Family Notes

On December 8, Sir William's father, Sir John, kidnapped the widow Maud from Chetwynd with an armed band.  He took her to Ipstones and imprisoned her until she consented to give him the manor of Hopton and other lands, and to marry his son.  Sir John and a number of others were indicted but found not guilty.  Maud's relatives "not unnaturally" looked upon the trial as a miscarriage of justice and sought revenge, and her uncle eventually murdered Sir John.  Maud's abduction and the forced enfeoffment of her lands led to lawsuits at the Stafford Assizes between 1402 and 1404.  The jury found in her favor and awarded her damages.