Nicholas Atherton

Sir Nicholas Atherton (c.1357-1420) of Atherton. Other titles; Nicholas de Atherton, Lord of Bickerstaffe. English politician and Member of parliament (MP) of the Parliament of England for Lancashire in 1401. A lifelong member of affinity who was knighted on the 27 October 1400 in York, and prorogued on 20 January 1401 in Westminster. Born into a position within the Lancashire gentry. Extensive service to the House of Lancaster. Bailiff and medieval tax collector.

It is unclear when Atherton was born. He was the second son of Sir William Atherton (c.1325-1389) and Joan Mobberley of Mobberley, Cheshire. His father was a Member of Parliament, and represented the County of Lancashire on two occasions. Nicholas Atherton was expected to marry into a family of equal standing, since tradition dictated that his elder brother, Sir William Atherton (c.1355-1414) would inherit the landed estate, the ancestral family seat of Atherton Hall, then a medieval moated lodge.

As a young boy he would have inevitably trained in the art of warfare, since his father, a knight, expected him to fulfil a life service, as a retainer to the second Duke of Lancaster, John of Gaunt; one of England's principal military commanders in the 1370s and 1380s. A formal ceremonial event took place during March 1370; although records indicate that Atherton was already part of a military campaign the previous year, upon the resumption of war with the Kingdom of France in 1369.

Atherton's middle-ranking position involved the rendering of military, political, legal and domestic service, in return for money, office and influence. He proved himself loyal and devoted in his service to the Duchy of Lancaster as an indenture of retinue; also known as an affinity. He took part in various expeditions overseas, including four military campaigns in both Spain and France in 1369, 1370, 1372 and 1373, all in the name of Edward III, under the banner of John of Gaunt. The military campaign of 1370 in Aquitaine, included historical events such as the Siege of Limoges. A year later he would have been present at his ducal lordships marriage to Infanta Constance of Castile. The Duchess proved to be an important acquaintance or ally, that may have just saved him from being sentenced for the murder of a Lancastrian public official in 1377.

As part of the 1372 campaign John of Gaunt commanded Sir John le Boteler, Sheriff of Lancashire, as Knight of the shire and notable esquires Mawkyn de Rixton and William Bradshaw, to each muster 20 archers; whereas gentlemen, Robert de Pilkington, of the Manor of Rivington, and Nicholas de Atherton, son of a knight, were required to muster a minimum of 10 archers. Bowmen, as they were also known, were instrumental to military success during the Hundred Years' War. Mawkyn de Rixton, also went by the name of Mathew and was tasked to form a flotilla to sail from Liverpool.

During this period, Atherton became involved in a dispute over the murder of his friend Roger Hilton. Agnes the grieving widow, turned to Atherton to seek justice, as well as compensation. His patron, John of Gaunt, as arbitrator, favoured Atherton, his new retainer, of which typically numbered two hundred within the kingdom and realms, and awarded Atherton and the widow 120 marks (worth £80,000 in 2021). It is likely that Agnes was now his wife.

Some medieval historians regard his father as a criminal knight, alongside Sir William de Parre (d.1405), and described both Nicholas Atherton and his eldest son as troublesome, prone to extreme violence, more suited the battlefields of mainland Europe, but less so in the Duchy of Lancaster where it destabilised the peace.

Atherton was jailed for a time at Tutbury Castle, Staffordshire, for having failed to pay compensation to John Worthington the sum of 100 marks in damages. After sentencing from Godfrey de Foljambe he was relocated to Lancaster castle, where he remained until his release.