This case has a dramatic allegation. It starts with an ordinary path to marriage: Ann Munden made a contract of marriage with Thomas Lak in early January 1482 and then banns were read in church on three successive Sundays prior to the planned solemnization of the marriage. But then a man named Richard Bulle cameContinue reading “Thomas Lak c. Ann Munden”
Author Archives: shannonmcsheffrey
Agnes Whitingdon c. John Ely
In January 1487, Agnes Whitingdon sued John Ely to enforce a marriage contract they allegedly made in September 1486. Ely claimed he had not contracted marriage with her, although they had had some discussions about it: he laid out a specific dowry he required as a minimum. Witnesses, on the other hand, testified that theyContinue reading “Agnes Whitingdon c. John Ely”
Agnes Waltham c. Richard Heth
Agnes Waltham sued Richard Heth in 1487 to enforce a marriage contract she said they had made. The testimony reveals some interesting evidence about neighbourhood surveillance of relationships: one of the witnesses, John Gosnell, said that he had confronted Heth about his improper visits to Waltham’s house and pressured him into contracting marriage with herContinue reading “Agnes Waltham c. Richard Heth”
John Croke c. Agnes Hill
The surviving testimony for this suit is incomplete, but reveals some interesting things about a marriage between two offspring of London’s civic elite. In February 1487, John Croke sued Agnes Hill to enforce a marriage contract. The only complete testimony is from John Dawes, likely Agnes Hill’s cousin, and concerns a skuffle that took placeContinue reading “John Croke c. Agnes Hill”
John Halyday c Margaret Partrich
In 1487, John Halyday sued Margaret Partrich to enforce a marriage contract they allegedly made in June 1486; all that survives is the defendant’s examination. Partrich acknowledged in her testimony that Halyday approached her with the intention of contracting marriage, but she says she declined his proposal. 1487-02-07, LMA, MS DL/C/A/001/MS09065, fol. 13v Testimony ofContinue reading “John Halyday c Margaret Partrich”
John Palmer c. Christopher Manser
In February 1487, John Palmer sued Christopher Manser over unpaid debts. The witnesses both testify that sometime during the first three weeks of Lent (February or early March) 1486 they heard Manser acknowledging that he owed money to Palmer and swearing an oath to repay a specific amount in the next two weeks. He presumablyContinue reading “John Palmer c. Christopher Manser”
Joan Austy c. William Codding
This case involves a complicated love quadrangle and allegations of poisoning in Whitechapel on the east end of London. We have in the Consistory records only the February 1487 examination of the defendant, William Codding, perhaps some months into the case (other records do not survive). Joan Austy had sued him, alleging that they hadContinue reading “Joan Austy c. William Codding”
Richard Tymond c. Margery Sheppard
Around mid-year in 1487, Richard Tymond sued Margery Sheppard to enforce a marriage contract they allegedly made in May 1486. When examined, Sheppard said that Tymond had urged her to marry him in late March and again in late June 1486, but she had told him on both occasions that she would not marry withoutContinue reading “Richard Tymond c. Margery Sheppard”
Alice Norman c. William Clerk
This is a case about the last will and testament of a woman, Maude Mig, who died of leprosy around 1487. She and her husband had been judicially separated at the time of her death. The grant of separation, which allowed them to live apart though they were still legally married, may have been dueContinue reading “Alice Norman c. William Clerk”
John Tailour c. Agnes Fry
In late June 1487, John Tailour sued the widow Agnes Fry to enforce a marriage contract he alleged they had made the previous April. Fry herself testified that when Tailour had first asked her to marry him, she had told him he would have to wait until her husband had been dead a year beforeContinue reading “John Tailour c. Agnes Fry”
Consistory 