John Stockton (abt. 1405)

Born about 1405 in Suffolk, England

Descendants

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Biography

Almost nothing is known yet of John Stockton other than his appearance in the Visitations of Sussex as father of Anne who married Henry Hall, lord of the manor of Ore.^[1] His name is spelled "Stokden" in the Visitation but Stockton is used here as it appears in the minutes of the Cinque Ports.

His birth date of 1405 is a very rough estimate although if he is connected with or possibly the father of Thomas Stockton of Rye as explained here, a Sussex origin seems very likely. This was obviously not Sir John Stockton, Lord Mayor of London

Given the prominence of the Hall family in and around Ore, it seems the Stockton family would have had some degree of social standing but they do not seem to appear in many records locally. They do not appear elsewhere in the Sussex Visitation nor in Visitations of bordering counties (Hampshire, Kent and Surrey).. The Stoughton family appears often enough that it seems if "Stokden" was "Stoughton" it would have been spelled in that way. A 1544 lawsuit involving a John "Stokdene" and wife Joan at Brading & Adgestone, Isle of Wight in Hampshire is found in the UK National Archives but this is 100 miles from Ore, Sussex.Ref: C 1/1265/64-65 Stockton Warminster, Wiltshire is 150 miles from Ore so does not seem a very likely origin for Ann.

Nothing is known yet of John's marriage(s) or children beyond Anne.

Appearances in Records

Based on searches at the UK National Archives, no direct records of John Stockton has been found using various spellings. A few records of a Thomas Stockton have been uncovered:

• 1475-1477 Thomas Stockton was the controller of petty custom from 26 March 1475 to Easter 1477. This entry at British History Online does not give a location for Thomas, but controllers lived in various ports (not just London) so given the association with the Cinque Ports, it seems very likely to be the same man.^[2]
• ~Mid-Late 1400s Arguing in favor of this possible family origin is an appearance in the "Black and White" books of the Cinque Ports of a Thomas Stockton as a representative from Rye, close to Winchelsea and about 10 miles from Ore. Both Henry and Robert appear in these books as well as representatives from Hastings so it is very possible that the Stockton family was of sufficient stature in the early or mid 1400s that this was Ann's origin.^[3] The vague date given here is because only limited search of the book is available and a date is not shown in the search results. Stockton appears on page 24 while Henry Hall was on page 115 with an appearance in 1493 so logically, the page 24 appearance should have been earlier as the book seems to be chronological.
• 1544 An entry is found for a Thomas Stockton, fishmonger near Winchelsea (a creditor to John Allen, mercer of London). While it seems doubtful that the landed and armigerous family of Hall would marry into a family of that station, this Thomas may have been a tradesman descendant of a family that was more prominent 100 years before.^[4]
• 1515 a Sir John Stockton was buried at West Wickham, Kent about 50 miles from Ore 'Parishes: West Wickham', in The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 2, (Canterbury, 1797) pp. 29-37. British History Online 1515 burial Sir John Stockton

No information is yet found about the end of John's life.

Sources

1. ↑ Visitations of Sussex 1530, 1633-34 Authors Thomas Benoit, John Philpot etc pub. 1905 at archive.org Hawle pedigree page 11 Armigerous pedigree of descendants of Robert Hawle of Hawland in Hothly in Sussex and his wife Anne Ore, daughter & heir of John Ore of Ore in Sussex.
2. ↑ 'Introduction', in The Overseas Trade of London: Exchequer Customs Accounts, 1480-1, (London, 1990) pp. xi-xlvii. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/london-record-soc/vol27/xi-xlvii entry for Thomas Stockton
3. ↑ A Calendar of the White and Black Books of the Cinque Ports, 1432-1955 Cinque Ports (England) H.M. Stationery Office, 1966 pg. 24
4. ↑ UK National Archives Records created, acquired, and inherited by Chancery, and also of the Wardrobe, Royal Household, Exchequer and various commissions - Records of the Petty Bag Office - Chancery: Certificates of Statute Merchant and Statute Staple UK National Archives Ref: C 241/250/1