Sir Peter Buckton (1350 – 4 March 1414) was an English politician, soldier and knight from the eponymous village of Buckton near the town of Bridlington in Yorkshire. He was the High Sheriff of Yorkshire for the year 1404 and was also a member of parliament for Yorkshire three times. In the latter years of his life he also held significant positions such as the Mayor of Bordeaux and Ambassador to Castile. He was a supporter and friend of

Henry IV of England Henry IV ( April 1367 – 20 March 1413), also known as Henry Bolingbroke, was King of England from 1399 to 1413. He asserted the claim of his grandfather King Edward III, a maternal grandson of Philip IV of France, to the Kingdom of F ...

, before and after he became king. Present with him on crusades to Lithuania and Jerusalem as well as helping him land at

Ravenspur Ravenspurn was a town in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, which was lost due to coastal erosion, one of more than 30 along the Holderness Coast which have been lost to the North Sea since the 19th century. The town was located close to the ...

, Holderness after which Henry went on to become king.

Biography

Caroline War and Crusades

Peter Buckton's family had been Lord of the Manor at Buckton in Holderness, owning large property as early as 1290. The family was known locally for giving generously to the churches of the area. Buckton first gained notoriety fighting under the

House of Plantagenet The House of Plantagenet () was a royal house which originated from the lands of Anjou in France. The family held the English throne from 1154 (with the accession of Henry II at the end of the Anarchy) to 1485, when Richard III died in b ...

in 1369, specifically

John of Gaunt John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (6 March 1340 – 3 February 1399) was an English royal prince, military leader, and statesman. He was the fourth son (third to survive infancy as William of Hatfield died shortly after birth) of King Edward ...

and Thomas of Woodstock during the Caroline War part of the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...

. He entered local administration in 1371 and became keeper of Knaresborough Castle, serving as warden to

Richard II of England Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father die ...

, who knighted Buckton in 1383 for gallantry. Buckton became closely associated with Henry Bolingbroke helping to organise his crusades to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Jerusalem, becoming one of Henry's most senior knights.

Yorkshire offices and later life

Buckton was elected knight of the shire (MP) for Yorkshire in 1395, 1397 and 1404. A friend of Buckton was the author and poet

Geoffrey Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for ''The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He wa ...

, who wrote ''

The Canterbury Tales ''The Canterbury Tales'' ( enm, Tales of Caunterbury) is a collection of twenty-four stories that runs to over 17,000 lines written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400. It is widely regarded as Chaucer's ''Masterpiece, ...

''. Chaucer immortalised him in the short poem, ''Lenvoy de Chaucer a Bukton'' written before October 1396; in which Chaucer humorously warns Buckton against marriage. Buckton assisted Henry Bolingbroke's landing at

in Yorkshire on 4 July 1399, after Henry had been exiled due to his cousin Richard II. When Bolingbroke became

, Buckton benefited significantly. He was made a life steward and steward of the king's son Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence. He was also elevated to

constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

of Knaresborough Castle. Buckton rose prominently in other areas office also, as he was appointed

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for the East Riding of Yorkshire between 1399 and 1400, followed by High Sheriff of Yorkshire for 1404. Buckton began to work for the monarchy in jobs outside England for a while. In 1411 he travelled to Castile and was the English Ambassador to John II of Castile. The following year, for 1412 until 1413, he was made Mayor of Bordeaux in the Duchy of Aquitaine, as the city of Bordeaux is the capital of Aquitaine this was a prominent position to hold. Buckton died in 1414, aged 64 and requested in his will to be buried at the

Cistercian nunnery Cistercian nuns are female members of the Cistercian Order, a religious order belonging to the Roman Catholic branch of the Catholic Church. History The first Cistercian monastery for women, Le Tart Abbey, was established at Tart-l'Abbaye in t ...

Swine, East Riding of Yorkshire Swine is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately north-east of Hull city centre and south of Skirlaugh to the west of the A165 road. The place-name 'Swine' is first attested in the D ...

Marriage and issue

Buckton married Cecilia, together they had three children. *Peter Buckton *Ralph Buckton *William Buckton

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Braddy, Haldeen.
Sir Peter and the Envoy to Bukton
'. 1935. {{DEFAULTSORT:Buckton, Peter 1350 births 1414 deaths People from Buckton High Sheriffs of Yorkshire 15th-century English soldiers English MPs September 1397 English MPs January 1404 English MPs 1395