Draft:James Berners
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Sir James Berners (8 March 1361 – 12 May 1388) was an English politician, courtier, and companion of Richard II of England. He sat as MP for Surrey in 1386.[1]
He was knighted by October 1381 and was executed in 1388 by the Lords Appellant who moved against Richard II's favourites during the Merciless Parliament.[1]
Biography
[edit]Early life
[edit]James Berners was born in West Horsley, Surrey on 8 March 1361 to Sir John Berners by his wife Katherine St. Omer. His father died when he was five months old making him subject to wardship. Between November and December 1375, Edward III granted Berner's wardship and marriage to Edward the Black Prince. Some properties of the Berners family were confiscated after inquiries into the family estates.[1]
In 1376, following the Black Prince's death he became a royal ward which would bring him into close contact with the future king Richard II. In July 1380, he served in Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester's expedition to Brittany. By October 1381, he had been knighted despite being under age, he was also serving as royal commissioner and justice of the peace for Surrey.[1]
Adulthood
[edit]In May 1382, he obtained possession (seisin) of his inheritance, which produced an estimated annual income of at least £153 and included substantial estates in Surrey, Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex. On 18 October 1382, he received permission to hunt in the royal forests, by which point he was a knight of Richard II's chamber.[1]
In early summer 1383, while accompanying Richard II and Queen Anne on a pilgrimage to Walsingham, Berners was reportedly struck by lightning at Ely which left him temporarily blind and mentally disturbed. According to a contemporary chronicler, he recovered after prayers at the shrine of Saint Etheldreda. Later in 1383, he served in Scotland with John of Gaunt. In October 1383, he was first elected MP for Surrey but Richard II exempted him from parliamentary service as he wanted him at court.[1]
In 1384, he became a trustee (feoffee-to-uses) of property at Bagby in Yorkshire. In May 1385, using his court influence he helped his cousin Emma atte Mersshe enter St Mary's convent in Winchester. In summer 1385, he participated in Richard II's campaign in Scotland. In October 1385, he received confirmation of a highly valuable royal grant of £100 per year from the estates of Wilmington Priory in Sussex. From 1385 till 1386, he continued benefitting from the royal patronage, including wardships while intervening successfully to obtain pardons for various individuals. In June 1386, he again used his influence to secure a royal pardon for a convicted felon.[1]
In autumn 1386, he purchased land and rents at King's Walden, Hertfordshire worth £4 10s. 8d. annually. In 1386, he was again elected MP for Surrey and this time he actually served. He effectively represented Richard II's interests during the hostile Wonderful Parliament.[1]
Death
[edit]On 4 January 1388, during the political triumph of the Lords Appellant, Berners was arrested and imprisoned at Bristol Castle and was later transferred to the Tower of London. On 12 March 1388, he was removed from the Tower with three other royal household knights to face impeachment before Parliament. He was accused of exploiting the young king and helping alienate him from his councillors. On 12 May 1388, Berners was convicted of exploiting Richard II's youth and sentenced to death. Berners was beheaded shortly thereafter at the age of 27.[1][2]
From 1388 onward, most of his estates were confiscated by the Crown. His widow, Anne, was nevertheless allowed by Richard II to continue occupying West Horsley. In November 1389 and June 1392, Anne received permission to farm additional portions of her late husband's estates. In January 1398, under Richard II, Berner's attainder was reversed by the Shrewsbury Parliament allowing his trustees to recover his son's inheritance.[1]
In 1399, after taking the throne, Henry IV confirmed Berner's son, Richard Berners as the eventual heir to West Horsley. But after 1399, he revived Sir James' attainder, damaging the family inheritance. In 1403, Anne Berners died and Richard Berners inherited what remained of his father's estates.[1]
Family
[edit]He was the second son and heir of Sir John Berners by his wife Katherine St. Omer. He married Anne (died Easter 1403), the daughter of John Barew and they had three sons. He is also said to be the father of writer Juliana Berners but this is doubtful.[3][4] Following his death in 1388 and sometime before November 1399, Anne remarried John Bryan.[1]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 C. R. "BERNERS, Sir James (1361-88), of Berners Hall, Essex and West Horsley, Surr". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 5 October 2026.
- ↑ Edward Wedlake Brayley; John Britton; Edward William Brayley; Gideon Algernon Mantell (1842). A Topographical History of Surrey. Vol. 2. R. B. Ede. p. 73.
- ↑ Biographia Britannica: Or, The Lives Of The Most Eminent Persons Who Have Flourished in Great Britain And Ireland From The Earliest Ages, To The Present Times. Vol. 2. Bathurst. 1780. p. 274.
- ↑ Timbs, John (1869). Ancestral Stories and Traditions of Great Families Illustrative of English History. Griffith and Farran. p. 351.
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