John Ipstones facts for kids

John Ipstones (died 1394) was an English soldier, politician, and landowner. He fought in the Hundred Years War and joined John of Gaunt's journey to claim the Crown of Castile. He served as a Member of Parliament for Staffordshire twice, including during the important Merciless Parliament of 1388, where he supported the powerful Lords Appellant. John Ipstones came from a family known for disagreements and disputes over land and other matters. Sadly, one of these arguments led to his death while he was in London, serving as an MP.

Family Background

John Ipstones was the oldest son of Sir John Ipstones from Blymhill, Staffordshire. His grandfather, also named John de Ipstones, and his grandmother, Elizabeth Beck, came from Hopton, Shropshire, and Tean, Staffordshire.

The Ipstones family was important in Staffordshire for a long time and owned land in Blymhill. However, they had a history of disagreements with their neighbors. John de Ipstones, the MP's grandfather, was known for starting many arguments that continued even into the late 1300s. For example, in 1324, he was involved in a big dispute with the Brumpton family over a church. Later, in 1325, the Ipstones family caused a large fight in Stafford during a county gathering, which caused "great terror" and broke the king's peace. Many people were arrested, and most admitted they had armed themselves to support their family. This pattern of conflict and trouble seemed to happen again and again through the family's generations.

The next John Ipstones, the MP's father, continued the family's disagreements, though perhaps with less violence. He started a new dispute that would affect his son's life by being involved in the death of Adam Peshale.

Land Ownership

Family Lands

John Ipstones inherited lands in Blymhill, Ipstones, and Cresswell, Staffordshire when his father passed away around 1364. He also owned land in Corvedale, Shropshire, including the main manor of Munslow. He likely received these lands through his mother, as her brother was a tenant there in 1346.

Corbet Family Disputes

Moreton Corbet Castle from the west. Parts of the original medieval fortress still stand today.

Around 1374, John Ipstones married Elizabeth Corbet, who was about 16 or 17 years old. Elizabeth was the daughter of Thomas Corbet, who was supposed to inherit large estates from his parents, Sir Robert Corbet of Moreton Corbet and Wattlesborough. However, Thomas had died before his parents.

Before their deaths, Elizabeth's grandparents had tried to arrange their estates so that most of the land would go to their sons, Sir Fulk and Sir Roger, and not to their daughters like Elizabeth. The legal documents they used were confusing and led to many years of court cases and bad feelings within the Corbet family.

John Ipstones and Elizabeth were the first to challenge this arrangement soon after they married. They started a lawsuit in 1374, even before Sir Robert died. The case involved the manor of Braunstone. This manor was held through several layers of ownership, which kings often tried to simplify. Elizabeth's aunt and uncle, Margaret and Sir Thomas Erdington, had taken over Braunstone. The case was complicated and lasted a long time because the Corbets and Erdingtons strongly fought against it. Even though an investigation after Sir Robert's death in 1375 recognized Elizabeth as his rightful heir, the Erdingtons continued to delay the court proceedings. Eventually, this manor went to the Erdington family.

In 1382, after Lady Elizabeth Corbet (Sir Robert's widow) died, Ipstones started more legal actions to secure her jointure properties. These were lands she held for life. This included the manor of Bessford and smaller estates in Shawbury, Shropshire, and Bausley in Montgomeryshire. These actions were successful, and these properties were given to Elizabeth after John Ipstones died in 1394.

Other Land Claims

Ipstones also worked hard to gain more land at Tean and Hopton, which he claimed through his mother's family. However, another person, Maud Swynnerton, a young cousin, also claimed these lands. In 1381, Ipstones simply took control of the manors with the help of some friends. This dispute became even more difficult and lasted for a long time.

Political and Military Life

Serving in War and Gaining Influence

The remains of Stafford Castle, a large fortress built in the mid-1300s.

John of Gaunt having dinner with John I of Portugal during his expedition to Castile.

In 1373, soon after his marriage, Ipstones joined the group of followers of Hugh de Stafford, 2nd Earl of Stafford, a very powerful lord in the county. He received special permission to go with the earl on a trip to France. By 1376, he had been made a knight. However, he quickly caused trouble with the earl. In 1381, the earl sued him for various bad acts committed by Ipstones and his friends at one of the earl's properties.

On January 6, 1386, Ipstones was chosen, along with others, to help manage the money of Rocester Abbey, which was having financial problems. This appointment showed that he was gaining some political importance. When Ipstones traveled overseas again, it was with John of Gaunt, the king's uncle and a very important supporter. In March 1386, Ipstones received permission to go with Gaunt on his journey to try and win the Crown of Castile, a claim Gaunt made through his wife, Constance of Castile. The expedition began in July 1386 and involved two difficult and expensive campaigns. Ipstones must have served well, as Gaunt formally hired him in 1387 for £10 a year.

Gaunt then focused on Gascony and stayed there until 1389. Ipstones must have left Gaunt's service by late 1387, as he was granted a pardon on November 13 for killing Richard Thornbury, one of his own helpers. Gaunt was away from England during the big political events of 1386–88, but Ipstones was able to be involved.

The Merciless Parliament

In November 1386, a group of powerful lords, known as the Lords Appellant, took control of the government. Their goal was to remove the king's favorite advisors and stop peace talks with France. Ipstones soon took a position that was against both Gaunt and the king. He had a disagreement with Sir Walter Blount, who was a close representative of Gaunt in the region. Blount tried to arrest one of Ipstones' tenants, but the townspeople protected him. Ipstones and his armed men then attacked Sir Walter's home, forcing him to give up a legal document. This was a humiliation for Blount and an embarrassment for Gaunt.

Ipstones was elected as a Member of Parliament for Staffordshire in the parliament that met in February 1388. This parliament was called after the Lords Appellant defeated the king's supporters. Ipstones seemed to be a willing participant in the actions of this parliament, which was called the Merciless Parliament because many of the king's close associates were executed. The costs for the Staffordshire MPs, Ipstones and Roger Logridge, were £44 8s for the 111 days of parliament.

After attending parliament, Ipstones was suddenly trusted to help restore law and order in his area. In February 1388, he was part of a group assigned to bring to justice an armed group that was accused of planning an attack on John of Gaunt's officials. In April, Ipstones was asked to investigate a murder. In July, he was given a special commission to deal with serious disorder in Lichfield, where a bishop's court had been attacked.

One of the people sentenced to death by the Merciless Parliament was Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland, who had led the king's forces but escaped abroad. Ipstones was one of four people asked on July 16, 1389, to investigate de Vere's hidden goods and belongings in Shropshire and Staffordshire. The others were Philip Sir Okeover, John Wollaston, and John de Aston, who were all friends of Ipstones and had been involved in his past troubles. The aftermath of the Merciless Parliament was clearing, and the king's power began to grow again, especially with Gaunt back in England. Ipstones did not serve in parliament again until 1394. This time, his political life and his land disputes would tragically come together.

Dispute with the Swynnertons

A disagreement between Ipstones and the Swynnerton family had been ongoing. In 1381, Ipstones had taken control of Tean and Hopton, claiming them through his mother's family, and simply forced out Maud Swynnerton, a cousin. Maud was supported by her father-in-law, Sir Richard Peshale, who had a long-standing grievance against the Ipstones family.

Sir Richard started a legal case about the estates at Tean and Hopton. The case was heard in Stafford. Ipstones argued that Maud was not legitimate, meaning she was not born within a lawful marriage. Maud stated she was underage and that Ipstones had previously accepted a document that called her John Swynnerton's daughter, which meant he had recognized her legitimacy. After several delays, the court decided that the question of Maud's legitimacy needed to be settled by the church. However, Maud did not appear in court, and her case was dismissed.

Ipstones continued to hold the disputed estates. In 1386, Sir Richard offered him £1000 as part of an out-of-court agreement, but the money was not paid before Sir Richard died in 1388. Maud was now a widow. Ipstones, with the help of Sir Philip Okeover and other friends, gathered a group of armed men. In December, they took Maud from her home and forced her to marry William Ipstones, John's son. She was also made to formally give up her claim to the disputed lands. Ipstones also started legal action to take control of the Peshale estates until his money was paid.

The Swynnertons and Peshales sought justice. In June 1391, a special investigation was set up to look into their claims that Ipstones and his group had threatened Joan Peshale (Sir Richard's widow), attacked her servants, stolen property, and taken Maud and a maidservant. Ipstones and his friends were put on trial and held in Shrewsbury Castle. However, the jury found them not guilty, likely due to intimidation.

Because Ipstones had earlier claimed Maud was illegitimate, he got a special permission from the Pope for his son's marriage to Maud. This was needed because they were related, sharing a great-grandfather. The Pope's order allowed them to marry, declared their children legitimate, but stated that the one who outlived the other should not remarry.

Death

Ipstones was elected as an MP for Staffordshire in the parliament that met on January 27, 1394. In February, while traveling without weapons through London to a parliament session, Ipstones was murdered by Roger Swynnerton, a relative of Maud. The details are known from his murderer's pardon. Ipstones was staying at his own house in Walbrook. Roger Swynnerton and his servants attacked Ipstones and his servant in a lane near Charing Cross. It seems Ipstones tried to escape but was chased and killed.

The king's official was told to take control of Ipstones' estates on March 10. However, since Ipstones did not hold any lands directly from the king, the official was ordered to release his estates and any income to his son and heir, William Ipstones, as early as March 12.

As an MP attending Parliament, Ipstones was supposed to be under the king's protection. However, he had not gained much favor at court, and it seems his murderer had good connections with the king's supporters. Baldwin Raddington, a very influential official in the king's household, obtained a pardon for Swynnerton in June 1397. Raddington's actions likely showed how the court felt about Ipstones and also showed the limits of John of Gaunt's power to protect him.

Continuing Disputes

Ipstones left behind a difficult legacy of family disputes over property. These arguments seemed to wear out the families involved and led to the loss of some estates. In 1396, William Ipstones, acting for Maud, tried to gain land in Cheshire. The case was referred to Thomas de Mowbray, the Justice of Chester. The next year, William sued his mother for damaging his inherited lands at Hopton and Blymhill, where she held 20 houses and 200 acres. He claimed she had sold materials, cut down trees, and damaged tenants' homes.

When William died, Maud ignored the Pope's rule about not remarrying and married John Savage. Meanwhile, Elizabeth, John Ipstones' widow, had remarried into the Peshale family. The Hopton estate went to Maud and William's daughters, Christiana and Alice. Maud simply moved into the property when she couldn't get her daughters to rent it to her, until Elizabeth took it back. In July 1401, Maud and Savage started legal action against Elizabeth, and the court ordered her to return the estate to them. Two years later, however, Elizabeth sued them for unpaid rent. They had to agree to pay in exchange for an advance from Elizabeth. They also began to sell their share of lands in Corvedale.

However, the dispute started again with the next generation. In 1419, Alice and her husband, Ralph Brereton, sued Elizabeth for 21 years of unpaid rent. In 1423, they sued her for damaging their properties in Staffordshire. They seemed to have sold their lands in Corvedale, as those properties were held by other lords in 1428.

Marriage and Family

John Ipstones married Elizabeth Corbet, the daughter of Thomas Corbet and niece of Sir Roger Corbet, by Easter 1374. The Corbets were an important family from Shropshire known for their service in parliament. John and Elizabeth had one known son, William, who died a few years after his father. Elizabeth Corbet lived for several decades after John Ipstones' death.

See also

• Bastard feudalism
• Corbet family