Born about 1418, the son of Thomas Fenn, a leading citizen of
Great Yarmouth, and grandson of the MP
Hugh Fenn, he may have had some education at
Cambridge University and at
Gray's Inn. By 1444 he was an official in the Exchequer and in 1450 as clerk to John Somer, an
Auditor, had to report to
Parliament on the state of the nation's finances. As a royal official, he took charge of properties falling into Crown hands. For example, in 1450 he was keeper of lands at
Wratting forfeited by
William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk and in 1451 of lands at
Swaffham. On John Somer's death in 1453, Fenn was appointed to succeed him as Auditor by
John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester, the
Lord High Treasurer of England. At the age of about 35, he became one of the most senior officials in the department and was well placed, over and above his official business, to help friends, neighbours and relations in their legal and financial affairs. noting that: . Another service was to be executor of a will, acting for instance for Sir
Geoffrey Boleyn in 1463 and for the
sheriff of Essex, Sir John Clay, in 1464. Another enterprise was acquiring a wardship, with the right to choose the spouse of an under-age heir, which in 1466 he did in partnership with William Essex (later one of his executors) for Nicholas Carew. A further area was
advowsons, where in 1468 he acquired the
right of presentation to the Suffolk churches of
Ufford and
Combs together with the
chantry of the
Blessed Virgin Mary in the church of St Andrew at
Brundish. In 1471 he bought the patronage of
Castle Acre Priory. ==Family and legacy==