In the Middle Ages, a Wakeman was selected from 12 Alderman to serve for a period of one year. The duties of the Wakeman were similar to that of a Mayor and, in those days, if the selected person refused to take office he was liable for a heavy fine.
The Wakeman appointed a series of constables, and it was into the Wakeman's hands the safety of the city and its residents was placed each night. The Wakeman and his constables were charged with the task of apprehending criminals and ensuring the victim was recompensed. For this service, each householder had to pay the sum of two pence for each outer door of their house each year, a not inconsiderable sum in those days.

The Wakeman's house still exists today in Ripon and is an oak timber framed building with wattle and daub infill. The building that stands there is believed to have been a wing of a much larger building originally facing at right angles to its present position. Around 1600, the frontage was changed to face the Market Place by the addition of the oriel windows and a door. The original hall to which it was attached has long since disappeared.
James, Wakeman of Ripon and those of his descendants who became Wakemen would have lived there with their families.

JAMES jnr appears to have had a son JOHN who died in 1588 and may possibly have been John of Sawley.

CHRISTOPHER HEBDEN appears to have had a mistress and a wife though whether he kept both wife and mistress at the same time is open to speculation. He did however have children with both his unnamed mistress and his wife Dorothy Atkinson. Christopher lived at St Mary Magdalene Mansion in Ripon and died somewhere around 1554.
The children provided by the mistress were both girls ( Ellen and Isabel ) while his legitimate child with Dorothy was called THOMAS

THOMAS grew up to follow in his grandfathers footsteps and by 1596 was Wakeman of Ripon. His wife is unknown but he did produce seven children born between 1574 and 1589. No doubt at least one of them went on to have children but nothing is known. There were also two other Hebdens of Ripon at this time (WILLIAM & JAMES) but it is not known which of Christopher’s brothers was the father, if indeed they weren’t the progeny of Christopher himself.

WILLIAM HEBDEN of Ripon married Alice Caverd in 1589 and they had two sons, Thomas and Henry Francis. Nothing is known of Thomas except that he was born around 1589.
HENRY FRANCIS was born in 1601 and he named his son Thomas after his brother. This Thomas was born circa 1637 and eventually went on to marry Barbara but nothing more is known after that.

JAMES HEBDEN of Ripon married Elizabeth Burrell in 1608 and between 1609 and 1624 they had at least six children. Ann was born around 1609 but she died before 1620 when a second Ann was born. The second Ann only lived four years.
Then a third Ann seems to have been born around 1624 and nothing more is known of her. There were two other daughters, Elizabeth and Mary born 1615 & 1617 but no further details of their lives exist.
There was one son for James and Elizabeth - WILLIAM HEBDEN born 1611. His wife was Frances and she provided him with four known children as he went about his occupation of Mayor of the City.

One of William and Frances’s children had an unusual name, MAUDLAND (possibly the family name of Frances ?) but what is most interesting about it is that it crops up in the Raisgill/Kirkdeighton line though there is no obvious connection between the two names.
There was also a SEBASTIAN who married an unnamed widow in 1669 and a sister Mary. The fourth child was another WILLIAM HEBDEN William married Dorothy Wood in 1669 and they lived at Hungate Ripon before William finally died after 1728.

Many claim descent from the Ripon Hebdens so there are bound to be family trees that link these few to the present day and hopefully one day they will make their way to these pages.