# John Fray

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{{short description|Member of the Parliament of England}}

{{For|those of the same or a similar name|John Frey (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
'''Sir John Fray''' (died 1461) was an English lawyer who was [Chief Baron of the Exchequer](/source/Chief_Baron_of_the_Exchequer) and a [Member of Parliament](/source/Member_of_Parliament_(United_Kingdom)).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1386-1421/member/fray-john-1461|title=FRAY, John (d.1461), of London and Munden Furnival, Herts.|publisher= History of Parliament Online|accessdate= 21 March 2018}}</ref>

== Biography ==

He was elected Member of Parliament for [Hertfordshire](/source/Hertfordshire_(UK_Parliament_constituency)) in 1419 and 1420.<ref>[http://historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1386-1421/member/fray-john-1461 History of Parliament Online: FRAY, John (d.1461), of London and Munden Furnival, Herts.], accessed June 2018.</ref>

He served on a number of commissions before being appointed [Common Serjeant of London](/source/Common_Serjeant_of_London) from 1421 to 1422 and [Recorder of London](/source/Recorder_of_London) from 1422 to 1426. He then served as [Baron of the Exchequer](/source/Baron_of_the_Exchequer) from 1426 to 1436 and [Chief Baron of the Exchequer](/source/Chief_Baron_of_the_Exchequer) from 1436 to 1448.<ref name="Sainty">Sir John Sainty (comp.) ''The Judges of England, 1272-1990: a list of the judges of the Superior courts'' (Selden Society: Supplementary Series 1993, 10).</ref>

He had considerable experience of rivers and [watermill](/source/watermill)s. Fray had the commission for maintaining the navigation of the [River Lea](/source/River_Lea) around the years 1430–1440. He owned watermills in Essex and interests in other property across the country. These included Cowley Hall in [Hillingdon](/source/Hillingdon) which adjoined the [Frays River](/source/Frays_River). The Frays River is a branch of the [River Colne](/source/River_Colne%2C_Essex) which may have been developed to feed watermills in the area. It is said that John Fray arranged for the cutting of a link from the Colne to a tributary rising in Harefield to increase the water volume.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.hillingdon.gov.uk/index.jsp?articleid=8989 |title=London Borough of Hillingdon - River Frays |access-date=2008-10-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325104652/http://www.hillingdon.gov.uk/index.jsp?articleid=8989 |archive-date=2016-03-25 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

He was knighted before March 1459.{{citation needed|date=April 2025}}

== Personal life and death ==
He died in 1461 and was buried in the church of [St. Bartholomew the Less](/source/St._Bartholomew_the_Less), London. He was the second husband of Agnes Danvers, daughter of fellow MP [John Danvers](/source/John_Danvers_(15th-century_MP)),<ref>[http://historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1386-1421/member/danvers-john-1449 History of Parliament Online: John Danvers (1386-1421)], accessed June 2018.</ref> and by her had five daughters. His eldest daughter Elizabeth married in turn Sir Thomas Waldegrave (1441–1500) and Sir William Saye (born 1454). His daughter Catherine (1437–1482) married [Humphrey Stafford](/source/Humphrey_Stafford_(died_1486)).

==References==
{{Reflist}}

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{{succession box | title = [Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer](/source/Lord_Chief_Baron_of_the_Exchequer)| years = 1438–1438 | before = Sir [John Juyn](/source/John_Juyn)| after = [Peter Ardern](/source/Peter_Ardern)}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fray, John}}
Category:1461 deaths
Category:English MPs 1419
Category:Year of birth unknown
Category:Barons of the Exchequer
Category:Chief Barons of the Exchequer
Category:15th-century English lawyers
Category:Common Serjeants of London
Category:Recorders of London
Category:English MPs 1420
Category:Knights Bachelor
Category:Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for Hertfordshire

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [John Fray](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Fray) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Fray?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.