‹ E-CIPM 24-244: JOHN PAAS alias JOHN MARESCHALL , CITIZEN OF LONDON ›

Holdings

On 21 December 1267, John Export , citizen of London, was seised in his demesne as of fee of 5 shops and a vacant plot of land in the north corner of Cordwainer Street in the parish of St Mary Aldermary between the tenement in Cordwainer Street on the north that was formerly that of Osbert de Suffolchia and now that of the prioress and convent of Dartford and the tenement in Watling Street on the east, formerly that of John Grentmartz and Robert ?Rothewell [ms torn], then John Spenser, ‘cotiller’, and now the master of the house of St Thomas of Acon. In his last testament made that day in the house of John le Mareschall , which was then opposite the shops, and as is clear in the testament, John Export appointed John le Mareschall described as John Paas, marshal (per nomen Johannis Paas Marescalli), and Silvester le Cordewaner as his executors, and, remaining without heir, willed that immediately after a year after his death his executors and their heirs use all his rents – 36s. from his 2 new shops in Cordwainer Street, 16s. from the shop in which he and Walter le Chaundeler lived, 32s. from the 2 new shops opposite John le Mareschall ’s house, and a mark from the vacant plot – to provide for a chaplain to celebrate mass for the souls of himself, his ancestors and all the faithful. At the time of John Export ’s death, at the time his last testament was made and long before, John Paas alias John Mareschall , named in the writ, was seised of a tenement – of which the house in which the last testament was made was a part – opposite the shops, in the southern corner of Cordwainer Street and the parish of St Mary Aldermary, and another tenement in the parish of All Hallows of Bread Street next to the other tenement on the south corner, towards the west in Watling Street. John Paas described as John Mareschallus had these tenements, in the corner and in the south, long before by enfeoffment of himself and his heirs by Peter, son of Augerus de Barra, as is clear in the charter and the last testament shown to the jurors. He died seised of this estate in the 2 tenements and they descended to John his son and heir who was seised similarly. He granted the tenement in the parish of All Hallows to Denis de Cantebrigia , citizen and gold-beater of London, and Agnes his wife and their assigns for their lives in survivorship, reversion to John, son of John, and his heirs. He granted, among other things, the tenement on the south corner of Cordwainer Street – described as all that tenement he then had in the parish of St Mary Aldermary between the tenement which Denis de Cantebr igia, gold-beater of London, and Agnes his wife then held for life in survivorship on the west and the king’s highway of Cordwainer Street on the east, and between the tenement of Alexander le Setter and Manekyn (Manekynus) le Heauiner on the south and the king’s highway of Watling Street on the north – to Richard Sutton, clerk , as is clear in his charter dated at London on 13 January 1311 and shown to the jurors. Richard was seised in his demesne as of fee and by his charter, recognised and enrolled in the London husting court of Common Pleas held on 8 February 1311, he granted the tenement, according to the same metes and bounds, among other things to the same John Paas , son of John le Mareschall , citizen of London, and to Isabel, daughter of Denis de Cantebrigia and then his wife, and John’s heirs and assigns. John and Isabel were seised, John in his demesne as of fee and Isabel as of free tenement. By his last testament made on 18 February 1315, proved and enrolled in the London husting court of Land Pleas on 26 January 1316, John willed and bequeathed that Isabel enjoy the use of and have the tenement – described as a deep cellar with 3 shops and solars built above – according to the form of the grant and that after her death Denis his son have the cellar with the cistern and well and Juliana his daughter have the 3 shops with solars in Cordwainer Street towards the Thames on the south. He willed the reversion to the other tenement, in the parish of All Hallows of Bread Street, next to the corner tenement, remain to Isabel his wife and then to Alice his daughter. John died and Isabel entered the tenement on the south corner and died seised. Denis de Cantebr [igia] and Agnes his wife died and because Denis, son of John, and Juliana predeceased John their father, both tenements descended to Alice as daughter and heir of John Paas alias Mareschall. Alice married William Stamelden , citizen and goldsmith of London , and they were seised of the two tenements as of fee, right and inheritance of Alice. By their charter, recognised and enrolled in the London husting court of Common Pleas held on 5 May 1371, they granted to John de Cauendissh , serjeant of Suffolk, John de Bures and William Kyng , citizens and ?drapers of London, and their heirs and assigns, one part of the tenement on the south corner of Cordwainer Street, namely a plot or part of land then vacant, called ‘le Holceler’ lying lengthwise in the parish of St Mary Aldermary between the remainder of William and Alice’s tenement, the tenement of Thomas Hannamsted , afterwards Hugh Fastolf’s, and the tenement formerly of William Derby , now of the church of St Mary towards the east, William and Alice’s other tenement in the parish of All Hallows, William Glendale ’s tenement towards the west and the king’s highway of Watling Street towards the... [ms soiled and faint]. John, John and William were seised. Alice died a little after William Stamelden , seised both of the tenement on the south corner in the parish of St Mary Aldermary, between the tenement of John de Cauendissh, John de Bures and William Kyng that was lately John Paas’ towards the east and the king’s highway of Cordwainer Street towards the east and the king’s highway of Watling Street towards the north, and the tenement in All Hallows. Peter ?Grubbe [ms soiled and illegible], citizen and fishmonger of London, and Juliana his wife, daughter and heir of Alice, entered the tenements and were seised as of fee, right and inheritance of Juliana. By their deed, recognised and enrolled in the London husting court of land pleas, held on 26 July 1378, they remised to John de Cauendissh , then knight, John de Bures and William Kyng and their heirs and assigns, all their right and claim, and that of their heirs, in the tenements with the buildings, shops and cellars that John, John and William had lately newly-built on the vacant plot formerly called ‘le Holceler’, lying between Peter and Juliana’s two tenements, formerly those of John Paas , towards the east and west. Juliana died without heir on an unknown day about 4 ‪ Richard II [22 June 1380 – 21 June 1381], seised both of the tenement of John Paas alias Mareschall in the south corner of Cordwainer Street between the tenement of John de Cauendissh, John de Bures and William Kyng , that was lately John Paas’, towards the west in Watling Street and the tenement of Hugh Fastolf , previously Thomas Hannamsted’s, towards the south in Cordwainer Street, and of the tenement of John Paas in the parish of All Hallows of Bread Street. Both tenements should have escheated into the king’s hand because she died without heir, and although the tenement in the parish of All Hallows afterwards came into the king’s hand, the tenement on the south corner was unjustly detained and concealed from the king and his ancestors. In 19 ‪ Richard II [22 June 1395 – 21 June 1396], both through the entreaty and evil accusation of John Drye, lately chaplain of the chantry at the altar of St John the Baptist in the chapel next to the church of St Mary Aldermary at the charnel (‘le Charnell’) there, and by an inquisition at the request of this John Drye , by various false means and suborned witnesses, held before John Fressh , then mayor and escheator of the city, ‪ Richard II was informed among other things that John Export was seised in his demesne as of fee of two tenements of which one was the tenement on the south corner of Cordwainer Street, and that by his last testament of 1267 John Export had stipulated that if he died without heirs, John le Paas and Silvester le Cordewaner , his executors, and their heirs were to provide for a perpetual chaplain from the rents as above; and that the executors died without heirs and when John Export was seised of nothing in the tenement and with no other bequest or ordination contained in his testament. However, all along – at the time of John Export ’s death and the making of his last testament, long before and afterwards – the tenement on the south corner was in the seisin and possession of John Paas alias Mareschall and his heirs until 4 ‪ Richard II when Juliana who was the wife of Peter Grubbe , his last heir, died as above. For which reason, the tenement on the south corner should have come to the king as escheat, and not for the reason that John Drye informed the king that it should have done so. On the basis of the false information, by letters patent dated at Westminster on 2 December 1395 [CPR 1391–96, p. 646], the king granted the tenement on the south corner to John Drye and his successors as chantry chaplains, as part of the foundation of the chantry. John Drye therefore detained and concealed the tenement from 2 December 1395 until 12 June 1425. John Martill, chaplain , his immediate successor, similarly detained and concealed the tenement from the king for ?2 1/4 years [ms soiled], and William Kyrkeby, present chaplain , detained and concealed the tenement from the king for 5 years and more, and took, and still takes, the issues.