Sir Richard Hankford (1397-1431) was an English landowner and soldier from

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

Origins

Born about 21 July 1397, he was the son of Richard Hankford (died 1419), MP for

in 1414 and 1416, and his wife Thomasine Stapledon (died before 1419), daughter and sole heiress of Sir Richard Stapledion, of

Norton Fitzwarren Norton Fitzwarren is a village, electoral ward, and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated north west of Taunton. The village has a population of 3,046. History The village is on the southern slope of Norton Camp, a large hillfort that s ...

and Nonnington in

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

Career

After the death of his father in 1419, he inherited his late mother's lands and in 1420 the lands brought to him by his wife, followed in 1424 by the lands of his paternal grandfather, Sir William Hankford (died 1423) KB, of Annery in Devon,

Chief Justice of the King's Bench The Lord or Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales is the head of the judiciary of England and Wales and the president of the courts of England and Wales. Until 2005 the lord chief justice was the second-most senior judge of the English a ...

. Further landholdings came in 1425, when he and his wife inherited the estates of her grandmother Elizabeth Cogan (died 1397) that had been held by her widower Sir Hugh Courtenay. He served with the English forces in France during the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...

in the retinue of his brother-in-law Thomas Montacute, 4th Earl of Salisbury and was knighted at

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

between 8 July and 6 October 1429. He died on 8 February 1431 aged 33, holding properties in

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, Devon,

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

(where he and his wife owned four retail shops in

Holborn Holborn ( or ), an area in central London, covers the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Camden and a part (St Andrew Holborn (parish), St Andrew Holborn Below the Bars) of the Wards of the City of London, Ward of Farringdon Without i ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...

, Somerset;

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

and

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

Family

At some time before 1420 he married Elizabeth FitzWarin (died before 16 January 1428), daughter of Fulk FitzWarin, 6th Baron FitzWarin (1389–1407) and sole heiress of her brother Fulk FitzWarin, 7th Baron FitzWarin (1406–1420). They had three daughters: *Thomasine Hankford (1423–1453), who inherited extensive lands from her mother and in 1437 married William Bourchier, 9th Baron FitzWarin (1407–1469). *Elizabeth Hankford (1424-1433), who died unmarried. *Joan Hankford, who died young before her father. Elizabeth had died by 16 January 1428 and he then married Anne Montagu (died 1457), daughter of the executed

John Montagu, 3rd Earl of Salisbury John Montagu, 3rd Earl of Salisbury and 5th and 2nd Baron Montagu, KG (c. 1350 – 7 January 1400) was an English nobleman, one of the few who remained loyal to Richard II after Henry IV became king. Early life He was the son of Sir John d ...

and sister of his patron, the 4th Earl. They had one daughter: * Anne Hankford (died 1485), who inherited Annery from her father. About 1445 she married

Thomas Butler, 7th Earl of Ormond Thomas Butler, 7th Earl of Ormond PC (1426 – 3 August 1515) was the youngest son of James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormond. He was attainted, but restored by Henry VII's first Parliament in November 1485, and the statutes made at Westminster, b ...

(died 1515). His widow Anne married again to Sir Lewis John (died 1442) and then to John Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter (died 1447). She was buried with her third husband in the church of St Katharine by the Tower in the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hankford, Richard02 People from Torridge District 1397 births 1431 deaths Medieval English knights