Oldcastle

Oldcastle, Sir John, Lord Cobham, was born about 1360. He was entrusted with the command of the army that compelled the Duke of Orleans to raise the siege of Paris in 1411. He had before this adopted the tenets of the Lollards, and soon became their recognised leader. Henry IV. protected him, but Henry V. took action against him. He was imprisoned in the Tower, every effort being used to make him recant. Having escaped, he concealed himself in Wales, and his supporters rose in arms. In 1417 he was captured, brought to London, and burned alive in St. Giles's Fields. He wrote Twelve Conclusions addressed to the Parliament of England, and edited Wyclif's works. For the connection with Falstaff, see any good commentary on Shakespeare.