John Done

Lord of Utkinton

Events

Date of Birth: about 1384/5.

Place of Birth: unknown.

The Recognizance Rolls of Chester (RDKPR 1876 Appendix II, p. 212) record that John was 50 years old in 13 Henry 6.

Date of Death: shortly before 24 April 1441.

Place of Death: unknown.

The Recognizance Rolls of Chester (RDKPR 1876 Appendix II, p. 212), in recording the gaining of livery by his son, give the date of John's death as the Thursday after the Feast of St George the Martyr last past. This Thursday fell on 27 April 1441, which was the date of the record of livery, and thus presumably an error. The writ of "diem clausit extremum" was dated 24 April 1441. John’s inquisition post mortem was taken in 19 Henry 6 (Ormerod 2:248).

Relationships

Father: John Donne.

This relationship is given by Ormerod (2:248). It is recorded in the Recognizance Rolls of Chester (RDKPR 1876 Appendix II, p. 211).

Mother: Anne Heiton

This relationship is given by Ormerod (2:248).

Spouse: Elizabeth Dutton, married about 1410.

Ormerod/Helsby (1:649; 2:245, 2:248) state that she was Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter de Dutton, citing Leycester, who cites marriage covenants dated 16 November, 12 Henry 4 (lib. C, fol. 164, f., ex chartalis Duttonorum de Dutton). The 1580 Visitation of Cheshire (p. 85) gives this Elizabeth as marrying a Robert Done of Flaxyerds, but Leycester is quite explicit that she married "John Done, son and heir of John Done of Utkinton the elder."

Children:

(Complete source citations for facts about the children on this page are currently outside of the scope of this project. Most information below comes from Ormerod.)

Sir John Done (about 1420 - 1459).

Eleanor Done married Hugh Starkey of Oalton.

Mary Done married Sir Thomas de Manley.

Hugh Done of Oulton, married Anne, daughter of James, lord Audley. (Ormerod states that Hugh was the third son, but doesn’t give a second son.)

Evidence

From The Thirty-Sixth Annual Report of the Deputy Keeper of the Public Records, Appendix II (Recognizance Rolls of Chester), pp. 154-157:

1397, Oct. 9. John, grant to, of an annuity of 100s., the King having retained him in his service for life. [21 & 22 Ric. 2 m. 20 (16), (17); m. 22 d. (12), (13).]

1399, Aug. 23. John son John de, late in the retinue of the King, submits to the mercy of Henry Duke of Lancaster, steward of England, and Roger and John le Bruyn, John de Mascy, of Kelsale, and William de Overton are sureties in 40l. for him. [22 & 23 Ric. 2. m. 7 (6).]

From The Thirty-Seventh Annual Report of the Deputy Keeper of the Public Records, Appendix II (Recognizance Rolls of Chester), pp. 209-213:

Done-Donne-Dowene-Dun

1414, Oct. 11. John, of Utkynton, senior, Peter de Dutton, Kt., Hugh de Dutton, and William de Brerton, of Stapulford, to the King, recognizance in 40l. that the said John and John his son keep the peace towards William the son of William de Stanley, Kt. [2 & 3 Hen. 5. m. 2 (7).]

1415. Aug. 6. John son of John, of Utkinton, junior, protection to, on his going abroad in the retinue of the King. [2 & 3 Hen. 5. m. 6 d. (6).]

1416. Sept. 25. John, of Utkynton, senior and junior, to the King, recognizance in 40l. that ….Furnyvall keep the peace towards Edward de Wevere. [3 & 4 Hen. 5. m. 9 d. (8).]

1419. April 2. Richard, of Kelsale, John Donne, of Utkynton, senior, Thomas de Kelsale, John Donne, of Utkinton, junior, Henry Hicsone, of Utkynton, and William Barker, of Torpurley, to the King, recognizance in 17l. 18s. 9d. [6 & 7 Hen. 5. m. 5 d. (4).]

1427. May 2. John, of Utkynton, senior, Henry de Spurstowe, John Donne, junior, Richard de Prestelond, Hugh de Ravenescroft, Roger Coton, and William de Holford, to the King, recognizance for 1000 marks that William son of William de Venables, of Kinderton, abide the award of Peter de Dutton, Kt., Thomas le Grosvenor, Kt., Roger Venables, parson of Routhestorn, and John Donne, of Utkinton, touching all disputes pending between the said William and John de Kingesley, armiger. [5 & 6 Hen. 6. m. 3 d. (7).]

1434, Dec. 14. John, of Utkynton, junior, John de Dutton, of Dutton, Richard de Bunbury, Hugh Starky, and John Bruyn, of Tervyn, to William Troutbek, armiger, John Lane, and John de Frodesham, recognizance for 19l. [13 & 14 Hen. 6. m. 3 (3).]

1435, July 25. John son of John, writ of livery setting forth the finding of an inquisition, viz., that John Donne died seized:

in his desmesne, as of fee, of the manor of Utkynton, held of Hugh de Venables, Kynderton, and of the yearly value of 10 marks;
of two parts of the manor of Alpram, held of Adam de Bostok and Thomas son and heir of John de Manley, in socage, by the service of one rose yearly, as of the manor of Wetenhale;
- that a moiety of the aforesaid manor of Wetenhale was in the hands of the Earl of Chester on account of the minority of the the said Thomas son and heir of the aforesaid John de Manley, and that the two aforesaid parts of the manor of Alpram were of the yearly value of eight marks;
of a moiety of the manor of Clotton, held of the Earl of Chester by the service of a moiety of one knight’s fee, and of the yearly value of 8 marks;
of a 4th part of the manor of Kyngesley lying in the towns of Kyngesley, Norley, and Cudynton, together with the office of the bailiff of the forests of Mara and Mondreme to the same 4th part pertaining, which said 4th part was held of the Earl of Chester by the 4th part of one knight’s fee, and was of the yearly value of seven marks;
of 6 messuages, 4 tofts, and 100 acres of land in Newton, near Kyngesley, held of the Earl of Chester, by the 4th part of a knight’s fee, and of the yearly value of 20s.;
of 1 water-mill, 3 acres of land, and 2 acres of wood in Bradley, near Kyngesley, held of the Earl of Chester, as of his lordship of Frodesham, by suit at the court of Frodesham every three weeks, and of the yearly value of 20s.;
of 1 messuage and 30 acres of land in Torperley, held of Hugh le Venables, of Kynderton, and of the yearly value of 6s.;
of 1 messuage, 30 acres of land, and 3 acres of meadow in Berneton, held of Matthew de Legh, and of the yearly value of 10s.;
of 1 salt-pit in Northwich, held of John Earl of Huntingdon, of no value;
of 15 burgages and 15 augments in Frodesham, held of the Earl of Chester by burgage according to the custom of the town of Frodsham, of no value;
of 2 burgages in Frodesham, held of the prior of St. John of Jerusalem, in England, yearly value 6s., and of 30 acres of land in Frodsham, held of the Earl of Chester in socage, of no value;

that the aforesaid John Donne died on the Feast of the Translation of St. Thomas the Martyr “last past,” and that John Donne was his son and heir, and of fifty years of age and more. [13 & 14 Hen. 6. m. 8 d.]

1437-8, March 13. John, of Utkynton, senior, Thomas Venables, of Chester, and Richard de Bunbury, to William Troutbek, recognizance for 9l. 14s. 3 ½ d. [16 & 17 Hen. 6. m. 8 d. (5).]

1439-40, Jan. 6. John, of Utkynton, Robert Donne, John Maynwaryng, Kt., Thomas son of William Venables, of Kynderton, Robert de Bebynton, and Richard de Barwe, to John Earl of Huntyngdon, recognizance for 40l. [18 & 19 Hen. 6. m. 2 (8).]

1441, April 24. John, of Utkynton, writ “diem clausit extremum,” on the death of. [19 & 20 Hen. 6. m. 7 d. (1).]

Ormerod/Helsby (2:245) give this summary of the inquisition post mortem:

Inq. p. m. 19 Hen. VI. John Donne held in demesne,as of fee, the manor of Utkinton, from Hugh [le] Ven ables, baron of Kinderton, value x marks per annum ;two parts of the manor of Alpram, half the manor of Clotton; a fourth part of Kingsley fee; [the Bailiffship of the Forest to the same 4th part appertaining,] with lands in Newton [juxta Kyngesley,] Bradley, [Torpurley,] Barnton, Northwich, and Frodsham; [Ob. die Jovis px ante festum Sci Georgij Martiris ultimo.] John Done, son and heir, [etatis 21 annor' in festo Purificacois bē Mariē Virginis ultimo.]

References

Glover, Robert. The Visitation of Cheshire in the Year 1580 (John Paul Rylands, ed.) (The Harleian Society, London: 1882).

Ormerod, George; Peter Leycester; William Smith; William Webb; and Thomas Helsby. The history of the county palatine and city of Chester: compiled from original evidences in public offices, the Harleian and Cottonian mss., parochial registers, private muniments, unpublished ms. collections of successive Cheshire antiquaries, and a personal survey of every township in the county, incorporated with a republication of King's Vale royal and Leycester's Cheshire antiquities. (London: G. Routledge, 1882).

The Thirty-Sixth Annual Report of the Deputy Keeper of the Public Records. (London: 1875).

The Thirty-Seventh Annual Report of the Deputy Keeper of the Public Records. (London: 1876).