In this letter I want to introduce additional material relevant to the possible identity of Richard Carpenter, father of John Carpenter Town Clerk of London. My original intuition was that Richard had to be of sufficient social and economic status to place a son in the influential position of London Town Clerk. An old identification of this Richard, with a Richard Carpenter ‘chaundeler’ , seemed out of place because this individual would have been a tradesman in a profession of minor importance. Some suggested that a ‘chaundeler’ had a wide range of economic activities. This I came to realize this was untrue in the late 1300s. In John Dummelow’s THE WAX CHANDELER’S OF LONDON the author writes, “Chandeler orginally meant one who made or dealt with candles. By 1583 the sense had been extended to cover other retail trades” (p. 22). Actually a close reading of historical documents revealed three Richard Carpenters. There was a Richard Carpenter ‘brewer’ in addition to our candle-maker. The third Richard Carpenter, and the object of my enthusiasm, was Richard Carpenter of ‘Fleetstreet’ in 1412. This individual seemed interesting because he had no minor trade designation attached to his name and lived in an area with other influential people. The Inns of Court where Town Clerk John probably received his legal training was basically on Fleetstreet. Also living at one end of Fleetstreet was the neighborhood of an extremely rich merchant Edward Carpenter, of foreign origins, about 1300. Also I discovered a William Carpenter of ‘Fleetstreet’ in a 1394 document, likewise with no minor trade designation, an indication of possible high social status. Thus there seemed to be a concentration of Carpenters in the area, and a tradition of Carpenters in the area. As I investigated into the outlining areas of London I encountered the name Richard Carpenter again in many Hertfordshire (not Herefordshire) legal proceedings, as a witness in the 1390s. Legal witnesses are always people of the highest social tier in the period, people with money and land. The cases with Richard as witness always deal with Berkhamstede or Berkhampstead as it is now spelled. Other Carpenters appear in other land transactions of exact period as well for Hertfordshire. As I looked back into my previous notes for a “who’s who” of important Carpenters for the years previous to this in the early 1300s I saw my notations for a 1339 Berkhamstead disposition for a “John, son of John Carpenter, deceased.” This John was actually a Sir John Carpenter who had land in several locations. The document describes his lands being “Taken into the king’s hands”, for disposition by the crown. The original document dated at Berkhamstead suggests that Sir John’s main place of residence be there. For a number of years subsequent to 1339 legal papers can be found dealing with Sir John’s holdings and heirs. Please don’t assume that Sir John was a hereditary aristocrat. Doubtless he came from money and bought his knightly status for loans to the crown or the like. My point here is that it is not difficult to imagine a connection between this line of Johns and the discussed Richard. Likewise it is quite possible this Richard was the father of the Town Clerk, and that Fleetstreet Richard and Berkhamstead Richard are one an the same. As was the case with countless other people of the times, they owned many different properties and lived in each at different times or even different times of the year. It is also germane to mention that the merchant Edward Carpenter of London had a son or a brother John. One interesting fact is that there are really no other groups of Carpenters in the greater London area. The connectedness of these groups I offer here as a basis for further study. Lavenham I will also technically include in greater London. As a final note I might add that a brewer or a candle maker would fall into the minor trades, while wine importers and wool related merchants (drapers) fall into the major category. Thus it would be entirely in character for the sons of a wealthy family to enter the draper profession. The vintners and drapers controlled London for two hundred years. One other matter is that a reading of Town Clerk John’s will in 1441 indicates both his elder brother John and younger brother Robert were still alive in 1441. Yet if you search for any London connection for them it does not turn up. They must have lived elsewhere. Please be assured that I will look for anything that will disprove my assertions. My favorite philosopher of science, Karl Popper, always maintained that it was more important to search for something that negated your assertion, rather that something that underlined it. Thus the growth of knowledge is possible. Sincerely, Bruce E. Carpenter