1433 January 23. Westminster. "John Penne of London, 'mercer,' for not appearing before the same to answer John Greneford touching a plea of trespass. Kent." [1]
1435-1436 "County: Hertfordshire. Place: Westminster. Date: Two weeks from St Martin, 14 Henry VI [25 November 1435]. And afterwards one week from St Hilary in the same year [20 January 1436]. Parties: John Penne, citizen and mercer of London', querent, and William Frekys and Alice, his wife, deforciants. Property: A moiety of 1 messuage and of 12 acres of land in Aldenham. Action: Plea of covenant. Agreement: William and Alice have acknowledged the moiety to be the right of John, as that which he has of their gift, and have remised and quitclaimed it from themselves and the heirs of Alice to him and his heirs for ever. Warranty: Warranty. For this: John has given them 20 marks of silver." [2]
1449 "County: Hertfordshire. Place: Westminster. Date: Three weeks from Easter, 27 Henry VI [4 May 1449]. Parties: John Penne, citizen and mercer of London', Robert Baron', John Lok', William Gronde and John Reyner, querents, and Richard Calcote and Ellen, his wife, deforciants. Property: 36 acres of land in Aldenham. Action: Plea of covenant. Agreement: Richard and Ellen have acknowledged the land to be the right of John Penne, as that which the same John, Robert, John Lok', William and John Reyner have of their gift, and have remised and quitclaimed it from themselves and the heirs of Ellen to John, Robert, John, William and John and the heirs of John Penne for ever. Warranty: Warranty against John, abbot of St Albans, and his successors. For this: John, Robert, John, William and John have given them 100 shillings of silver." [3]
1450 John Penne named his wife Alice in his 1450 will.
1472 By 8 July Alice had married John Brayne. "County: Hertfordshire, Pace: Westminster, Date: Two weeks from St John the Baptist, 12 Edward IV [8 July 1472]. Parties: Ralph Penne, son and heir of John Penne, late citizen and mercer of London', querent, and William Brayne and Alice, his wife, and John Thrale and Agnes, his wife, daughter and heir of John Hale, late of Aldenham, deforciants. Property: The manor of Pycotis in Aldenham and 1 toft, 60 acres of land, 6 acres of meadow, 8 acres of wood and 16 shillings of rent in Aldenham. Action: Plea of covenant. Agreement: William and Alice and John and Agnes have acknowledged the manor and tenements to be the right of Ralph, as those which he has of their gift, and have remised and quitclaimed them from themselves and the heirs of Agnes to him and his heirs for ever. Warranty: Warranty by John and Agnes for themselves and the heirs of Agnes, against Thomas, abbot of St Peter, Westminster, and his successors. For this: Ralph has granted to William and Alice the manor and tenements and has rendered them to them in the court, to hold to William and Alice, of Ralph and his heirs for the life of Alice, rendering yearly 1 rose at the feast of the Nativity of St John the Baptist, and doing to the chief lords all other services. And after the decease of Alice the manor and tenements shall revert to Ralph and his heirs, quit of the heirs of Alice, to hold of the chief lords for ever. [4]
1475/76 On 10 February, Alice was called Alice Penne, widow of John Penne, suggesting that her husband John Brayne had died by that date. [5]
Alice Penne, widow of John Penne, 'corser' of London, to William Warde chaplain, John Basse sherman, and Nicholas Rotherey fuller, each of London, their executors and assigns. Gift of all her goods and chattels in the city of London and elsewhere within the realm. Dated 10 February, 15 Edward IV.
Memorandum of acknowledgment, 12 February.
1475 Alice Brayne was named in an early will of her son Ralph Penn, dated 16 April 1475. [6]
April 16.
Will of Ralph Penne, gentleman of Aldenham co. Hertford, enjoining that his feoffees shall stand enfeoffed in all lands and tenements, rents, reversions and services in that county to make estate of the same to him of his inheritance of Alice Brayne his mother; i.e. the manors of Pennys and Pygotts: two gardens in Tytestrete, Bocattes Mede, the Great Whittes, Ilsow, Power in the Wyse, Kyngescroftes, Newhall, Eydones, Wassys, Willes Gilles, Magottes Mede and Tytemede, to perform his said will: to set in repair the lands called 'Sperlynge': to mortise a chantry to pray for his soul etc. in the parish church of Aldenham, with eleven marks for an obit, bread and wine; or if this shall not suffice, to sell the wood. And Eydons and Newhall shall pertain to the chantry, value ten marks. And John Boteler and Thomas Leventhorpe shall hold the remainder of the lands and keep Saunder his son till he come of age and then they shall make him a lawful estate of the same; with remainder if he die without issue after deduction of a gift of ten marks a year to them, to Alice Taverner and her heirs who shall bear the name of Penne, with remainder of the ten marks, after the deaths of John Boteler and Thomas Leventhorpe, who with John Nele and John Warner shall be his executors; and William Swanwyke his attorney shall pay his debts; and the overseers of his testament shall be Thomas Gilbert doctor of divinity and vicar of Aldenham, Sir John Verney, William Brayne and Nicholas Leventhorpe gentlemen: and all the deeds and evidences concerning the said lords shall be delivered to his executors. In witness whereof he has set his seal. Dated year and day aforesaid. English.
Memorandum of acknowledgment, 18 July.
1480-1483 Alice was the wife of John Newbury, in a Chancery pleading. "Ralph, son and heir of John Penne. v. John Newbury and Alice, his wife, complainant's mother.: Tenement in Aldenham; land in London and at Lambeth.: Hertford, London, Surrey." In first two and the fourth of these documents she is explicitly mother of Ralph Penn. [7]
[1] Calendar of the Patent Rolls, Henry VI, Vol. 2, 1429-1436 (London: HMSO, 1907), 232, [GoogleBooks], [HathiTrust].
[2] Feet of Fines, Online Abstracts, CP 25/1/91/113, number 82, [Medieval_Genealogy].
[3] Feet of Fines, Online Abstracts, CP 25/1/91/115, number 148, [Medieval_Genealogy].
[4] Feet of Fines, Online Abstracts, CP 25/1/91/119, number 33, [Medieval_Genealogy].
[5] Calendar of the Close Rolls, Edward IV, Vol. 2, 1468-1476 (London: HMSO, 1953), 430, [BritishHistoryOnline].
[6] Calendar of the Close Rolls, Edward IV, Vol. 2, 1468-1476 (London: HMSO, 1953), 419, [BritishHistoryOnline].
[7] The National Archives of the United Kingdom Catalog, C 1/62/430, [UKNationalArchives].