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C.P. Correction/Addition: Alleged death date and will of John Beaufort, Duke of Somerset [died 1444]
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Douglas Richardson
Sep 8, 2013, 2:29:35 PM9/8/13
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Dear Newsgroup ~
Complete Peerage, 12(1) (1953): 46–48 (sub Somerset) has a good account of John Beaufort, K.G., Duke of Somerset, Earl of Kendal [died 1444]. Duke John is better known to historians and genealogists as the maternal grandfather of King Henry VII of England.
The following brief statement is given by Complete Peerage regarding the death date and probated will of John Beaufort, Duke of Somerset:
"He died s.p.m. 27 May 1444 and was buried in Wimborne Minster. Will pr. Nov. 1446 at Lambeth."
In footnote b on page 48, the following additional information is provided:
"He is said to have committed suicide from chagrin at his disgrace after his failure in France (Ingulph's Chronicle of the Abbey of Croyland, translated by H.T. Riley [published 1908], page 399)."
The exact material in Ingulph's Chronicle can be read at the following weblink:
http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b3760631;view=1up;seq=419
The chronicle mentions the duke's return from France in 1444, after which the duke was accused of treason. According to the chronicle, the duke's death "is generally said" to have been attributed to suicide. Here is the exact information in the chronicle:
"The business on which he had crossed over, being settled in a short time, the duke returned amid much pomp to England; but being accused of treason there, was forbidden to appear in the king's presence. The noble heart of a man of such high rank upon his hearing this most unhappy news, was moved to extreme indignation; and being unable to bear the stain of so great a disgrace, he accelerated his death by putting an end to his existence, it is generally said ... Before his decease he had married a wife, Margaret by name; by whom he had one daughter, also called Margaret ... While her mother was still alive, she was married to Edmund, earl of Richmond, her first husband." END OF QUOTE.
Elsewhere in footnote b on page 48, Complete Peerage cites something else called "Brief Notes for 1440-43, p. 341) for John Beaufort's death date, which source is quoted only in part. These notes are derived from Royal MSS. 13 C. 1, held in 1913 at the British Library. A transcript of the notes is published in Kingsford, English Historical Literature in the 15th Century (Burt Franklin Bibliog. & Ref. 37) (1913): 338-341. This is evidently the source consulted by Complete Peerage.
On page 341, one of these notes mentions John Beaufort's return from France in 1444 "without honor," followed by a statement regarding the duke's death:
"Anno 20 Johannes Bewford, comes Somercetie, in ducem Somercetie fuerat erectus .... Ubi parvum profuit, set stipendium regni inaniter consumpsit, et quia infra quattuor menses in Angliam sine honore rediit, et infra annum post finem huius vite cursus ex inopinata infirmitate complevit."
As we can see, in neither Ingulph's Chronicle or the "Brief Notes for 1440-43" quoted above is an exact death date provided for John Beaufort. As such, I have to assume that Complete Peerage obtained the duke's death date from some other reliable source.
Elsewhere I find there is a biography of Duke John Beaufort in Dictionary National Biography 2 (1908): 48, where the following statement is made regarding his death:
"Somerset returned home in disgust and died the near year — by his own hand it is said, being unable to brook the disgrace of banishment from court which his quarrel with the government had brought upon him."
Once again, no specific death date is given in this source.
So when exactly did Duke John Beaufort die? Fortunately, a specific record of the duke's death is recorded in an ancient calendar, a transcript of which is published in Collectanea Topographica et Genealogica 1 (1834): 277–280, esp. 278. The material may be viewed at the following weblink:
http://books.google.com/books?id=TSsEAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA278
The item in question on page 278 reads as follows:
“vi. kl. Jun. [27 May]. Obitus d’ni Joh'is Som’s’ duc’, a[nn]o d’ni Mccccxliiij.”
We see here that John, Duke of Somerset, is stated to have died 27 May 1444, which date is in complete agreement with Complete Peerage.
As stated earlier above, Complete Peerage alleges that Duke John Beaufort left a will proved November 1446 at Lambeth. On the surface, this would normally seem to be an unimpeachable statement. However, no source is provided to document this record, and I have never encountered a published abstract or transcript of the alleged will. So did Complete Peerage make up this information?
Recently I was going through contemporary lawsuits in the Court of Common Pleas. I located no less than four lawsuits which concern the estate of Duke John Beaufort. As best I can determine, these lawsuits have never been discussed in print by any historian or genealogist. They are presented here for the first time.
1. In 1450 Thomas Playn and Thomas Bury, administrators of the goods and chattels of John, late Duke of Somerset, who died intestate, sued Simon Hareby, Esq., of Maxey, Northamptonshire, in the Court of Common Pleas regarding a debt [Reference: Court of Common Pleas, CP40/758, rot. 743d (available at http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT1/H6/CP40no758/bCP40no758dorses/IMG_0743.htm)].
2. In 1460 Thomas Playn, administrator of the goods and chattels of John, late Duke of Somerset, who died intestate, sued Simon Hareby, Esq., of Maxey, Northamptonshire, in the Court of Common Pleas regarding a debt [Reference: Court of Common Pleas, CP40/796, rot. 340f (available at http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT1/H6/CP40no796/aCP40no796fronts/index2.htm)].
3. In 1465 Thomas Playn, administrator of the goods and chattels of John, late Duke of Somerset, who died intestate, sued John Martyn, of Dertford, Kent, gentleman, regarding a debt. [Reference: Court of Common Pleas, CP40/814, rot. 698f (available at http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT2/E4/CP40no814/aCP40no814fronts/IMG_0698.htm)].
3. In 1465 Thomas Playn, administrator of the goods and chattels of John, late Duke of Somerset, who died intestate, sued Henry Grene, of Drayton, Northamptonshire, esquire, regarding a debt [Reference: Court of Common Pleas, CP40/814, rot. 1680d (available at http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT2/E4/CP40no814/bCP40no814dorses/IMG_1680.htm)].
In all four lawsuits, it is clearly stated that John Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, died intestate. As such, it appears that Complete Peerage's statement that Duke John Beaufort left a will is erroneous.
In closing, I wish to thank Rosemary Simons and Vance Mead whose indexes of Common Pleas lawsuits helped me locate the four lawsuits cited above.
Best always, Douglas Richardson, Salt Lake City, Utah
Complete Peerage, 12(1) (1953): 46–48 (sub Somerset) has a good account of John Beaufort, K.G., Duke of Somerset, Earl of Kendal [died 1444]. Duke John is better known to historians and genealogists as the maternal grandfather of King Henry VII of England.
The following brief statement is given by Complete Peerage regarding the death date and probated will of John Beaufort, Duke of Somerset:
"He died s.p.m. 27 May 1444 and was buried in Wimborne Minster. Will pr. Nov. 1446 at Lambeth."
In footnote b on page 48, the following additional information is provided:
"He is said to have committed suicide from chagrin at his disgrace after his failure in France (Ingulph's Chronicle of the Abbey of Croyland, translated by H.T. Riley [published 1908], page 399)."
The exact material in Ingulph's Chronicle can be read at the following weblink:
http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b3760631;view=1up;seq=419
The chronicle mentions the duke's return from France in 1444, after which the duke was accused of treason. According to the chronicle, the duke's death "is generally said" to have been attributed to suicide. Here is the exact information in the chronicle:
"The business on which he had crossed over, being settled in a short time, the duke returned amid much pomp to England; but being accused of treason there, was forbidden to appear in the king's presence. The noble heart of a man of such high rank upon his hearing this most unhappy news, was moved to extreme indignation; and being unable to bear the stain of so great a disgrace, he accelerated his death by putting an end to his existence, it is generally said ... Before his decease he had married a wife, Margaret by name; by whom he had one daughter, also called Margaret ... While her mother was still alive, she was married to Edmund, earl of Richmond, her first husband." END OF QUOTE.
Elsewhere in footnote b on page 48, Complete Peerage cites something else called "Brief Notes for 1440-43, p. 341) for John Beaufort's death date, which source is quoted only in part. These notes are derived from Royal MSS. 13 C. 1, held in 1913 at the British Library. A transcript of the notes is published in Kingsford, English Historical Literature in the 15th Century (Burt Franklin Bibliog. & Ref. 37) (1913): 338-341. This is evidently the source consulted by Complete Peerage.
On page 341, one of these notes mentions John Beaufort's return from France in 1444 "without honor," followed by a statement regarding the duke's death:
"Anno 20 Johannes Bewford, comes Somercetie, in ducem Somercetie fuerat erectus .... Ubi parvum profuit, set stipendium regni inaniter consumpsit, et quia infra quattuor menses in Angliam sine honore rediit, et infra annum post finem huius vite cursus ex inopinata infirmitate complevit."
As we can see, in neither Ingulph's Chronicle or the "Brief Notes for 1440-43" quoted above is an exact death date provided for John Beaufort. As such, I have to assume that Complete Peerage obtained the duke's death date from some other reliable source.
Elsewhere I find there is a biography of Duke John Beaufort in Dictionary National Biography 2 (1908): 48, where the following statement is made regarding his death:
"Somerset returned home in disgust and died the near year — by his own hand it is said, being unable to brook the disgrace of banishment from court which his quarrel with the government had brought upon him."
Once again, no specific death date is given in this source.
So when exactly did Duke John Beaufort die? Fortunately, a specific record of the duke's death is recorded in an ancient calendar, a transcript of which is published in Collectanea Topographica et Genealogica 1 (1834): 277–280, esp. 278. The material may be viewed at the following weblink:
http://books.google.com/books?id=TSsEAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA278
The item in question on page 278 reads as follows:
“vi. kl. Jun. [27 May]. Obitus d’ni Joh'is Som’s’ duc’, a[nn]o d’ni Mccccxliiij.”
We see here that John, Duke of Somerset, is stated to have died 27 May 1444, which date is in complete agreement with Complete Peerage.
As stated earlier above, Complete Peerage alleges that Duke John Beaufort left a will proved November 1446 at Lambeth. On the surface, this would normally seem to be an unimpeachable statement. However, no source is provided to document this record, and I have never encountered a published abstract or transcript of the alleged will. So did Complete Peerage make up this information?
Recently I was going through contemporary lawsuits in the Court of Common Pleas. I located no less than four lawsuits which concern the estate of Duke John Beaufort. As best I can determine, these lawsuits have never been discussed in print by any historian or genealogist. They are presented here for the first time.
1. In 1450 Thomas Playn and Thomas Bury, administrators of the goods and chattels of John, late Duke of Somerset, who died intestate, sued Simon Hareby, Esq., of Maxey, Northamptonshire, in the Court of Common Pleas regarding a debt [Reference: Court of Common Pleas, CP40/758, rot. 743d (available at http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT1/H6/CP40no758/bCP40no758dorses/IMG_0743.htm)].
2. In 1460 Thomas Playn, administrator of the goods and chattels of John, late Duke of Somerset, who died intestate, sued Simon Hareby, Esq., of Maxey, Northamptonshire, in the Court of Common Pleas regarding a debt [Reference: Court of Common Pleas, CP40/796, rot. 340f (available at http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT1/H6/CP40no796/aCP40no796fronts/index2.htm)].
3. In 1465 Thomas Playn, administrator of the goods and chattels of John, late Duke of Somerset, who died intestate, sued John Martyn, of Dertford, Kent, gentleman, regarding a debt. [Reference: Court of Common Pleas, CP40/814, rot. 698f (available at http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT2/E4/CP40no814/aCP40no814fronts/IMG_0698.htm)].
3. In 1465 Thomas Playn, administrator of the goods and chattels of John, late Duke of Somerset, who died intestate, sued Henry Grene, of Drayton, Northamptonshire, esquire, regarding a debt [Reference: Court of Common Pleas, CP40/814, rot. 1680d (available at http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT2/E4/CP40no814/bCP40no814dorses/IMG_1680.htm)].
In all four lawsuits, it is clearly stated that John Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, died intestate. As such, it appears that Complete Peerage's statement that Duke John Beaufort left a will is erroneous.
In closing, I wish to thank Rosemary Simons and Vance Mead whose indexes of Common Pleas lawsuits helped me locate the four lawsuits cited above.
Best always, Douglas Richardson, Salt Lake City, Utah
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