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Imprisoner of Princes
Sir John Kentwood
was an unimportant knight from Kentwood Manor at Tilehurst, near Reading.
He fought with the Black Prince
in the French campaigns of the Hundred Years War. They were about the same
The Prince only
took notice of John after he captured Prince Philip of France at the Battle of
Poitiers in 1356.
John was able to
sell his prisoner to the Black Prince for nearly £3,000. That's about £1
million in today's money! It was so much that John had to be paid slowly over
Both were very
pleased with the deal and John became friends with the Prince.
Sir John married
the sister of Bishop Braybrooke of London. Their son became the Dean of St.
Paul's Cathedral in London.
When the Black
Prince's son became King Richard
II, he appointed Sir John as Steward of the
Duchy of Cornwall.
This meant that he
was in charge of all of Cornwall. It was a very important job, but it kept him
a long way from home and he missed all the exciting things happening at the
Royal court in Windsor and London.