In the late 1300s, the Carpenter family found itself in the midst of political difficulties, as did the whole of England. John the Elder, and his younger brother Robert, were subject of arrest and political persecution. Indeed so was their father Richard! These social and political misfortunes however, provide us with the means and clues to better define this intriguing family. Previously I had published documents indicating profound Carpenter support for the Lancastrian political cause in the early 1400s. Unknown to me then was evidence that this connection and loyalty would extend back to the reign of King Richard II in the late 1300s. The evidence now portrays an extremely rich merchant family that had its role in the power machinations of this disturbed period in English history. While these political events are complex and confusing, let me try to summarize them. At the end of the reign of King Edward III, by the 1370s, a powerful individual, John of Gaunt the Duke of Lancaster, dominated English politics. This basic fact would be the deciding factor in English history (and Carpenter history) for the next eighty odd years. King Edward’s successor, King Richard II, would come to the throne and oppose John of Gaunt and his allies. In the end King Richard would be deposed by Gaunt’s son, Henry Bolingbroke, who would become King Henry IV. Essentially this would be the beginning of the long acrimonious struggle better known as the War of Roses, the struggle between the Yorkist and Lancastrian claims to the throne. Allied to John of Gaunt were many provincial magnates, three of the prominent being, the Duke of Gloucester, Earl of Arundel and Earl of Warwick. In the late 1300s the crown would attempt to punish all these families and their supporters. I have a hint as to which of the three aristocratic groups the Carpenters were most allied; I will discuss this after I have presented three relevant documents. “To Walter Clopton justice appointed to hold pleas before the king. Order by writ of ‘nisi primus’ to cause an inquisition whereupon Thomas Canforde, Thomas Eode, William Lyngel ‘draper’, Richard Carpenter, Richard Marbury ‘draper’, John Hardynge the younger ‘draper’, all of Caumpeden, John Northem late bailiff of Guytynge, Thomas Cheken ‘bocher’ of Caumpeden and William Bedel of Wynchecombe have put themselves at suit of the king, being indicted for divers tresspasses and extortions, to be taken before the said justice, before one of the justices of the Common Bench or the justices of assize in Gloustershire.” (CLOSE ROLLS, July 8, !388, Westminster) “Memorandum of a mainprise under a pain of 100 L., made in chancery 6 December this year by Thomas atte Stone of Haddeley, Richard Clerke of Kersey, John Dyster, Robert Berte, both of Kersey, Robert atte Mede of Ylle, John Huberd, William Page, both of Ylle, Robert Barewe of Bildeston and Robert Carpenter of Lavenham, for themselves and each for other under the same pain, that they shall do or procure no hurt or harm to Richard Walton of Bishops Lenne, and shall make no unlawful assemblies which tend to disturbance of the people or breach of the peace.” (CLOSE ROLLS, Dec. 7, 1391, Westminster) “Appointment of Richard Waldegrave, Wiliam Wyngefeld and John Orewell, the king’s serjeant-at-arms, to arrest and bring before the king and council John Carpenter of Lavenham, Richard Clerk of Kersey, Robert Berd of Kersey, John Dyster of Kersey, Wiliam Page of Monkesle, John Barowe of Bildeston, Thomas atte Stone of Hadle, John Hoberd of Bildeston, and Robert atte Medewe of Bildeston.” (CLOSE ROLLS, Nov. 24, 1391, Westminster) The ‘Caumpeden’ in the first document in actually modern Chipping Campden, not far from Gloucester. Though not named as a ‘draper’ himself, Richard is surrounded by associates of the trade, and he himself is surely connected to the business, as his sons were. Richard,who appears in a number of documents of the period, and appears more and more as a merchant-broker, probably of finished cloth with activities and property being in London, Middlesex and Hertfordshire. At this point in time the whole family has left London and scattered, probably for reasons of safety. The Lavenham locality for the sons (see a previous quoted document for Elder and Younger John ‘drapers’) and the Chipping Campden location for the father are suggestive of the scale of the family economic activity. In subsequent publications we will see this had been the case for a very long period of time. The mention above of the Earl of Warwick, who was Thomas de Beauchamp, neccessitates speculation here, given the long Carpenter history in the area. Was the Carpenter family allied to the Beauchamp family. The Bishop of Worcester, John Carpenter, whose origins are in the area, had armorial bearings with three red crosslets. The Beauchamp armorials, as I recall, were also three red crosslets (?). That the Beauchamps were connected to cloth manufacture came home to me as I opened the covers of Carus Wilson’s Medieval Merchant Venturers. The first page was a photo of a illustrated medieval manuscript, with a drawing of Earl Richard Warwick de Beauchamp, loading English cloth on his ships, the sails of which bearing his armorials of three cross crosslets above a chevron (colors unspecified). I think this might begin to shed light on what has been a sometimes-bizarre discussion of these symbols and their significance. The entire area in question is wool, cloth and money, noble Beauchamps included. Bruce Carpenter