John de Swynford, knight or knave?
Or perhaps both? Who was John de Swynford? John was the son of William de Swynford of Newbold in Northamptonshire and should not be...
The Black Prince wrote history!
The gift of a new book came to me recently. A great demonstration that so many events in The Watford Knight’s Fee directly reflect...
The Guilsborough church connection to Watford
George Clerke, the last Lord of Watford, died in 1689 and left a detailed will. One of the few bequests not of Watford was: ‘And I give...
The Last Lord of Watford
George Clerke, son of Sir George Clerke, died in Watford in May 1689, the last to hold all of Watford parish, Northamptonshire. (Well,...
PUBLISHED !!
The Watford Knight's Fee is now published and available for purchase. Listed below are the websites of outlets where purchases can be...
An Inquisition in Medieval England
Some long time ago when I first heard the word 'inquisition', the context was the 'Spanish Inquisition'. These inquisitions took place...
Was William de Parles a murderer?
William was the descendant of the de Parles family of Hounesworth (Handsworth) in Staffordshire, one of the counties of the West Midlands....
The Size of a Knight's Fee
In a way, defining the size of a knight's fee is nonsense. A bit like answering the question, 'How big is your mortgage?' with, 'Some...
Thomas Rogers of the Mayflower
In 1620, the vessel Mayflower took the first immigrants across the Atlantic to the New World of America. One of its passengers was...
Protection from Poverty for a Widow
When a soon-to-be wife brought significant estate (eg a manor and lands) with her to a marriage, medieval custom provided that the...
