The York House Books contain a note, dated 17 March 1477, about a John Collins. Collins was accused of being an envoy of the Scots. It resulted in messages being sent to his place of birth to obtain a testimony of his origins.
Collins was from Darlington, but the requirement to prove that he was English is indicative of relations between England and Scotland at the time.
“[When John Collins] was defamed by certain children of iniquity to be a Scot [an envoy was] sent to the place where he was born, namely Darlington, County Durham, to bring in a letter containing clear testimony that John was born an Englishman in the village of Cockerton in the parish of Darlington…”
Anglo-Scottish relations had remained fraught throughout the era of the Hundred Years War and Wars of the Roses. Scotland regularly worked in alliance with France to thwart English ambitions and act as a thorn in their side.
In 1477 England was negotiating with the French and as such was wary of Scottish incursions into the North. Such forays were regular as Border Reivers raided deep into English territory. At a time of diplomatic activity on the continent, the risk of a larger, invasion force, was heightened.
It was with this in mind that efforts to identify Scottish spies were increased. In this instance, John Collins appears to have been accused merely for having a northern accent. His identity was confirmed via his local priest who could testify that he was indeed from Darlington.
Image
Shows Charles VI of France preparing for War, something that was feared by authorities, resulting in checks on the identify of John Collins.