The Paston Letters Volume Ii Part 8

(1429-30) or that of 12 Hen. VI. (1433), which sat till 21st December. Probably the latter.

[Sidenote: 1434(?)]

Plese it to Commines of the present Parlement, that William Paston, on of the Justice of oure Saverayne Lorde Kyng, takyth diverse fees and rewardes of diverses persones withinne the shir of Norffolk and Suffolk, and is with holde with every matere in the sayde contrees, that is for to sey:--Of the Toune of Yernemuth, 1_s._ yerly; of the Abot of Seyn Benetys. xxvj_s._ viij_d._; of the Prior of Seyn Feithes, xx_s._; 'and of my Lady Rothenhale,[39.1] xx_s_'; and of the Prior of Norwich, x_s._; and of the Prior of Penteney, xx_s._; and of the Toun of Lenn, xl_s._; and of the Prior of Walsyngham, xx_s._; and of Katherine Shelton,[39.2]

x. mrc. ayeins the Kyng for to be of hir councell for to destroye the right of the Kyng and of his warde, that is for to sey, Raf,[39.3] soon and eyer of John Shelton.

[Footnote 38.1: [From Fenn, iii. 14.]]

[Footnote 39.1: This sentence in the original has a line drawn over it. She was a widow of Sir John Rothenhale, Knight, and dying at Caister, by Yarmouth, in 1440, was buried in Norwich Cathedral.--F. _See_ Nos. 13 and 15, _ante_.]

[Footnote 39.2: Catharine, widow of William Shelton, Esq., and daughter of Simon Barret, was grandmother to Ralph, and died in 1456.--F.]

[Footnote 39.3: Sir Ralph Shelton, Knight, son and heir of John Shelton, Esq., was born in 1430. He married Margaret, daughter of Robert Clere, Esq. of Ormesby, and was High Sheriff of Norfolk.--F.]

26

ABSTRACT[39.4]

[Sidenote: 1435 / SEPT. 26]

Lease made at Castre, on Monday before Michaelmas 14 Henry VI., by Geoffrey Walle, surveyor of the manors of Sir John Fastolf, to John Rakesond, son of Geoffrey Rakesond of Ormesby, of a messuage of Fastolf's in Ormesby, called Reppes Place, etc.

[Footnote 39.4: [Phillipps MS., 9,735, No. 264.]]

27

ABSTRACT[40.1]

[Sidenote: 1435 / SEPT. 30]

A _vidimus_ or official attestation of two indentures relative to the custody of the castle of Le Mans between Sir John Fastolf, governor of Anjou and Maine, and captain of Le Mans under the Duke of Bedford, and Matthew Goth [Gough] and Thomas Gower as his lieutenants. The first indenture is for the quarter from 1st October to 31st December 1434, the second for the three quarters following, to 30th September 1435.

A retinue is to be maintained of twenty-four lances and the 'archiers de la personne dudit Mathieu,' viz., sixty mounted and fourteen on foot, and 222 archers besides. Mounted archers to have 12_d._ a day, etc.

The doc.u.ment is authenticated by the _garde du scel des obligations de la Viconte de Rouen_, on the 8th March 1448 (i.e. 1449).

28

NOTE[40.2]

[Sidenote: 1432-5]

Building accounts of William Granere, master of the works at Caistre in 11, 12, and 13 Henry VI.

[Footnote 40.1: [Add. Charter 17,237, B.M.]]

[Footnote 40.2: [Add. Charters 17,229-31, B.M.]]

29

JOHN GYNE TO JOHN PASTON[40.3]

_To the worthy and worshipful sir and my good maister, John Paston of Trynyte hall in Cambrigge_

[Sidenote: 1435-6]

Right worthy and worshipfull sir, and my good maister, I comaund me to yow. Like it yow to witte that on the Soneday next after the Ascencion of oure Lord, in the high weye betwex Cambrigge and the Bekyntre toward Newmarket, I fonde a purs with money ther inne. Th'entent of this my symple lettre is this, that it please to your good Maistership by weye of charite, and of your gentilnesse, to witte if ony of youre knowleche or ony other, swich as yow semeth best in your discrecion, have lost swich a purs, and, the toknes ther of told, he shal have it ageyn, what that ever he be, by the grace of oure Lord, Who ever have yow in his blissed kepyng. Wretyn at Sneylewell the Moneday next after the seid Soneday. By youre pover servaunt,

JOHN GYN.

[Footnote 40.3: [Add. MS. 34,888, f. 4.] Fenn has written on the MS. of this letter the date '_circa_ 1435-6,' which, I agree with him, must have been about the time that it was written.]

30

WILLIAM PASTON TO LORD ----[41.1]

[Sidenote: 1436]

Paston recomaund hym to youre good lordeship, w.i.l.l.yng with all his herte to doo yow servise to his symple power. And as touching the maner of Walsham he seyth that at your comaundement he wille be redy to shewe yow and preve that the seid maner and all the vesture and crop therof this yeer by trewe t.i.tle in lawe and conscience is his owen trewly, bowth and in gret party payed for, and that John Roys never hadde non estate in the seid maner, but oonly occupied it by suffraunce of the seid Paston and other feffes in the seid maner, and that be bargayn of the seid maner th'estate that the seid Roys shuld have hadde in the seid maner and in stoor therof shul have be condicionel to be voide and nought for defaute of payement, and that the seid John Roys ne kept not his dayes of the payementz, &c.; and that the seid William Paston, in the lyve of the seid John Roys, for defaute of payment entred in the seid maner with the seid the crop and the vesture of this yeer therof than therupon, and that the seid John Roys never at noo tyme payed to the seid John Baxtere sith the seid bargeyn, nother for the seid bargeyn ne for the dette he aught to hym, more thaune an C. and xl. marcz, wherof he borwed ageyn of the seid John Baxtere xl_li._; and over that he oweth and beforn the seid bargeyn aught by his obligacion to the seid John Baxtere, of trew dette of mony borwed, other xl_li._, and hath hadde and taken the profitz of the seid maner by iij. hool yer before his deth to the value of x.x.x_li._ and more, and that he receyved in his said bargayn of the seid John Baxtere xl. marcz worth of stoor; the which iiii^{xx}li. of dette and x.x.x_li._ of the profitz of the seid maner, and xl. marcz worth of stoor, maketh the somme of Cx.x.xvi_li._ xiij_s._ iiij_d._ Wherof, thogh the lawe wille it not, were abated, if conscience required it, Cxl. marcz payed by the seid John Roys and x_li._ for the value of the seid crop, over the value of the verray ferme of the seid maner for this yeer, yet remanyneth dwe to the executoures of the seid John Baxter liij_li._ vj_s._ viij_d._, and all the t.i.tle and interesse of the seid John Roys his heyres and a.s.signes in the seid maner lawfully and in conscience extincted and adnulled. Wher upon the said Paston lowly besecheth your good lordeship that if it may be preved this mater be trew that ye wille not be displesed thogh he desire to have his fre disposicion of the seid maner.

On the back of this letter are the following memoranda:--

'Haec billa ... ... [testatur][42.1] quod Johannes Baxtere vendidit Johanni Roys mesuagium suum [vocatum][42.1] Walccham place, c.u.m toto stauro ibidem vivo et mortuo in Bryanes, c.u.m omnibus aliis terris et tenementis suis, liberis et nativis, c.u.m pertinentiis, ex parte occidentali ecclesiae North Walsham, et molendinum ventritic.u.m et mesuagium nuper Rogeri atte Hille, c.u.m omnibus redditibus et servitiis pertinentibus dictis mesuagio et tenemento ubic.u.mque fuerint in comitatu Norffolk, pro iijC. marcis et l. marcis; unde dictus Johannes Roys solvit dicto Johanni Baxtere die Jovis proximo ante festum Apostolorum Simonis et Judae anno regni regis Henrici VI.

xij., C. m., et habet diem solvendi residuum, videlicet ad festum Nativitatis Domini et festum sancti Michaelis proximo futurum xl.

marcas annuatim, quousque dictae CCC. marcae et l. marcae plenarie persolvantur. Datum die Jovis praedicto. Haec praedicta de manu Thomae Whitewelle.'

Then after two further imperfect entries relating to the same matter:--

'Memorandum, quod licet esset concordatum quod W. Roys haberet barganium, &c., quod, ut credo, non ita erit, tunc in festo Nativitatis Domini anno regni regis Henrici VI. xv debentur executoribus de eodem barganio C. marcae praeter et ultra Cxl. marcas per Johannem Roys in vita sua solutas et xl_li._ de antiquo per dictum Johannem Roys Johanni Baxter debitas, videlicet per obligacionem suam x.x.xv_li._ inde, et ex mutua sua obligacione v_li._ de Perey n.o.ble (?), ut patet per papirum dicti Baxter, et ultra xl_li._ per dictum Johannem Baxter post dictum barganium dicti Johanni Roys per obligacionem ... ejusdem Johannis Roys praest.i.tas.

Memorandum eciam quod dictus Johannes Roys nec uxor ejus unquam protulerunt aliquem denarium solvendum dictis ... dicti Johannis Baxter nec Willelmo Paston post mortem dicti Baxter. Set circa Nativitatem Domini anno regni dicti regis xiiij et in quadragesima tunc proximo sequente uxor dicti Roys apud Paston dixit quod habuit xx. marcas paratas ad solvendum. Et sic dixit Johannes Roys tempore quo Domina Skales fuit apud Paston, videlicet ix. die Januarii dicto anno xiiij et sic omnibus temporibus quibus dictus J. Roys et uxor ejus ut praedicitur dixerunt quod habuerunt xx. marcas paratas ad solvendum semper fuerunt arretro xl_li._ absque dictis xl_li._ novi debiti et xl_li._ antiqui debiti.'

[Footnote 41.1: [Add. MS. 34,889, f. 140.]]

[Footnote 42.1: Mutilated.]

31

NOTE

[Sidenote: 1436 / MAY 19]

Fenn mentions an indenture, dated 19th May 1436, 14 Henry VI., and signed by the Earl (afterwards Duke) of Suffolk, from which he has given a facsimile of Suffolk's signature. See vol. i. p. 36.--The original of this indenture I have not met with.