Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Illustrations
- Contributors
- Abbreviations
- Preface
- Michael Hicks: An Appreciation
- Disciplinary Ordinances for English Garrisons in Normandy in the Reign of Henry V
- Lords in a Landscape: the Berkeley Family and Northfield (Worcestershire)
- Hampshire and the Parish Tax of 1428
- The Livery Act of 1429
- An Indenture between Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury, and Sir Edmund Darell of Sessay, North Riding, 1435
- The Pursuit of Justice and Inheritance from Marcher Lordships to Parliament: the Implications of Margaret Malefaunt’s Abduction in Gower in 1438
- The Battles of Mortimer’s Cross and Second St. Albans: The Regional Dimension
- Widows and the Wars of the Roses: the Turbulent Marital History of Edward IV’s Putative Mistress, Margaret, daughter of Sir Lewis John of West Horndon, Essex
- Some Observations on the Household and Circle of Humphrey Stafford, Lord Stafford of Southwick and Earl of Devon: The Last Will of Roger Bekensawe
- The Treatment of Traitors’ Children and Edward IV’s Clemency in the 1460s
- Edward IV and Bury St. Edmunds’ Search for Self-Government
- The Exchequer Inquisitions Post Mortem
- Hams for Prayers: Regular Canons and their Lay Patrons in Medieval Catalonia
- Production, Specialisation and Consumption in Late Medieval Wessex
- A Butt of Wine and Two Barrels of Herring: Southampton’s Trading Links with Religious Institutions in Winchester and South Central England, 1430–1540
- Index
- The Published Works of Michael Hicks, 1977–2015
- Tabula Gratulatoria
- Contents of Previous Volumes
Edward IV and Bury St. Edmunds’ Search for Self-Government
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 May 2021
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Illustrations
- Contributors
- Abbreviations
- Preface
- Michael Hicks: An Appreciation
- Disciplinary Ordinances for English Garrisons in Normandy in the Reign of Henry V
- Lords in a Landscape: the Berkeley Family and Northfield (Worcestershire)
- Hampshire and the Parish Tax of 1428
- The Livery Act of 1429
- An Indenture between Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury, and Sir Edmund Darell of Sessay, North Riding, 1435
- The Pursuit of Justice and Inheritance from Marcher Lordships to Parliament: the Implications of Margaret Malefaunt’s Abduction in Gower in 1438
- The Battles of Mortimer’s Cross and Second St. Albans: The Regional Dimension
- Widows and the Wars of the Roses: the Turbulent Marital History of Edward IV’s Putative Mistress, Margaret, daughter of Sir Lewis John of West Horndon, Essex
- Some Observations on the Household and Circle of Humphrey Stafford, Lord Stafford of Southwick and Earl of Devon: The Last Will of Roger Bekensawe
- The Treatment of Traitors’ Children and Edward IV’s Clemency in the 1460s
- Edward IV and Bury St. Edmunds’ Search for Self-Government
- The Exchequer Inquisitions Post Mortem
- Hams for Prayers: Regular Canons and their Lay Patrons in Medieval Catalonia
- Production, Specialisation and Consumption in Late Medieval Wessex
- A Butt of Wine and Two Barrels of Herring: Southampton’s Trading Links with Religious Institutions in Winchester and South Central England, 1430–1540
- Index
- The Published Works of Michael Hicks, 1977–2015
- Tabula Gratulatoria
- Contents of Previous Volumes
Summary
On 29 March 1461 men of Bury St. Edmunds fought at the battle of Towton for Edward IV, their banner flying alongside that of London, the white castle of Norwich, the harrow of Canterbury, the white ship of Bristol, the black ram of Coventry, the leopard of Salisbury, the wolf of Worcester, the dragon of Gloucester, the griffon of Leicester, the George of Nottingham, the boar's head of Windsor, and the wild rat of Northampton. This was certainly a key moment of Bury's support for the house of York, orchestrated by Alderman John Smith – Bury had an alderman rather than a mayor. Though support for the king was mandatory when called for, the articulate leading burgesses, such as Smith, had organised their force under the captaincy of William Aleyn, one of their number, and it is probable they hoped that eventually they would receive some tangible reward. This paper discusses the relations of Bury with Edward IV, in which the crucial role was played by John Smith, who earned the title of ‘especiall lover and preferrer off the politik and comen well’ of his town. The chief aim of Smith and his fellows was to throw off the control of the abbey of Bury St. Edmunds, and for this the support of the king was essential. The Yorkist period was propitious for this campaign: both the kings and their lawyers favoured incorporating towns already responsibly ruling themselves by prescription. During his reign, Edward regularly showed he was willing to listen to requests from towns owned by clerics: Peterborough, Salisbury and Reading were all accorded his attention and favour in varying degrees, and are essential comparisons to augment and illuminate the under-documented struggle of Bury.
Edward IV, his Lordship of Clare and the Men of Bury St. Edmunds
Edward IV came to the throne in 1461 with popular support. For ten years before he did so there had been debate in England on how to cope with a king, Henry VI, who failed to direct government for the benefit of his people and allowed his household servants, gentry and nobles, to usurp his functions for their private gain.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Fifteenth Century XIVEssays Presented to Michael Hicks, pp. 143 - 160Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2015