Thomas Hoccleve of London: New Evidence of Hoccleve's Family and Finances

Abstract:Building on the 2014 identification by Estelle Stubbs and Linne Mooney of Thomas Hoccleve's father as the London draper "William Occlyf," this article presents more records that connect William Hoccleve to the prominent Londoners William and Maud Holbech. These real estate documents and wills reveal that William Hoccleve was operating as a draper in London as early as 1365, before Thomas's birth; they record his property dealings with Maud Holbech and suggest that William Hoccleve died between 1381 and 1383; and they identify Thomas as being on a clerical career path, lending credence to the claims that these men are indeed the poet and his father, and that Thomas Hoccleve was born a Londoner. This essay places the documents within the context of Hoccleve's marriage and frustrations at the benefice system; examines the care with which Maud Holbech sought to provide for Hoccleve and others in her will; and suggests that Maud Holbech may have been William Hoccleve's sister and Thomas Hoccleve's aunt. These documents establish a previously unrecognized professional and likely familial network for the Hoccleves in London.