Henry Percy was 35, and he had already inherited the family fortune and titles. He was the twelfth baron Percy and the fourth Percy to be Lord of Alnwick, but Earl or Duke would be better. To advance in his world you needed friends in high places and also friends in your neighborhood.

When Edward III called for a parliament in 1376 Percy went as one of the lords. The parliament afforded him the opportunity to cement neighborhood friendships as well as friendships in high places--and to begin to realize his ambitions.

Sir Robert Boynton was selected as knight of the shire for Yorkshire, a member of the commons. Robert was one of the local friends of lord Percy [Boynton-Percy documents]. In 1374 Robert Boynton had served on a commission of oyer and terminer appointed by the king to investigate a complaint lodged by lord Percy against a group who had entered his free warren and had hunted without permission. Robert was in Alnwick at least once in 1375. Alnwick was the primary castle of the Percys in Northumberland. It was more than 100 miles from Boynton, however, so it was a major trip for Robert to get there. While there he witnessed the transfer of land from Henry Percy to Ingram de Umframvyll. And he and William Aton got lord Percy to judge between their claims to a coat of arms. Later in the year he served as a guarantor [mainprise] for lord Percy. And in 1376 there are two transactions that indicate that Robert held land from Percy. They seem to have known each other reasonably well before they went off to parliament.

The commons came to town in a snit. The king was old, his councilors were taking advantage of him, and the commons did not like it. They liked having to pay for it even less. They were the ones being asked to pay extra taxes and to pay higher prices to merchants who were given monopoly privileges. They were united in their anger, and they were out to get the councilors.

Parliament met first on April 28 (Holmes, 1975). Afterwards the commons met alone, and found themselves in heated agreement. After grumbling for about ten days they headed for the lords to make their complaints. The lords said, you cannot all come in and speak. So they chose Peter de la Mare to speak for them, and the speaker of the House of Commons was invented. They made charges against the king's councilors -- impeached them. They called for the lords to appoint a committee to work with them in developing the accusations. Henry Percy was one of the lords appointed to the committee, and the committee worked closely with the commons, which put Henry Percy right in the middle of the affair. The lords held something like a trial with accused and witnesses sworn to tell the truth.

The upshot was three of the principal councilors of the king, the king's mistress and several merchants convicted.

There was other business. Robert Boynton called for a commission of array to defend the coast of the East Riding of Yorkshire. It is only a surmise that Robert called for it, but there were only two knights of the shire from Yorkshire, and Robert ended up on the commission of array and the other member did not.

Other petitions were settled, and parliament went home. They did not approve the taxes they had been asked to approve by the king. They did not leave anyone to take the place of convicted councilors.

The Aftermath

Parliament had called for an investigation of the merchants who had taken advantage of their relationships with the councilors of the king. The king appointed a commission. Robert Boynton and Henry Percy served on the commission for Yorkshire.

The commission of array for the East Riding was established. Robert Boynton and Henry Percy also served on this commission.

The speaker, de la Mare, was almost immediately tossed into prison when Parliament left town. He was not imprisoned for long, however. Edward died within the year, Richard II became king, and de la Mare was released to become speaker again.

The Good Parliament had been a disaster for the king, Edward III. He was robbed of some of his closest councilors, his mistress, and they left without producing taxes. It was a public relations disaster, too. The king could not have looked worse.

John of Gaunt was almost the only councilor to the king left, and he had an idea -- do a diversion. One of the complaints was that the Pope was taking too much money out of the country by taxing the English churches. So, bring out the near heretical priest Wycliffe. He preached that the Pope should forsake earthly riches and warring and concentrate on matters of the soul -- obviously, an heretical perspective. John of Gaunt and Henry Percy had grown up together and were good friends. When John of Gaunt wanted to trot out Wycliffe Henry Percy was available to help -- including donning his fighting armor and protecting Wycliffe from attack.

The king was now on the side of less taxes, which was the side both lords and commons favored. And Henry Percy had played a helping hand throughout.

Percy now had his friend in high places -- John of Gaunt. And in 1377, after the death of Edward III and before the coronation of Richard II, Henry Percy became Earl of Northumberland.

Robert Boynton was appointed constable or governor of the castle at Berwick-upon-Tweed. Berwick was then, as now, a small village at the northernmost tip of England. It was a dangerous assignment, however. Berwick changed hands between the English and Scots many times during their centuries of wars. Less than a year earlier the earl of Northumberland had once again rescued it from the Scots for Richard II. Then Robert Boynton became constable; that produced the last interaction between Robert and earl of Northumberland, Henry Percy. Here is how the Percy family biographer tells the story.

The scots had captured Robert's family in hopes of ransoming them, but his wife and children were saved by the earl and his men (Bain, 1888).

There have been times in human history when the rescue of your wife and children is the best you could hope for. That was the way the English and Scots faught.

References

John Bain, ed. (1888) Calendar of Documents Relating ot Scotland Preserved in Her Majesty's Public Record Office, London, Vol. IV., A.D. 1357-1509. published by the Authority of the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Tresury. p. xvi.

Brenan, Gerald (1902) A History of the House of Percy from the Earliest Times Down to the Present Century, Fremantle & Co., p. 32.

Holmes, George (1975) The Good Parliament, Clarendon Press, Oxford. [This book seems to be the only full historical treatment of the Good Parliament. My story is a very abbreviated summary of his account.]

M.T.M., ed. (1911) The Percy Chartulary, published for the Surtees Society, vol. 117.