The Chancery Case between Nicholas Radford and Thomas Tremayne: the Exeter Depositions of 1439
Hannes Kleineke
The documents in this volume result from a dispute in the Westminster court of Chancery between two members of the Tremayne family of Collacombe over the Devon manor of North Huish, At their core is a collection of some eighty-five witness statements, providing evidence as to the whereabouts of the well-known lawyer Nicholas Radford on two days in 1438 and 1439. The witnesses range across the social spectrum from the head of county society, Thomas Courtenay, earl of Devon, to local labourers and 'sack-carriers', including both laity and clergy. In corroborating their evidence, the witnesses provide a unique insight intro aspects of their daily lives, and, by extension, into the daily life of Exeter and its hinterland in the first half of the fifteenth century. Biographical details of the individuals mentioned in the text are provided in an appendix.
Hannes Kleineke is a Senior Research Fellow at the History of Parliament. He has written extensively on the political and parliamentary history of fifteenth-century England, with a particular reference to the counties of Devon and Cornwall.
The cover illustration is a detail from Hooker’s map of Exeter in ECA, Book 53, which shows Cathedral Yard, and is reproduced by kind permission of Exeter City Council.
Published by the Devon and Cornwall Record Society, 7 Cathedral Close, Exeter, EX1 1EZ, United Kingdom.
ISBN 978-0-901853-55-4
Return to Publications page
promoting the study of history in the South West of England through publishing and transcribing original records
