John Hawley (died 1408)

Monumental brass of John Hawley (d.1408) in St Saviour's Church, Dartmouth. He is dressed as a fully-armed knight, flanked by his two wives

Arms of Hawley: Argent, three hunting horns and a broad arrow sable in pale feathers and head or^[1]

John Hawley (c. 1340^[2]/50^[3]–30 December 1408) (aliter "Hauley" and called "the elder"^[3]) of Dartmouth in Devon, was a wealthy ship owner who served fourteen times as Mayor of Dartmouth and was elected four times as a Member of Parliament for Dartmouth. He is reputed to have been the inspiration for Chaucer's "schipman".^[2][4] His magnificent monumental brass survives in St Saviour's Church, Dartmouth.

Origins

He was the son of John Hawley of Dartmouth. His family reportedly came from the hamlet of Allaleigh and this may account for the origins of his name.

Career

He was Mayor of Dartmouth on fourteen occasions between 1374 and 1401 and was elected MP for Dartmouth four times, in 1390, 1393, 1394 and 1402.^[5][6]

Hawley was both a merchant and licensed privateer though he was often accused of piracy.^[7] He conducted a number of naval operations in the English Channel and briefly held the post of deputy to the Admiral of England under King Henry IV (1399-1413).^[5] He organised the defence of Dartmouth in 1404 against an attack by a Breton fleet, which culminated in the Battle of Blackpool Sands.

Marriage and progeny

He married twice:

• Firstly to a certain Joan (died 12 July 1394)
• Secondly to a certain Alice (died 7 Jan. 1403), by whom he had a son:
  • John Hawley (d. 1436),^[3] (called "the Younger"), 12 times a Member of Parliament for Dartmouth. He is said^[8] to have married Emmeline (or Elizabeth or Margaret) Tresilian, said to have been an "idiot", the divorced wife of John Arundel, MP,^[9] and daughter and heiress of Sir Robert Tresilian (d.1388), Chief Justice of the King's Bench, executed for treason following condemnation by the Merciless Parliament of 1388, whose wardship and lands had been purchased by his father John Hawley the Elder.^[10] His daughter and eventual heiress Elizabeth Hawley (d.1457) married John Copleston (d.1458) of Copplestone in the parish of Colebrooke, Devon, three times a Member of Parliament for Devon.^[11]

Death and burial

He died in December 1408 and was buried in St Saviour's Church, Dartmouth, where survives his magnificent monumental brass of John Hawley (d.1408) in St Saviour's Church, Dartmouth, showing him dressed as a fully-armed knight, flanked by his two wives.

References

1. Pole, Sir William (d.1635), Collections Towards a Description of the County of Devon, Sir John-William de la Pole (ed.), London, 1791, p.486. See image of painted arms (in Dartmouth Church ?)[1]
2. "John Hawley of Dartmouth".
3. Susan Rose, ‘Hawley, John, the elder (c.1350–1408)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 accessed 5 Aug 2010
4. Woodger, L.S., biography of John Hawley (d.1408) published in History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1386-1421, ed. J.S. Roskell, L. Clark, C. Rawcliffe., 1993
5. Rose (2004)
6. Woodger (1993)
7. "John Hauley or Hawley". Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
8. H.R. Watkin, Dartmouth, 183; J. Maclean, Trigg Minor, i. 394, quoted as note 1 in his History of Parliament biog. and elsewhere in that of his father
9. History of Parliament biog. of Hawley, John II (d.1436), of Dartmouth, Devon and Trematon, Cornw., ed. J.S. Roskell, L. Clark, C. Rawcliffe., 1993 [2]
10. History of Parliament biog. of Hawley, John I (d.1408), of Dartmouth, Devon, published in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1386-1421, ed. J.S. Roskell, L. Clark, C. Rawcliffe., 1993 [3]
11. Vivian, Lt.Col. J.L., (Ed.) The Visitations of the County of Devon: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564 & 1620, Exeter, 1895, p.224, pedigree of Copleston