As befitting any medieval noble worth his salt, Thomas
Percy, Baron Egremont, held quite a few official posts. One of these was Admiral of the Humber, which
gave him rights over dealing with maritime misdemeanours in Hull’s admiralty
court. Previous holders of this post had been content to bask in the prestige of the title and leave the
actual mundane admin to Hull’s aldermen. Egremont though decided he wanted to more
hands on, so in April 1460 he marched on Hull flanked by a mass of armed
supporters and demanded his right to chair a session of the admiralty court.
Egremont was not the kind of man you wanted to be involved with. He’d previously tried to incite revolt at
York, which had included dragging the town’s mayor to Bootham Bar and
publicly attacking him. These actions
got Egremont sent to jail, where he remained for two years before escaping. Understandably therefore, Hull’s aldermen
were not overly keen to let him into their town and instead closed and barred
the gates against him.
The aldermen then sent a messenger to King Henry VI pleading
for help, together with some wine in the hope that even royals could be swayed
by the gift of a bottle (or in this case two entire barrels). Then Hull bunkered down and waited for Henry’s
response. Egremont prowled threateningly
outside, promising death to those who crossed his path. A 24-hour watch was placed all along Hull’s
defensive walls to monitor his movements. Inhabitants rattled around inside their town fearing what would
happen if Egremont tried to force the gates or attempt a hostile landing on the
quayside.
It took two long weeks for the king’s answer to arrive. When it did, Hull’s streets sounded with the
clang of the Guildhall bell as citizens were called together to hear the reply. It was bad news. Egremont had to be let in. On the plus side though, most of his army had
to stay outside. He could bring in with
him just 60 horsemen, which was the minimum retinue someone of noble birth
could reasonable be asked to have without it being an insult. As an extra precaution, it was decided
that the guards along the walls would remain for as long as Egremont stayed.
The Mayor and two hundred of Hull’s most esteemed inhabitants
formally received Egremont as he entered through Beverley Gate. He was entertained and given a good meal which doubtless included a glass or two. It was then
humbly explained to him that the business of the admiralty court could not be
settled just yet as most unfortunately crucial documents relating to the
Admiral of the Humber’s rights were down in London. If this displeased Egremont, he didn’t get an
opportunity to enact his revenge. Just a
few months later he was dead, executed after being on the losing side at the battle of Northhampton.
Picture: Bricks in Princes Dock Street showing the former location of a watchtower in Hull’s
defensive wall
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