John Hawley (c. 1340 /50 –30 December 1408) (aliter "Hauley" and called "the elder" ) of Dartmouth in Devon, was a wealthy ship owner who served fourteen times as Mayor of Dartmouth and was elected four times as a Member of Parliament for Dartmouth. He is reputed to have been the inspiration for Chaucer's "schipman". His magnificent monumental brass survives in St Saviour's Church, Dartmouth.

Origins

He was the son of John Hawley of Dartmouth. His family reportedly came from the hamlet of Allaleigh and this may account for the origins of his name.

Career

He was Mayor of Dartmouth on fourteen occasions between 1374 and 1401 and was elected MP for Dartmouth four times, in 1390, 1393, 1394 and 1402. Hawley was both a merchant and licensed privateer though he was often accused of piracy. He conducted a number of naval operations in the English Channel and briefly held the post of deputy to the Admiral of England under King Henry IV (1399-1413). He organised the defence of Dartmouth in 1404 against an attack by a Breton fleet, which culminated in the Battle of Blackpool Sands.

Marriage and progeny

He married twice:

Death and burial

He died in December 1408 and was buried in St Saviour's Church, Dartmouth, where survives his magnificent monumental brass of John Hawley (d.1408) in St Saviour's Church, Dartmouth, showing him dressed as a fully-armed knight, flanked by his two wives.