Richard Pigott

Richard was a justice for the three hundreds of the Eyre of Macclesfield in Cheshire several times between 1423 and 1436. 

Events

Date of Birth: unknown.

Place of Birth: unknown.

Date of Death: 3 May 1439.

Place of Death: unknown.

The date is given by Earwaker (2:255 n).

Relationships

Father: John Pigott.

See the Commentary section. 

Mother: unknown.

Spouse: Joyce Peshale.

This relationship is given by Ormerod and by Fletcher. Earwaker notes that Richard’s wife was named Jocosa, apparently in the IPM.

Children:

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

John Pigott (born about 1436 - died 29 January 1512/3) married Ellen de Legh.

Evidence

from the Recognizance Rolls of Chester (appendix to the 37th report of the Deputy Keeper of Public Records, p. 588):

1423  Richard [Pigot], commission of, as a justice;

1426  Richard [Pigot], a like commission; 

1428-33  Richard [Pigot], commission of, as a justice;

12 January 1434/5  Richard [Pigot], John de Caryngton, Kt., Robert de Dokenfeld, John Pygot, and Richard de Radclyf, clerk, to the King, recognizance for 100l. that the said Richard Pygot keep the peace towards Hamo le Mascy, of Rixton.

1434-5  Richard [Pigot], commission of, as a justice;

1436/7  Richard [Pigot], commission of, as a justice;

23 March 1440/1  Richard [Pigot] writ “mandamus” to inquire of what possessions the said Richard died seized.

A deed dated 11 Hen. VI (Ormerod 3:775): Richard Scarret of Pott, after reciting that John Hurle, chaplain, and Ric. Pygott, armig’, gave to him a messuage, with an orchard, &c. called le Halle of Pott for his life, with remainder to the said Ric. Pygott, in fee, regrants all his right therein to the said Ric. Pygott for ever. [Original in the possession of a lady in Macclesfield, in 1875 - Helsby] 

An indenture kept at the University of Manchester Library:

TW/783 Indenture, John Pygot of Butley, 31 Jan 1445

Indenture made between Robert Legh of Adlyngton and John Pygot of Butley which witnesses that John grants that he shall take estate by deed or release of Laurence Fyton knight and others of all the lands and tenements in the county of Chester of which they were enfeoffed by John, to have and to hold to John and his heirs, and for default of heirs, the remainder to John Pygot, son and heir of Richard Pygot; and after he has taken estate, he shall not make any further enfeoffment etc. of any part or parcel of the estate, provided that after his death, Laurence and others shall make estate to Janet wife of John to the yearly value of 14s, the remainder to John Pygot the elder and his heirs, and in default of heirs, to John Pygot, son and heir of Richard Pygot; except it shall be lawful to make estate to John Pygot, son and heir of Richard Pygot, and Elyn his wife, of certain lands to the value of 24s, at the will of John Pygot the elder. Dated the last day of January in the twenty third year of the reign of King Henry VI [31 January 1445].

Footnote: And this will is that if John Pygot the elder and John Pygot, son and heir of Richard Pygot, are both without male heirs, the land and tenements shall remain to Nicholas Pygot brother to John Pygot the elder, following the will of John Pygot, father to John Pygot the elder, as appears in a deed made by John Pygot the father.

[I am copying this description of the indenture from a response at a blog. The catalogue description seems only to be a title.] 

from the Cheshire Archives catalogue:

22 Aug 1498    ZCHDM/41

Deposition by Richard Clerk, aged 85 and more, before William Parsons,Mayor of Macclesfield and John Parsons [Rural] Dean of the same, and Richard Smyth Vicar of Prestbury: he declared that when he was 16 years old and more, he gathered the tithe corn to the church [ ] from certain lands lying on the west side of the township of Newton, from the water of [ ] end of the said lands following the old way which comes form the hegh in Wilmslow parish [ ] Wideford to a house sometime called the Goldsmith House at the north end of the said lands [ ] from Handforth to Newton Heath; which tithe he gathered within Newton [ ] in the days of Richard Pigot as in the days of Robyn Legh of Adlington son of Rob[ ] of the said Church, until the marriage of [ ] daughter of Sir John(?) Bothe of Bolyn [Bollin]. As the seal of "the said Richard is unknowen" the said Mayor and Dean have set their official seals. Tag, seals missing. Parts of the document are missing. 

Commentary

A number of pieces of evidence show that Richard was a son of John Pigott of Butley:

1. According to Fletcher (p. 70), “The third son, Richard Pygot, occurs with his brother John Pigot of Butley, and Sir John le Grosvenor, as party to a suit brought by William de Bromley, lord of Badington, in 1429. (Plea Rolls, 8 Henry VI).” I have not seen the original, but if Richard is explicitly named as the brother of John Pigott of Butley, this is strong evidence.

2. The manor of Butley passed to the Chetwynd Pigotts:

   1. The manor of Butley is mentioned in the 1512/13 inquisition post mortem of Richard’s son John.

   2. The manor of Butley is mentioned in the 1536 inquisition post mortem of Richard’s grandson Robert.

3. Other land held by John turns up in connection with Richard or his heirs:

   1. John held a messuage in Dukinfield in his 1427 ipm. Richard’s grandson Robert Pygott of Chetwynd was involved in a 1515 case involving a messuge in Dukinfield.

   2. The Butley Pigots held land in Smethwick. Robert Pygott of Chetwynd was involved in a 1518 case involving a messuge and land in Smethwick.

   3. The deposition by Richard Clerk above shows that Richard Pigot held land in Newton. Land in Newton is mentioned in the 1427 inquisition. 

   4. Richard Pygot held land in Prestbury in 1430 (Ormerod 3:750). 

4. Renaud (1895, p. 12) refers to a 1418 indenture concerning the Butley Pigotts and the rents and profits of the manor and church of Prestbury: “The indenture is drawn between the abbot on the one part and John Pigot and the chaplain and Richard Pigot on the other, Richard being designated son of John Pigot, a genealogical fact hitherto left doubtful in the descent of this family.”

5. The 1445 indenture above shows clearly that Richard was a brother of “John Pygot the elder”, whose father was also named John Pygot. 

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).