The Assault of John Dymoke

On 28th January 1376, the husband of an owner of Middleton Hall lodged a complaint with the justices in Lindsey, Lincolnshire after he had been attacked whilst carrying out official duties. His name was John Dymoke and he was the husband of Margaret de Ludlow, the great-granddaughter of Philip de Marmion via his youngest daughter Joan. In 1349, Margaret had inherited half of what had been her grandmother’s third of Middleton, but in 1362 Margaret and John had sold her sixth to Sir Baldwin II de Freville.

John Dymoke held many offices throughout his lifetime. Between 1371 and 1377, he is known to have been the escheator for Lincolnshire. Escheators were historical legal officers. They were appointed by the Crown in order to investigate, manage and seize property that had been escheated, which was land that reverted to the Crown after the death of a lord. They held inquiries known as Inquisition Post Mortems in order to discover the rightful ownership of property and which land should go into the possession of the Crown. In doing so, they upheld the monarch’s feudal rights as the ultimate feudal lord.

Dymoke paid 20 shillings (about £617 today) to the hanaper in Chancery in order to initiate his complaint. In his complaint, John stated that, whilst he was acting in his commission as escheator for Lincolnshire and acting in accordance with his office, he was threatened in life and limb, assaulted by numerous people and he believed that they had intended to kill him. He further claimed that this attack had prevented him from exercising his office and undertaking the inquisition at Boston for the king’s profit, which he had been attempting to do. He named his assailants as: Philip Gernon; Richard Butler; Richard de Heckington; John de Sibsey; Roger Shetekost; William de Gausehill; Thomas Drop; John Sleigth; Walter, John Sleigth’s servant; John Bullock; Robert Brown; Roger Saddler; Walter Walker; Richard, Walter Walker’s servant; John Baxter; Walter, John Baxter’s servant; William, John Baxter’s servant; William de Kynardby; John Bolle; and others.

Stocks at Middleton Hall, 2013. Photograph taken by Richard Jordan.

Further Reading: Calendar of the Patent Rolls of King Edward III, volume 16, 1916. pp.311-312

Author - Debbie Jordan, Middleton Hall Volunteer.

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