The Paston Letters Volume Ii Part 56

Item, the seid felechep make seche affrayis in the contre abowte the seid Ledehams place, and so frayith the people that dyvers persones for feer of mordyr darnot abyde in her howses, ne ride, ne walke abowte ther ocupacions, wyth owte they take gretter people abowte hem then acordith to her degre, wheche they wol not do in evel exaumple gevyng.

Item, the seid felechep of a fer cast maleys and purpose now late toke Roger Cherche, on of ther owne felechep, be hese owne a.s.sent, wheche Roger Cherche be her a.s.sent had movid and sterid a rising in the hundred of Blofeld, and hath confessed hym self to be at that arysyng, and hath enbylled, as it is seid, divers jentelmen and the most part of the trysty yomen and husbondis and men of good name and fame of the hundred abowte the seid Ledehams place, where the seid felechep is abydyng, and nameth hem wyth odyr suspecious people for risers, to the entent to hide and cover her awn gylt, and to holde them that be trw men and innosent in that mater in a dawnger and feer that they shuld not gader peopell, ner atempte to resiste ther riotows governauns of the seid reotows felechep.

[270.1][Item, it is conceyved that if the seyd riotows felechep, and they that drawe to them were dewly examyned, it shuld be knowe that if there were any seche rysyng, it was conjectyd, don, imagened, and labored be the seid reotows felechep and be ther meanes; for aswele the seid Cherche, as dyvers of the most suspeciows persones be the seid Cherche enbelled for rysers, as it is seid, be and have be of long tyme dayly in compeny wyth the seid reotows felechep.

Item, on of the seid felechep of late tyme, as it is seide, to encresse her maliciows purpose, hath proferid rewardis and goode to anodyr persone for to take upon hym to apele certeyn persones, and afferme the seying of the seid Roger Cherche.]

In wytnesse of these premesses, dyvers knytes and esquieres, and jentelmen whos names folwen, wheche knowe this mater be seying, heryng, or credible reporte, to this wrytyng have set her seall, besechyng your Lordcheppis to be meanes to the Kyng owre sovereyn Lord for remedy in this behalve. Wrete, &c.

On the lower margin of this paper, and on the back are scrawled a few additional memoranda, of which the following are the most important. One paragraph, which is in the handwriting of John Paston, is so carelessly written that the names contained in it are quite uncertain.

Memorandum, that Jon, sone of Roger Ratkliff, bet T. Baret, and Beston and Robyn Taylor tok and imprysonyd Thomas Byrdon of Ly[n]gwode. Item, Robert Dalling bet Nicholas Chirch at Stromsaw Chirch. Memorandum of mana.s.sing of the quest at Hengham. Item, Robert Dallyng bete Thomas Dallyng.

Roger att Chirche, Robert Dallyng and Herry Bang with other went with fors and armys, and fechid William Clippisby oute of his faders hous, and brought hym to the town of Walsham, and kept hym there ij. days and ij. nytys, and fro thens had hym to Romgey (?), and there inpresonyd hym and made hym [give] to Eusdale (?) an oblygacion of C. libr. made after her owyn desyr.]

[Footnote 267.3: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] The misdemeanours of Roger Church, who is here complained of among other malefactors, must refer to the same period as Letter 214. The date is rendered even more certain by a comparison with the letter following.]

[Footnote 267.4: Blank in MS.]

[Footnote 267.5: Midlent Sunday fell on the 19th March in 1452.]

[Footnote 267.6: Walter Lyhart or Hart.]

[Footnote 268.1: This paragraph is crossed in the MS.]

[Footnote 268.2: April 3, Easter day being the 9th April in 1452.]

[Footnote 268.3: April 6.]

[Footnote 268.4: After the word 'where' the original text had 'the seid Paston dwellith,' but these words have been struck out, and other alterations made in the paragraph.]

[Footnote 269.1: Eloined (French _eloigne_), removed to a distance.]

[Footnote 269.2: April 10.]

[Footnote 269.3: This paragraph is crossed out.]

[Footnote 269.4: April 1.]

[Footnote 270.1: These paragraphs are crossed through.]

[[had movid and sterid _text has "and and"_]]

218

A PEt.i.tION TO THE LORD CHANCELLOR[271.1]

_To the right reverent fader in G.o.d, Cardynale Archebusshop of York[271.2] and Chaunceler of Inglond._

Please it yowre G.o.de Lordeshep to know that oon Roger Cherche, other wyse callyd Roger Bylaugh, Roger Wryte, and Roger Baly, late[271.3] was at a gaderyng and a.s.semble of xv. persones in a feleshep under a wode in the town of Possewyke, in the counte of Norffolk, which feleshep, as it is seid be hem, was procured and gaderyd be the seid Roger Cherche and be his councelores, the same Roger seyng to summe of the same feleshep,[271.4] he had remembred a G.o.de name for her capteyn, that shuld be John Amend Alle; and the seyd Roger aftyr the seyd gaderyng aggreyd hym self to be take and examyned be persones of his own covyne, and be color of his seid feleshep of xv. persones be hym gaderyd, enbilled divers gentilmen, and many thrifty and substanciall yomen, and thryfty husbondes, and men of G.o.de name and fame, noysyng and diffamyng to the Kyng and his Councell that the seid gentilmen, yomen, and thryfty husbondes, with other, to the nombre of ccc. persones, shuld have mad a gaderyng and a risyng ageyn the Kynges peas under the seid wode, contrary to the trought; which is veryly conceyved to be don of malyce to put the seid gentilmen and yomen in feer and trobill that thei as wele as alle the contre shuld not be hardy to attempt, ne lette the purposyd malyce of the seid Cherche and his councellores in divers riottes, extorciouns, forsibil entreys and unlawfull disherytauns of gentilmen and other of the Kynges liege peple in the seid shire that thei dayly use, which riottes, extorcions, aswele as the seid untrewe diffamacions, causyth gret grudgyng, trobill, and comocyon in the seid shire. Please it yowre G.o.de grace, these premysses considered, not to suffre the seid Cherche to have no pardon of the comune grace graunted be the Kyng owre soverayn Lord un G.o.de Fryday last past,[272.1] un to the tyme that he hath fownde sufficient suerte of wel namyd persones of the seid shire of his G.o.de beryng; and to direct a comyssion un to such notabill persones in the seid shire as please you, to take and examyn the seid Roger Cherche, as wele as othre that them semyth necessary to examyn in this behalf, so that thei that be giltles in this may be so declared, and that thei that be gilty may be ponysshed acordyng to her demerytes; and to beseche the Kyng owre soverayn Lord in the behalf of the gentilmen of the seid shire that his Hignesse wull not take hem, ne any of hem, in conceyt to be of such rewle and disposicion up un enformacion of such a mysse rewled and encredibill man as the seid Roger. And thei shall pray to G.o.d for you.

[Footnote 271.1: [Add. Charter 17,241, B.M.] The date of this pet.i.tion will be seen by a footnote.]

[Footnote 271.2: Cardinal Kemp.]

[Footnote 271.3: Here the words 'before Crystma.s.se last past'

originally stood in the text, but are crossed out.]

[Footnote 271.4: Here occurs a caret referring to some illegible words in the margin.]

[Footnote 272.1: On Good Friday the 7th April 1452, Henry VI.

offered general pardons for offences against himself to all who would sue them out of Chancery. --_See_ Whethamstede, 317, 319.]

219

PARTIES IN NORFOLK[273.1]

[Sidenote: 1452]

Itt is to remembre under hos rule that the G.o.de lord[273.2] is at this day, and whiche be of his new cownseyll.

Item, that Debenham, Lee, Tymperle, and his old cownseyl and attendans, as well as the G.o.de ladijs servawntys, be avoydyd, and Tymperle of malys apelyd of treson.

Item, that the sescionys of the pees wyth owte cause was warnyd in the myddys of hervest, to grette trobill of the contre, whiche was never se in Norffolk at seche tym of the yere; and itt was unlawfully warnyd to appere with inne iiij. or v. days after the warnyng. Howbeitt the contre was before warnyd at the shyer day to have had the sescionys the Tewysday befor Michelmes.

Item, that at the seid sescionys was non other cawse of settyng thereof declaryd but a commysyon beryng date before Estern, &c., to arest, take, and expungne traytorys and rebellys, of whiche, be G.o.ddis grace, is no nede in this contre at this tyme, &c.

Item, be the demenyng of the seyd sescionys was verily conseyvid be the jantylmen of the shyer that it was set of purpose to have, be indytements, defowlyd seche personys as wer of the old counseyl with the seid Lord, and seche as kepe Wodhows lond, or seche as help or confort Osbern Munford, marchale of Kalys, in his rygth of the maner of Brayston, of whiche he is now late wrongfully dyssesyd,[273.3] and generally to have hurt all other that wold not folwe the oppynyons of the seyd new cownseyll; whiche malysiows purposid oppynyon the jantylmen of the seyd shyer that wer sworyn att the seyd sescions kowd not fynde in her conciens to observe, but dede the contrarye as it apperyth be here verdyte if itt be shewyd, &c. Remembre the verdyt of Brayston, &c.

And where on Roger Chirche, wyth on Robert Ledham, Charlys Nowell, John son of Hodge Ratcleff, and on Robert Dallyng had the rewle and kepyng of the seid maner of Brayston to the use of Thomas Danyell after the dyssesing of the seyd Osbern Monford, the seyd Roger be the comon ascent of his seyd felashep, be the colowre of xv. personys gadderid be the exitation of the seyd Roger Chyrche and his felashep, accusid many notable and thryfty men that were well willid to the seyd Munford for the seid maner of Brayston, to be ryseris, wher as the seyd thrifty men, as well as all that contre, hath at all tymys be pesyble and of no seche disposicion: It was purposid after the seid sescions, whan the intents of the seyd new cownseyl mygth not be executyd be indytements, than to have had the seyd Roger Chirche owte of the Kyngs gayle, seying that he shuld appele for the Kyng, and wold have do the sheryff delyverid hym owt of prison, howbeit he was comyttyd thidder be the justyse of a.s.syse and gayle delyvere be cawse he was indyted of fellonye, and that ther apperid not suffycient inquest to delyver hym.

Item, day seth thei labour feynid materis to hurt jentilman and odir be soch acus.e.m.e.nts, &c.

Memorandum, as itt semyth be the confescion of dyvers of the seid xv.

personys that thei were innocent and knew not whi thei a.s.semelyd but only be the excitacion of the seyd Chirche and his menys, and after the tyme of that they conseyvid itt was do to no good intent, thei never medillid forther in the mater. Item, to remembre how suttely the seyd Chirche was, be his owyn a.s.sent, led to my Lord of Norffolk be his owyn felashep to the entent to accuse and defame seche as they lovyd not.

Memorandum, of the sescion at Norwich. Memorandum, of my Lord of Somerset and of the Blak frers.

Memorandum, that Charlys Nowell is baly of Brayston, and hath ther ij_d._ on the day, and of that mater growyth his malys.

Item, memorandum of them that for fer of disclosid of her falsenes acusid odyr that they shuld not be thowth gilti hemself, and labour to have the mater handlid be her frends that the trowth shuld not be triid owt.

[Footnote 273.1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This paper bears upon the same matters as the last, and must be attributed to the same date. The MS. is a draft, with corrections in John Paston's handwriting.]

[Footnote 273.2: The Duke of Norfolk.]