Anne, Countess of Stafford, daughter and heir of Eleanor, one of the daughters and...

Petitioners

Anne, Countess of Stafford, daughter and heir of Eleanor, one of the daughters and heirs of Humphrey de Bohun, late earl of Hereford, Essex and Northampton, and constable of England.

Name(s)

Countess of Stafford, Anne

Addressees

Commons in parliament

Nature of request

Anne states that Joan, countess of Hereford held by dower and jointure of her husband diverse estates and died seised of them on 8 April 1419 when they descended to Henry V and Anne as cousins and heirs of the earl, but were taken into the king's hands. She has sued continually for a partition of the estates, but they have remained in the king's hand, and he took all the issues and profits wherein she by right should have had a moiety. Henry V delegated the matter to the bishop of Durham to determine, but the king died before it could be determined. In the meantime the king had enfeoffed the archbishop of Canterbury and others in the estates with the intent to discharge his soul and conscience. Anne requests that the king grant that the feoffees have the power and are charged to pay the money due to her as the moiety of the issues of the estates from the death of Countess Joan until 2 May, and by the same authority that she might have at the discretion of the feoffees satisfaction of her losses and damages incurred by the failure to partition the estate. She further requests that the chancellor have authority to grant writs to the feoffees for the payments.

Nature of endorsement

The king by the advisement of the his council assigns the chancellor and Walter, lord Hungerford to communicate and deal with the countess upon the matter contained in the present petition, to agree what should be paid to her, and giving power to the feoffees to pay the countess the sum agreed between her and the chancellor and Hungerford. And the feoffees are to be quit and exonerated towards the king by the same authority according to the form and effect of the petition.

Places mentioned

England

Wales

Welsh March

France.

People mentioned

Eleanor [Bohun], one of the daughters and heirs of Humphrey de Bohun, late earl of Hereford, Essex and Northampton, and constable of England

Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford, Essex and Northampton, and Constable of England

Henry V, King of England

Joan [Bohun], widow of Humphrey de Bohun, late earl of Hereford, Essex and Northampton, and constable of England

Mary [Bohun, Queen of England], one of the daughters and heirs of Humphrey de Bohun, late earl of Hereford, Essex and Northampton, and constable of England

Thomas [Langley], Bishop of Durham and Chancellor

Henry [Chichele], Archbishop of Canterbury

John [Stafford], Bishop of Bath and Wells, and Chancellor

Walter, Lord Hungerford.

For a related petition concerning the partition of the Bohun inheritance see SC 8/26/1268

• Calendar of Close Rolls, Hen VI, vol. II, 1429-1435, (Public Record Office, 1933), p.203 (order to the feoffees to pay the agreed sums)
• Rotuli Parliamentorum; ut et Petitiones, et Placita in Parliamento, vol. IV, Hen V and Hen VI, (Record Commission, 1783), pp.416b-417a (edition of original petition)