The Paston Letters Volume Vi Part 19

Item, the seid William gate in to his possession a charger of silver in value x. marke, and iij. bollys of silver that were in kepyng of Bacheler Water, a Frier Carmelit of Norwich, to th'entent that a certeyn coost shuld have ben doon upon the liberarye of the Friers Carmelites aforesaid for the sowlis of William Paston, Justice, and Augnes, his wiff; which charger and bollys the seid William yet withholdith and kepith to his owne use, and therfore the seid charges ar not fulfylled.

Item, the seid John axith rest.i.tucion of suche inportable charges as the seid William hathe put the forsaid Sir John onto by the s.p.a.ce of many yeres, as in plesures doyng and rewardis, which apperith by writyng of the hande of the seid Sir John; which pleasures and charges the seid Sir John was constreyned to doo in defence of the seid William; wher of the seid John axeth to have amendys of C^l. mark.

Item, by the occacion and meanys of the seid William, the seid Sir John was constreyned to lende onto the Reverende Fadere in G.o.d, George, late Archebsschop of York[77-4] m^l. mark, which was nat payed ageyn by the summa of C_li._ The seid John axith to be restorid ther of.

Item, the seid William hath fellyd tymbre and wodys in the maners of the seid John, that is to sey, the maners of Oxened and Marlyngford, to the hurth of the seid John of xx_li._

Item, the seyd John Paston, compleynaunt, axith to be restoryd to alle syche money as hathe be takyn and dyspendyd by alle siche persones as have ben a.s.signed by meanes of the seyd Wylliam to dis...o...b.. and interupt the seyd John, compleynaunt, of hys ryght, tyghtyll, possessyon, entrest, of and in the maners, londis, and tenementes, and other the premysses dwryng the seyd v. yer sauff a quarter, as well as to all syche money as hathe ben dyspendyd dwryng the seyd v. yer sauff a quarter by the servauntys of the seyd compleynaunt by hym a.s.signed to tery and abyd up on the seyd maners, londes, and tenementes, and other the premysses ther, to kepe the possessyon of the seyd compleynaunt, whyche extendith to the some of xl_li._ and above.

Item, the seyd John, compleynaunt, axith to be restoryd to all syche money as hathe bene receyved by meanys of the seyd William, dwryng the seyd v. yer sauff a quarter, of syche as ar or have ben fermors or tenauntes of the maners, londis, and tenementis aforseyd duryng the seyd season, as well as to all syche money as is not levyable of dyvers of the seyd fermors and tenauntes fallyn in poverte sythe the trowblows season of the v. yer sauff a quarter befor rehersed, whyche extendeth to the some of CC_li._ or above.

[Footnote 75-1: [From Add. Charter 17,257, B.M.] It appears from the contents that this paper must have been drawn up nearly five years after Sir John Paston's death. It is a corrected draft, apparently of a Bill in Chancery, and some of the corrections are in Sir John Paston's hand.]

[Footnote 75-2: He was vicar of East Tuddenham from 1398 to 1434.]

[Footnote 75-3: Blank in MS.]

[Footnote 76-1: William Alnwick, Bishop of Lincoln, who died in 1449.]

[Footnote 76-2: Blank in MS.]

[Footnote 76-3: Originally written 'a yere and more,' and corrected.]

[Footnote 77-1: This paragraph is very much corrected.]

[Footnote 77-2: Blank in MS.]

[Footnote 77-3: Father of the celebrated Dean Colet.]

[Footnote 77-4: George Nevill, Archbishop of York, died on the 8th June 1476.]

[[Lomnor had a cofur in kepyng and and D.m^l. mark _text unchanged: "and and" duplicated at mid-line_

George, late Archebsschop of York _spelling unchanged_

Footnote 75-3 _footnote text has "4" for "3"_]]

999

MARGERY PASTON TO JOHN PASTON[78-1]

_To my ryght worschipful husbond, John Paston._

[Sidenote: 1484(?) / DEC. 24]

Ryght worschipful husbond, I recomaund me onto you. Plese it you to wete that I sent your eldest sunne to my Lady Morlee[78-2] to have knolage wat sports wer husyd in her hows in Kyrstemesse next folloyng aftyr the decysse of my lord, her husbond; and sche seyd that ther wer non dysgysyngs, ner harpyng, ner lutyng, ner syngyn, ner non lowde dysports, but pleyng at the tabyllys, and schesse, and cards. Sweche dysports sche gave her folkys leve to play and non odyr.

Your sunne dede hese heyrne [_errand_] ryght wele as ye shal her aftyr this. I sent your yonger sunne to the Lady Stabylton,[79-1] and sche seyd acordyng to my Lady Morlees seyng in that, and as sche hadde seyn husyd in places of worschip[79-2] ther as sche hathe beyn.

I pray you that ye woll asur to your some man at Caster to kepe your botry, for the mane that ye lefte with me woll not take upon hym to breve[79-3] dayly as ye commandyt. He seyth he hath not usyd to geve a rekenyng nothyr of bred nor alle [_ale_] tyll at the wekys end; and he seyth he wot well that he shuld not condenyth [_give satisfaction_] and therfor I soposse he shall not abyd, and I trow ye shall be fayne to purveye another man for Symond, for ye har never the nerer a wysse man for hym.

I ham sory that ye shall not [be] at hom be for Crystemes. I pray you that ye woll come as sone as ye may. I shall thynke myself halfe a wedow, because ye shal not be at home, &c. G.o.d have you in Hys kepyng.

Wretyn on Crestemes Evyn.

By yor,

M. P.

[Footnote 78-1: [From Fenn, ii. 330.] Fenn supposes with great probability that this letter was written in 1484, the year of Margaret Paston's death. No earlier date is possible, seeing that even in 1484 John Paston's eldest son was only in his seventh year, and he had at the date of this letter two sons capable of being sent on messages; so that, if anything, we should be inclined to put it later. But we know of no later death in the family that could have occasioned the writing of such a letter, and the time of Margaret Paston's death and of the proving of her will agree very well with Fenn's hypothesis. From the calendar prefixed to an old MS. missal in the possession of the late Mr. C.

W. Reynell, I found that she died on the 4th November 1484. Her will was proved at Norwich on the 18th December following.]

[Footnote 78-2: Widow of William Lovel, Lord Morley, who died the 26th of July 1476.--F.]

[Footnote 79-1: Sir Miles Stapleton died in 1466. His widow Catherine seems to have married in the following year Sir Richard Harcourt of Ellenhale (Blomefield, ix. 321), but, according to a practice not uncommon at that time, she may have retained the name of Lady Stapleton.]

[Footnote 79-2: 'Places of worship'; _i.e._, in families of distinction.]

[Footnote 79-3: To make up accounts.]

1000

ABSTRACT[79-4]

STANSTED AND HARWELLBURY

[Sidenote: 1484(?)]

The manor of Stansted is in the county of Suffolk. The estate of this manor pa.s.sed not by the deed that the estate was taken by at Huntingfeld, in Norf.,[80-1] but I claim this manor by my mother's gift.

'This manor is but a mile from Clopton's and not far from Smalbrigge, where your Grace is now.' John Barell is farmer of this manor, who, when I came to your Grace just after my mother's death, confessed before your servants, Piers Rumbold and William Smyth, that he was privy of mine estate in my mother's days, and took the farm of me at that time.

'Madam, this is the man ye sent your servant W. Smyth to, for to keep the possession there; and after he had tarried there awhile he took a promise of the farmer that he should pay no money to n.o.body without commandment from your Grace; contrary to which promise, by the favour of some folks that your Grace can deem, he hath paid my nephew a 10 or 20.' I think, Madam, you need send no man to keep possession there; but your Grace might send a servant thither to show the tenants your displeasure, inasmuch as he hath broken his promise with your Grace, and threaten to distrain.

The manor of Harwellbury is in Hertfordshire, four miles from your manor of Weston Baldok[80-2] and two from Roiston. This manor also pa.s.sed not by the estate taken in Norfolk, not being in the same shire. Of this manor 'he'[80-3] received no money, for the farmers are true and fear not his threats. The manor is worth 8.

[Footnote 79-4: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This is a paper of notes relating to the manors of Stansted in Suffolk and Harwellbury in Herts, addressed to a lady who is styled 'Madam' and 'your Grace,'

and who, though not named, was undoubtedly the d.u.c.h.ess of Norfolk.

Compare No. 962. The writer is perhaps John Paston of Gelston; in which case the date must be after 1484, as he speaks of his mother as being dead. More probably it was his uncle William, and John Paston is the nephew referred to in the paper itself. But even in that case the doc.u.ment cannot be five years earlier, as Agnes Paston died in 1479.]

[Footnote 80-1: Should be Suffolk.]

[Footnote 80-2: The Dukes of Norfolk of the family of Mowbray owned this manor.]

[Footnote 80-3: The writer's nephew?]

[[Footnote 79-4 the doc.u.ment cannot be five years earlier _printed as shown: missing "over", "more than" or similar?_]]