Family and Education

Offices Held

Bailiff, Bedford 1408; mayor 1414-15, 1416-17.1

Biography

Kent’s name first appears on the Bedford burgess roll of 1399; and in the following year (as ‘of Bedfordshire’) he offered sureties to the sheriff for a prisoner in the town gaol. Although he evidently sat only once in the House of Commons, Kent attested the indentures for the borough elections to the Parliaments of May 1413, November 1414 (as mayor), May and December 1421, 1425, 1426, 1427, 1429, 1433 and 1435. In July 1413 he acquired a bakery in Bedford, but he is nowhere described as having been a victualler of any kind. He may, however, be the John Kent who, in April 1430, became a feoffee for life of the manor of Cardington and the advowson of a third part of Houghton Conquest church for Sir Baldwin Pigot*. Four years later a man of the same name obtained a quitclaim from Thomas Browning of Astwick, Bedfordshire, of all the property belonging to the latter’s father in the same county.2

Ref Volumes: 1386-1421

Author: C.R.

Notes

• 1. Beds. RO, DDW 18, DDTW 11/254, 374. Kent should not be confused with a royal servant of the same name, who in 1409 shared in the fines due to the King for the escape of prisoners from Bedford gaol, and five years later obtained a pension chargeable to the issues of Beds. and Bucks., in consideration of his loyal service. Despite these strong local connexions, it is clear from the letters patent confirming the pension in 1444 that most of the recipient’s early life had been spent in France, although he may well have been related to the subject of this biography (CPR, 1408-13, p. 96; 1413-16, p. 235; 1441-6, p. 286; see also SC8/55/2701).
• 2. CCR, 1399-1402, p. 285; C219/11/1, 4, 12/5, 6, 13/3-5, 14/1, 4, 5; Bedford Town Hall, DDX 67/55; CPR, 1429-36, p. 58; CCR, 1429-36, p. 308.