The following quotation from the Close Rolls, January 28 1443 will reconfirm
the conclusions arrived at reading the previous quotation. The players are
the same. Here the king is named. However here the situation of royal assets
being transferred to his household creditors is explicitly stated, if there
was any doubt.
To the receivers, farmers or occupiers for the time being of all lands in
Cornwall of William Bodrigan knight, tenant by knight service of the king,
which came to the kings hands by his death and by reason of the nonage of
Henry his son and heir and yet are or ought to be in his hands. Order to pay
and deliver to William earl of Suffolk, William bishop of Salisbury, Thomas
Bekynton the kings secretary, John Carpenter clerk, Henry Serer clerk late
provost of the college of St. Mary Eton and John Hampton esquire all that in
16 February last did or might pertain to the king by reason of the wardship
of the said heir, does or now may, and shall or may hereafter pertain to
him; as by letters patent of that date of his particular knowledge the king
granted the same, among other things, to them and their assigns without
rendering aught to him.
We can make safe assumptions from these two quotations; first, that the
Carpenter family was very wealthy indeed, that it used its wealth to place
family members into positions of influence, and then used that influence to
further its own interests. We can assume that Bishop John Carpenter owed
his position to family influence. We can assume that Carpenter wealth was
not based on hereditary land, therefore derived itself from trade and
business on a very large scale, and therefore was international trade.
(Bruce E. Carpenter)