User:Ciaran Dubh/William Droope

William Droope|| We can find some evidence of William's activities. He is probably the same William, son of Walter Drop alias Droup, of land and the watercourse on the mid-channel of the river Lee west of the bridge connecting the north and south islands in Cork and in the suburb of Dungarvan. This grant was from the mayor and community of Cork to William on 17 November 1348. The existence of a earlier watercourse would suggest the site of a mill granted to Saint Thomas’ Abbey, Dublin in 1177-82 on what was then the outskirts of the city by Robert fitzStephen. He appears on Caulfield’s list as mayor on four occasions, 1362, 1369, 1373 and 1376, and once as bailiff in 1355. It is notable that his father Walter served once as bailiff in 1353. All of this suggests a family who were upwardly mobile, their wealth had propelled into the urban patriciate and were able to hold high office in the town. In terms of the city’s role in the wider urban community it is interesting to note that on 30 May 1372 (not 1373 as noted in Tuckey’s Cork Remembrancer), William son of Thomas, earl of Kildare, Keeper of Ireland, issued a writ of summons to the mayor and bailiffs of Cork to send six of their better citizens to confer at Balahath (present day Charlesville) (‘sum sex de melioribus, probiorobus et discrioribus ciuibus eiusdem civitatis et qui plenam potestam possideant pro communitate dicte ciuitatis’). Notwithstanding the city’s rights and privileges, and in line with other regions within the lordship organising their defence, the city was clearly expected to contribute its share for defence against the king’s Irish enemies. Nothing is known of the two named bailiffs, Lavallen Honybrie and John Pollard. William appears again on 20 January 1375 when he and John Droupe have letters of general attorney for Thomas Droupe, going overseas. This suggests a wider kin-group outside of William involved in overseas trade, as we know of one son of William called Robert. Further evidence of this comes from Caulfield’s list where a Robert Droop (possibly a brother or cousin of William) is noted as bailiff in 1361. This is probably the same Robert Droup of Cork who, with others, on 28 May 1356 petitioned the king to have licence to have sacks of wool detained in Plummuth and Dertemuth returned so they could sell it in Flanders. With 30 sacks, Robert owned over 60% of the wool involved, indicating a group of Cork merchants involved in commercial activity, not always to the letter of the law.
 * 1373||