RYE, Richard

The Rye family had been prominent at Hythe since at least the last decade of the fourteenth century and Stephen Rye, Richard’s putative father, had sat for the town in at least five Parliaments. The Commons 1386-1421, iv. 266-7. Like Stephen, Richard served as a jurat, in which capacity he represented his Port at meetings of the Brodhull in 1433, 1435, 1436 and 1437. White and Black Bks. of Cinque Ports (Kent Rec. Ser. xix), 1, 7-10. He was also was among the jurats who rode to meet with their counterparts in Romney and Lydd at Easter 1442. H 1055, f. 43v. He entered the Commons for the first time early in his public career, although in both of his Parliaments he sat alongside an experienced parliamentarian, John Skinner I* in 1427-8 and John Overhaven* in 1435. Just under nine years later, he replaced Overhaven as one of the Cinque Ports’ bailiffs at Great Yarmouth. Overhaven was elected for that role in July 1444 but died before he was able to take up his duties, and at a second election held on the following 16 Aug. Rye was chosen in his stead. Ibid. f. 42v. Presumably Rye reported on his activities at Yarmouth when he attended a meeting of the Brodhull in April 1445. White and Black Bks. 19. By then he was one of the chamberlains of Hythe, but he is not heard of after relinquishing that position and his other office of jurat in February 1446 and he may have died soon afterwards.

For want of testamentary evidence, municipal records are the only source of Rye’s private interests and activities. The maltolts of his putative father reveal that Stephen Rye’s main occupation was fishing but in the early 1440s Richard paid such dues (in Market ward) for a variety of merchandise, including wine and salt. The Commons 1386-1421, iv. 266; H 1055, ff. 8, 22v, 33v. On several occasions the MP was caught up in disputes that came before the local authorities. In April 1429 a jury sitting in Hythe’s hundred court presented that a dam made between his lands and those of Robert Rye (possibly his brother) and John Walton had caused the ‘common water of Hethe’ to flood the King’s highway and land belonging to the hospital of St. Bartholomew. HMC 4th Rep. 431. Two years later, Margaret Skinner, the widow of his fellow MP in his first Parliament, sued him in the bailiff’s court for breaking into her close in the town and dumping animal dung there. In 1437 Rye accused Richard Martyn in the same court of having assaulted his apprentice, Thomas Prylle, and the matter was referred for arbitration. On at least one occasion Rye himself was an arbiter, acting as such on behalf of John Overhaven in 1434, during a dispute between the latter and Hamon Redesole. H 1018, ff. 105, 122, 145.