John Pygot

Events 

Date of Birth: about 1354.

Place of Birth: unknown.

John was aged 22 at his father’s inquisition post mortem in 1376 (Earwaker 2:255).

Date of Death: 1427.

Place of Death: unknown.

The writ of “diem clausit extremum” is dated 4 November 1427.

Relationships

Father: William Pigott.

John is named as son and heir in William’s inquisition post mortem.

Mother: unknown.

Spouse: unknown.

Spouse: Agnes de Wettenhall. Married about 1394.

This relationship is given by Earwaker (2:255). Agnes died in 1417.

Children (by his first wife): 

(Complete source citations for facts about the children on this page are currently outside of the scope of this project.)

William Pigott (died before 1427) married Matilda.

John Pigott (born about 1382 - died before 20 January 1457/8) married Joan. John had a son John who seems to have died shortly after his father.

Richard Pigott (died 3 May 1439) married Joyce Peshale.

Nicholas Piggot. 

Evidence

from the Cheshire Archives catalogue:

9 June 1394    [ZCR 63/2/59]

Final concord, John de Wodehous, parson of Swettenham v. John Pygot of Butley and wife Agnes, relating to lands in Austerson, Batherton and Alvaston

from the Recognizance Rolls of Chester (appendices to the 36th and 37th reports of the Deputy Keeper of Public Records):

There were many commissions of John Pigott as a justice between 1385/6 and 1416.

18 April 1382 John [Savage], and Margaret his wife, writ “ad quod damnum” to John de Scolehall, escheator of Chester, to inquire if it was to the damage of the King that the said John and Margaret should enfeoff John Morcell, chaplain, of a moiety of the manor of Chedle, and that the same chaplain so enfeoffed should re-enfeoff the said John and Margaret of the same for life, with remainder to John their son and the aforesaid Margaret, and, them failing, to John Pygot, of Buttelegh, and the heirs male of his body, and, them failing, to John de Mascy, of Podyngton, Kt., and the heirs male of his body, and, them failing, to the right heirs of the said Margaret.

17 July 1386 Thomas Fyton, of Gouselworth, and John Pygot are assigned by the said vice-justice and chamberlain to deliver the aforesaid offices to Robert de Legh, Kt., the attorney of the said Earl [of Stafford].

29 September 1394  John son of John [Tuchet], licence, by the King, to John Pygot, William de Dutton, clerk, and Thomas de Thyknes, to act as attornies of the said John, who was about to depart for Aquitaine in the train of John Duke of Aquitaine and Lancaster.

24 September 1406 Macclesfield Forest, writ of Henry Prince of Wales, to Robert de Legh, Kt., deputy steward of the manor of Macclesfield, and John Pygot, serjeant-at-law, to elect in the next full hundred of the eyre at Macclesfield so many regarders and foresters as were wanting in the said forest.

26 May, 9 June 1406 John son of Thomas de Arden, Kt., license to, to grant the manors of Aldeforde and Nether-Alderdeleghe, with the advowsons of the churches there, to John Pygot [and 22 others], to have and to hold to them and their heirs, with power to re-enfeoff the said John de Ardene and Margaret his wife, and the heirs of their bodies, with remainder to the right heirs of the said John.

5 September 1409 John Pigott appeared in connection with a recognizance by John de Eulowe to Henry Prince of Wales.

Commissions of John Pigott junior as a justice:

5 April 1416  

5 April 1417  Agnes who was the wife of John [Pigott], writ “diem clausit extremum” on the death of.

13 April 1417 John de [Bromley], livery of lands to, reciting an inquisition taken before Henry de Ravenscroft, escheator of Chester, finding that Agnes, who was the wife of John Pygot, died seized in her demesne, as of fee, of the manor of Cholmuston, in the forest of Mondrem, held of the Earl of Chester, in capite, by knight’s service; also of 10 acres of land, with appurtenances, in Leghton, held of Thomas de Fouleshurst, of Crue, in socage; that the said Agnes died on the Wednesday next before Palm Sunday “last” past, and that John Bromley was her kinsman and next heir; to wit, son of Agnes daughter of Letitia, sister of the said Agnes, late wife of John Pygot; and of the age of 28 on the Feast of the Nativity last past.

7 October 1423 John [Pigott] releases all his claim to the manors of Aldford and Nether-Alderley.

4 November 1427 John [Pigott], writ “diem clausit extremum” on the death of.

15 January 1427/8

[Pigot]  John son of John, livery to, setting forth inquisition p.m., viz., that John Pygot, senior, died seized, in fee-tail, of the manor of Buttylegh; of 1 messuage and 10 acres of land called “le Shagh” in Buttylegh; of 1 field of 10 acres called “Roley” in Butley; and of an annual rent of 9s. 4d. arising out of land in Oulde, Foxwist, and Neuton in Butley, of the gift of John Duncalf, perpetual vicar of the church of Prestbury, and Richard de Prestbury, chaplain; that the said manor, &c. were held of Katharine Queen of England, as tenant in dower of the manor of Macclesfield, by the 20th part of one knight’s fee, for all service (Thomas Dispensator, who formerly held them immediately, by the same service, of the King’s progenitors, Earl of Chester, as of their manor of Macclesfield, died without heirs, so the service for the said manor fell to the King); of 1 messuage and 10 acres of land in Dokenfeld, called “Rasseboutham,” held of Robert Dokenfeld, in socage, as of the manor of Dokenfeld; of 1 burgage and the service of 12d. yearly; also in his desmesne, as of fee, of 1 messuage and 3 acres of land in Smethwick, held of Thomas de Smethwik in socage, at an annual rent of 10s.; of a field called “Hewbirches,” which belonged to the abbey of Chester, as parcel of the town of Presbury; also in his demesne, as of fee-tail, of a moiety of the manor of Alstanston, and a 4th part of the manor of Alvandeston, with appurtenances by the name of 10 messuages, 100 acres of land, 12 acres of meadow, 20 acres of wood, 20 acres of pasture, and a 4th part of 1 water-mill, in Alstanston, Bertherton, and Alvandeston, because John de Wodehous, parson of the church of Swetenham, being seized in his desmesne, as of fee-simple, of a moiety of the manor of Alstanston and a 4th part of the manor of Alvandeston, by his charter gave the same, by the name of 10 messuages, 100 acres of land, 12 acres of meadow, 20 acres of wood, 20 acres of pasture and a 4th part of one water-mill in Alstanston, Bertherton, and Alvandeston to John Pygot, of Buttylegh, and Agnes his wife, and the heirs of their bodies, and them failing with remainder to William son of the aforesaid John Pygot and the heirs of his body, and them failing to John son of the aforesaid John Pygot brother of the aforesaid William and the heirs of his body; that the said Agnes died without issue during the lifetime of John, her husband; that the said William died without issue during the life of John his father, and that so the said manors and lands remained to John son of the aforesaid John Pygot and brother of the aforesaid William and the heirs of his body; that the aforesaid moiety of the manor of Alastanston, was held of William de Bromley as of his manor of Badynton, in socage, the aforesaid 4th part of the manor of Alvandeston, of the aforesaid William de Bromley, and the aforesaid 4th part of the mill, of the Earl of Chester, by fealty only [6 & 7 He. 6 m. 1 d. (4)]

20 January 1457/8  John [Mainwaring], Kt., John Bromley, Kt., John Savage, senior, John Delves, John Wareyn, John Savage, junior, Randal Mainwaryng, John Davenport, Thomas Fyton, Hugh de Eggerton, Robert Fouleshurst, John de Dutton, Thomas Danyell, of Tabley, Peter de Werberton, William de Brereton, Richard Spurstowe, Peter de Mynshull, John Leg, Thomas Swetenham, and Thomas Kyncy, commission of, for the arrest of Robert de Bradburn, “late” of Adlyngton, John Willesson, Thomas Sydall, Robert Sydall, Robert Sherde, Nicholas Rossyndale, John Pygot, Edward Holes, Robert Roket, Nicholas Bridde, clerk, and Thomas Clay, for using threatening language to Joan who was the wife of John Pygot.

3 April 1459  John [Pigot], “mandamus” to the escheator of Chester, to inquire of what lands, &c. the said John died seized.

23 May 1459   John [Pigot] son of Richard, Thomas Glegge, John Tildesley, William Whitmore, and Henry Litherlonde, to Joan, who was the wife of John Pygot, and John Wareyn, recognizance for 105 marks.

16 October 1461  John [Pigot], of Butteley, armiger, writ “mandamus” to inquire of what lands, &c. the said John died seized.

John’s son John is aged 49 in a 1431 proof of age for Robert de Legh of Adlington (Ormerod 3:657). 

Commentary

There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding John’s family in secondary sources, with many suggesting that the John Pigott who is recorded as holding Butley in a 1513 inquisition post mortem is the grandson of the John of this page, the son of his son John. I think that the John of the 1513 inquisition was indeed this John’s grandson, but was son of Richard rather than John. Richard married Joyce Peshale, who brought him Chetwynd with her marriage, and his descendants are usually described as “of Chetwynd”. John Pigott of Chetwynd, the son of Richard, ended up with the manor of Butley (see his page). What seems to have happened, judging from the evidence above, is that John, the son of the John Pigott of this page, died before 20 January 1457/8. His son died not long after. Then John Pigott of Chetwynd, the son of Richard, inherited Butley. Perhaps the latter John’s conflict with Joan, the widow of his uncle, was connected to this.

References

Earwaker, J.P. East Cheshire Past and Present. (1880).

Fletcher, Rev. W.G.D. “The Sequestration Papers of Thomas Pigott of Chetwynd” in Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Natural History Society (Series 3, Volume 6; 1906).

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).

Renaud, Frank.  “Early History of Prestbury Parish Church and Manor, Cheshire” in Transactions of the Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society. v. 13 (1895).