John Heydon (died 1479)
| John Heydon | |
|---|---|
| Spouse(s) | Eleanor Winter |
| Issue | |
| Father | William Baxter |
| Died | 1479 |
| Buried | Norwich Cathedral |
John Heydon alias Baxter (died 1479) of Baconsthorpe, Norfolk, was of humble origins, the son of a yeoman, William Baxter of Heydon. He became a successful lawyer, and is known, through the Paston Letters, as one of the principal agents in East Anglia of William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, and one of the chief opponents of the Paston family.
John Heydon's origins are obscure. He was the son of a yeoman, William Baxter of Heydon, Norfolk. Legal records from as late as 1450 refer to him as 'John Heydon of Baconsthorpe alias John Baxter of Heydon'. His mother's name is unknown. He was educated at the Inns of Court, and by 1428 was acting on behalf of Edmund Winter of Town Barningham, Norfolk, likely in connection with Winter's dispute with the Paston family over the manor of East Beckham.
In 1431 he was appointed Recorder of Norwich, but was unpopular with the townsmen, and was dismissed from the position before May 1437. Many years later, in 1450, it was alleged that during his tenure as Recorder he had informed Norwich Cathedral priory of information concerning the City of Norwich's dispute with the priory. By the mid-1430s he was acting as legal counsel for the priory, and by 1445 was the priory's chief steward. From 1438 on, he served on numerous commissions in Norfolk, was a Justice of the Peace from 1441 to 1450, and in 1445 a Knight of the Shire for Norfolk. By 1447 he was steward of the East Anglian estates of Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham. Among his numerous legal clients were Lord Bardolf, Lord Cromwell, Lord Willoughby and Sir John Clifton (d.1447).
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