In an era of contradictions, when new continents were being opened up and yet most people rarely travelled outside the boundaries of their own parish, the story of William Roo is fascinating and frustrating, in as much as there is nothing beyond this mysterious entry in the Rolls. What brought this Scot, a foreigner in 15th century terms, to this remote corner of England? Had he been a mercenary perhaps in the battles of the Wars of the Roses? Perhaps he had come to work for the Bishop of Ely at the Palace. Either way this is a very unusual and early example of immigration.