A Herefordshire man whose family background is uncertain, he fought at sea at the Battle of Sluys (1340) and alongside King Edward III at the Battle of Crécy (1346) and at the Battle of Poitiers (1356) during the Hundred Years' War. He served the king as Custodian of Southampton Castle in 1361 and then as Constable of Dover Castle and Warden of the Cinque Ports in 1370. He was appointed a Knight of the Garter in 1368. In 1372 he refused to accept the post of Lieutenant of Ireland and as a result was in some disgrace at his death in 1375.