Matthew Swettenham (died 29 December 1416) was Henry IV's

bowbearer In Old English law, a Bowbearer was an under-officer of the forest who looked after all manner of trespass on vert or venison, and who attached, or caused to be attached, the offenders, in the feudal Court of Attachment. The bow was a renowned En ...

. He is commemorated by a brass effigy at St. Mary's Church in

Blakesley Blakesley is a village in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England. It is about west of Towcester. It is about above sea level according to Ordnance Survey. North-west of Blakesley, and now contiguous wit ...

Life

Mathew Swetenham first appears in the historical records when

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward, Prince of Wales (later known as the Black Prince), and Joan, Countess of Kent. R ...

'granted him 6 pence a day being retained as Saggitarius dei Corona (Archer of the Crown)'. In 1390, he was appointed Yeoman of the Chamber. After Richard II was deposed in 1399, Swetenham transferred his allegiance to Henry IV who granted him £30 per year from properties in

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...

. In 1405, he was made Yeoman of the King's Chamber, armour bearer and

High Sheriff of Northamptonshire This is a list of the High Sheriffs of Northamptonshire. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the respon ...

. Following Henry IV's death in 1413, Swetenham continued to serve under

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1216–1281 ...

. The Swettenham's country house was Somerford Booths Hall. Mathew Swetenham was an ancestor of the British colonial administrator Sir

Frank Swettenham Sir Frank Athelstane Swettenham (28 March 1850 – 11 June 1946) was a British colonial administrator who became the first Resident general of the Federated Malay States, which brought the Malay states of Selangor, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swetenham, Matthew Date of birth unknown 1416 deaths Northamptonshire Yeomanry officers