This story appeared in the Online History of Parliament.
Plaintiff: John Fursdon.
Defendants: Richard Trevaignon, of Carhayes, gent., John Trevaignon, of Trevaignon, gent., Thomas Trevaignon, of Tregony, bastard, and many others, nine of whom, mostly husbandmen, are named in the bill of complaint.
Complaint: They smashed the doors and windows at Fursdon and, as well as taking money, property and documents and causing his wife Margaret to have a miscarriage, they abducted Joan his step-daughter who was the daughter and heir of John Lanyein, Margaret’s first husband.
Date: 1423
John Fursdon of Fursdon in Liskeard.
Son of James Fursdon of Fursdon by his wife Margaret. Married (1) Joan, before 1400; (2) before 1423, Margaret (widow of John Lanyein).
Source: The notice of Oyer and Terminer appeared in the Patent Rolls on 16th June 1424. It covered the complaint but failed to mention the abduction of Joan, daughter and heir of John Lanyein.
CPR H6 Vol 1, p229
The article on the History of Parliament casts doubts about the honesty of Fursdon.
‘abducted his stepdaughter, Joan heiress, he claimed, to lands worth 100 marks a year‘
Published in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1386-1421, ed. J.S. Roskell, L. Clark, C. Rawcliffe., 1993
In the course of his life, if he himself is to be believed, Fursdon suffered several assaults on his person and depredations of his property. On more than one occasion he brought suits in the King’s bench claiming that bands of armed men had forcibly evicted him from his land, and in the Parliament of 1423-4 he ‘suyst une bille’ against Richard Trevanion of Carhayes and his kinsmen who, he alleged, on 29 June 1423 had come to his house at Fursdon with 121 malefactors, broken down fences, gates, doors and windows, stolen goods worth £40, along with muniments and £9 in cash, assaulted him and his wife (nearly killing the latter and causing her to suffer a miscarriage), and abducted his stepdaughter, Joan (heiress, he claimed, to lands worth 100 marks a year). At other times, so Fursdon said, the Trevanions had lain in wait for him and had so threatened his life that he dared not go about his business except with a great ‘posse’, whereby he suffered much trouble and expense. This bill awaited the attention of the King’s Council with other ‘billes de Riottis’ for several months, and it was only after Fursdon appealed to the chancellor that in June 1424 a commission of oyer and terminer was set up to investigate the affair.
This story leaves us with a problem, where do John, Margaret and Joan Lanyein fit in the family tree?
We know about Raphe (Radolphus) Lanyeyn involved in the dispute over Tregamynyan in 1388 after Princess Joan’s death. A John Lanyeyn received deeds in October 1446 probably after his father’s death. This John could be the John who died abt. 1476 and is mentioned in the Account Roll of Connerton and would have been the father of the John who married Isabel Ruthfrey. According to Fursdon’s account there must have been a John Lanyein who died before 1423 and left a widow and daughter, Margaret & Joan.
There is a record from Connerton Manor Gwithian Cornwall dated 14 July 1463.
“John Lanyeyn, namely John Hicka, 2 Cornish acres in Coswyn”.
Source: National Archives Kew: AR/2/1337/5
The John Lanyeyn who is deceased in the 1476 Connerton Roll had the same 2 acres at Coswynwulward.
“Goswyn Lanyon , formerly Coswynwulward, in Gwinear.”
‘Connor Downs’ the modern name for Connerton.
It appears as though there was a break in the male line, Joan Lanyein was the heir and married John Hicka who took the Lanyeyn name and became John Hicka alias Lanyeyn.
The Lanyons 