Sir John Roches (c.1333–1400), of Bromham,

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershir ...

, was an English admiral, diplomat, magistrate and politician.

Political career

He was made

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

to the Kingdom of Aragon from 30 October 1377 to 4 May 1378, and again from 20 June 1378. He was then elected as

Member Member may refer to: * Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon * Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set * In object-oriented programming, a member of a class ** Field (computer science), entries in ...

(MP) of the

Parliament of England The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great council of bishops and peers that advised ...

for

in 1381, and again in May 1382, October 1382, February 1383, April 1384, November 1390, 1394, January 1397 and 1399.

Naval career

He was first appointed Admiral to the West, a senior command of the English Navy, from 22 May 1381 to 23 November 1383. He was then given the post of Admiral of the North and Western Fleets from 21 May to 22 June 1389. He served both offices under

Richard II 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 d ...

Offices held

His offices included: * Surveyor of the Forests of

Chippenham Chippenham is a market town in northwest Wiltshire, England. It lies northeast of Bath, west of London, and is near the Cotswolds Area of Natural Beauty. The town was established on a crossing of the River Avon and some form of settlement is ...

Melksham Melksham () is a town on the River Avon in Wiltshire, England, about northeast of Trowbridge and south of Chippenham. At the 2011 census, the Melksham built-up area had a population of 19,357, making it Wiltshire's fifth-largest settlement af ...

and

Pewsham Pewsham is a small village and former civil parish just south-east of the town of Chippenham on the A4 national route towards Calne in Wiltshire, southwestern England. Description Although signposted as Pewsham on the main road at both ends ...

, all in

, 5 December 1373. * Ambassador to the

Kingdom of Aragon The Kingdom of Aragon ( an, Reino d'Aragón, ca, Regne d'Aragó, la, Regnum Aragoniae, es, Reino de Aragón) was a medieval and early modern kingdom on the Iberian Peninsula, corresponding to the modern-day autonomous community eu, a ...

, 30 October 1377 to 4 May 1378 and 20 June 1378. * Joint Warden, of

Savernake Forest Savernake Forest stands on a Cretaceous chalk plateau between Marlborough and Great Bedwyn in Wiltshire, England. Its area is approximately . Most of the forest lies within the civil parish of Savernake. It is privately owned by the Earl of ...

, Wiltshire, 28 June 1381 to c.1382. * Keeper of

Marlborough Castle Marlborough Castle, locally known and recorded in historical documents as ''The Mound'', was an 11th-century royal castle located in the civil parish of Marlborough, Wiltshire, Marlborough, a market town in the English county of Wiltshire, on th ...

and Surveyor of Savernake Forest, 28 March 1382 until his death. *

Admiral of the West The Admiral of the West, also known as Admiral of the Western Seas or Admiral of the Western Fleet, was formerly an English Navy appointment. The postholder was chiefly responsible for the command of the English navy's fleet based at Portsmouth, ...

, 22 May 1382 to 23 November 1383. *

Admiral of the North and West Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

, 21 May to 22 June 1389. * Justice of the Peace, Wiltshire 20 Dec. 1382-Mar. 1386, 28 June-Nov. 1396. * Deputy Marshal of England, before March 1385, and January to March 1394. * Captain of Brest, by 8 January 1386 to May 1388. *

Alnager of Wiltshire Alnage, or aulnage (from Old French ''aune'', ell; parallel to ":wiktionary:yardage, yardage") was the official supervision of the shape and quality of manufactured wool, woolen cloth. Origins The alnage was first ordered in 1196, during the reig ...

, 20 November 1388 to 8 March 1389. *

Sheriff of Wiltshire This is a list of the Sheriffs and (after 1 April 1974) High Sheriffs of Wiltshire. Until the 14th century, the shrievalty was held '' ex officio'' by the castellans of Old Sarum Castle. On 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the Local G ...

, 7 November 1390 to 21 October 1391.

Family

John Roche(s) married Willelma de la Mare (1365–1410), sole heiress of Robert de la Mare (1314–1382) of Steeple/Market Lavington, Wiltshire; by his wife Maud de Hastings (died 1405). They had two daughters: first co-heir Elizabeth Roche (1385–1447) married Walter Beauchamp (d. 1430), son of William Beauchamp. The other daughter, Joan, married to Nicholas Baynton, son of Nicholas Baynton by Joan Daundeley. They had a son, John Baynton (born 1406) who was the second co-heir.

References

* Houbraken, Jacobus; Thoyras, Paul de Rapin; Vertue, George (1747). ''The History of England, A List of Admirals of England, 1228-1745''. J. and P. Knapton. * The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1386-1421, ed. J.S. Roskell, L. Clark, C. Rawcliffe., 1993. Boydell and Brewer.

External links

Inquisition Post Mortem 410 of John Roches, Knight

Inquisition Post Mortem 937 of John de Roches, Knight

Inquisition Post Mortem 883 of Willelma widow of John Roches. {{DEFAULTSORT:Roches, John 1333 births 1400 deaths 14th-century English Navy personnel English MPs 1381 People from Wiltshire English admirals High Sheriffs of Wiltshire English MPs May 1382 English MPs October 1382 English MPs February 1383 English MPs April 1384 English MPs November 1390 English MPs 1394 English MPs January 1397 English MPs 1399