France from Flanders; French defences there were completely inadequate. The treasury was all but empty. On 29 July, Philip proclaimed the arrière-ban for northern France, ordering every able-bodied male to assemble at Rouen, where Philip himself arrived on the 31st. On 7 August, the English reached the Seine, 12 miles (19 km) south of Rouen, and turned south-east. By 12 August, Edward's army was encamped at Poissy, 20 miles from Paris, having left a 20-mile wide swath of destruction down the left bank of the Seine, burning villages to within 2 miles (3 km) of Paris, where it was steadily reinforced. Paris was in uproar, swollen with refugees, and preparations were made to defend the capital street by street. Philip sent orders to Duke John of Normandy insisting that he abandon the siege of Aiguillon and march his army north, which after delay and prevarication he did on 20 August. The French army outside Paris consisted of some 8,000 men-at-arms, 6,000 crossbowmen, and many infantry levies. Philip sent a challenge on 14 August suggesting that the two armies do battle at a mutually agreed time and place in the area. Edward indicated that he would meet Philip to the south of the Seine, without actually committing himself. On 16 August the French moved into position; Edward promptly burnt down Poissy, destroyed the bridge there, and marched north. The French had carried out a scorched earth policy, carrying away all stores of food and so forcing the English to spread out over a wide area to forage, which greatly slowed them. Bands of French peasants attacked some of the smaller groups of foragers. Philip reached the River Somme a day's march ahead of Edward. He based himself at Amiens and sent large detachments to hold every bridge and ford across the Seine between Amiens and the sea. The English were now trapped in an area which had been stripped of food. The French moved out of Amiens and advanced westwards, towards the English. They were now willing to give battle, knowing that they would have the advantage of being able to stand on the defensive while the English were forced to try and fight their way past them. Edward was determined to break the French blockade of the Somme and probed at several points, vainly attacking Hangest and Pont-Remy before moving west along the river. English supplies were running out and the army was ragged, starving and beginning to suffer from a drop in morale. On the evening of 24 August the English were encamped north of Acheux while the French were 6 miles (10 km) away at Abbeville. During the night the English marched on a tidal ford named Blanchetaque. The far bank was defended by a force of 3,500 French. English longbowmen and mounted men-at-arms waded into the tidal river and after a short, sharp fight routed the French. The main French army had followed the English, and their scouts captured some stragglers and several wagons, but Edward had broken free of immediate pursuit. Such was the French confidence that Edward would not ford the Somme that the area beyond had not been denuded, allowing Edward's army to plunder it and resupply. Meanwhile, the Flemings, having been rebuffed by the French at Estaires, besieged Béthune on 14 August. After several setbacks they fell out among themselves, burnt their siege equipment and gave up their expedition on 24 August. Edward received the news that he would not be reinforced by the Flemings shortly after crossing the Somme. The ships which were expected to be waiting off Crotoy were nowhere to be seen. Edward decided to engage Philip's army with the force he had. Having temporarily shaken off the French pursuit, he used the respite to prepare a defensive position at Crécy-en-Ponthieu. The French returned to Abbeville, crossed the Somme at the bridge there, and doggedly set off after the English again. Opposing forces English army The English army mainly comprised English and Welsh soldiers, along with some allied Breton and Flemish troops and a few Germa..
  24. Title: John Bourchier in Close Rolls, Edward III 1341-43
    Author: Calendar of the Close Rolls, Edward III, vol. 6. 1341-1343. (London, 1902), 367
    Publication: Name: https://archive.org/details/calendarclosero05offigoog/page/n378/mode/2up?view=theater;
    Note: Enrolment of grant by Robert de Bourcher, knight, to Master John de Bourcher, archdeacon of Essex, of [£]30 yearly rent to be received of his manor of Stansted in the town of Halsted, co. Essex, at Michaelmas and Easter in "equal portions, for the payment whereof he binds all the said manor. In the name of the said seisin Robert has paid to John 10s. Witnesses : John Dyn, John de Lyston, Robert de Sweneford, knights ; Richard de Bomton, Ralph Doreward, Thomas de Hepeworth, John de Munchensy and Walter de Rowhey. Dated at Halsted on Tuesday after the Nativity of the Virgin [8 Sept], 14 Edward III [1340]. Memorandum that Robert came into chancery at Westminster on 30 January, !6 Edward III [1342], and acknowledged the preceding deed. Enrolment of grant by John de Bourcher, archdeacon of Essex, to Sir Robert de Bourcher, knight, his brother, of [£]30 yearly rent to be received of his manor of Wrattingg Taleworth, co. Suffolk, and of all his lands called ' Gannok ' in Bernaston and Great Wrattyng, at Michaelmas and Easter by equal portions and he binds the said manor and lands for the payment thereof. In the name of seisin of the said rent John has paid 10s. to Robert. Witnesses : William de Welles, Thomas de Bernaston, knights ; Henry Pane, Henry Farewel, John Kokefeld, William de Liston, Walter de Rowhey, Theobald Palmere. Dated at Wrattyng on Tuesday after the Nativity of the Virgin [8 Sept], 14 Edward III [1340]. Memorandum that John de Bourcher came into chancery at Westminster January in the 16th year of the reign and acknowledged the preceding deed.
    Page: Robert granted the rent from Stanstead to his brother John.
  25. Title: Geni: Robert de Bourchier, 1st Baron Bourchier, Lord Chancellor of England
    Publication: Name: https://www.geni.com/people/Robert-de-Bourchier-1st-Baron-Bourchier-Lord-Chancellor-of-England/6000000004684274895;
    Note: Some information is incorrect. There is no actual date of birth extant. The date of death is wrong. Place of birth is incorrect.
  26. Title: Timeline for Robert Bourchier
    Publication: Name: https://www.familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/166509353;
  27. Title: "The Yorkshire Archaeological and Topographical Journal Volume 9"
    Author: The Association, 1886
    Publication: Name: https://books.google.com/books?newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&id=1Y-MexpI2TkC&q=bourchier#v=snippet&q=robert%20lord%20bourchier%2C%20who%20was%20lord%20chancellor&f=false;
    Note: A review of history, antiquities and topography in the county.
    Page: Mentioned on page 401
  28. Title: Dictionary of National Biography, Volumes 1-20, 22
    Author: Stephen, Sir Leslie, ed.; London, England: Oxford University Press; Dictionary of National Biography, Volumes 1-20, 22; Volume: Vol 02; Page: 922
    Publication: Name: https://search.ancestry.com/collections/1981/records/10640;
Master Index | Pedigree Chart | Descendency Chart
Please send genealogical corrections, additions, or comments to Michael Matthew Groat PhD
Created by GIMMWebService Version 1.0.3 (Program Information), Copyright 2023 © Michael Groat
(Web design layout and pedigree indentation subroutine) Copyright 1996 © Randy Winch (gumby@edge.net) and Tim Doyle (tdoyle@doit.com)
(Internal GEDCOM data structures and GEDCOM file parsing) Copyright 2014-2021 © Giulio Genovese (giulio.genovese@gmail.com)

Like the program that you see? Any support is appreciated!

Paypal