The Paston Letters
Chapter 282 : JOHN, DUKE OF NORFOLK, TO JOHN PASTON[73-1]_To my right welbeloved frynde, John Paston

JOHN, DUKE OF NORFOLK, TO JOHN PASTON[73-1]

_To my right welbeloved frynde, John Paston, be this delivred in hast._

[Sidenote: 1483 / OCT. 10]

Right welbeloved frynde, I comaunde me to you. It is soo that the Kentysshmen be up in the weld, and sey that they wol come and robbe the cite, which I shall lett yf I may.

Therefore I pray you that with alle diligence ye make you redy and com hidder, and bring with you six talle felaws in harnesse, and ye shall not lyse yowr labour, that knoweth G.o.d, Whoo have you in His keping.

Written at London, the x^th day of October.

Yowr frend,

J. NORFFOLK.

[Footnote 73-1: [From Fenn, ii. 314.] Sir John Howard was created Duke of Norfolk on the 28th June 1483, and was killed in the battle of Bosworth on the 22nd August 1485. This letter seems to have been written in October 1483, when it first became known that a series of insurrections were about to take place in different counties, of which the Duke of Buckingham was the princ.i.p.al leader. It was on the 12th October, just two days after this letter was written, that King Richard himself at Lincoln heard of Buckingham's intended treason.]

995

ABSTRACT[74-1]

[Sidenote: 1484]

Proviso to be inserted in an Act of Parliament in favour of Margaret, widow of John Paston, touching her right to the manor of Castre.

Below is written--'Guy Fayrefax, Knyght, [Ric. Pygot, one of the King's Serjeants of the Law,][74-2] and Roger Townesend, [another of][74-2] the King's Serjeants of the Law.

[This proviso must have been drawn up in connection with some measure that was to have come before the Parliament of January 1484.

Earlier it cannot be, as Roger Townesend was not appointed King's Serjeant till June 1483; and as Margaret Paston died in November 1484, it could not possibly be later.]

[Footnote 74-1: [From a MS. in the Bodleian Library.]]

[Footnote 74-2: Scored out.]

996

ABSTRACT[74-3]

[Sidenote: 1484 / FEB. 8]

Release by John, Duke of Norfolk, and William, Earl of Nottingham, kinsman and heir of John, late Duke of Norfolk, to John Paston, Esq., brother and heir of Sir John Paston, Knight, of all right and t.i.tle in the manor of Caister called Redehams, Vawx, and Bosouns by Great Yarmouth, of which Sir John Paston was disseised unjustly by the said late Duke.

[Footnote 74-3: From a Doc.u.ment transcribed by Sandford in his Genealogy of the Paston Family, and printed by Mr. Wors.h.i.+p in the _Norfolk Archaeology_.]

997

THE DUKE OF SUFFOLK TO THOMAS JEFFREYS[74-4]

The Duc of Suffolk.

_To Thomas Jeffreys our ffermour of Maundevills, greting._

[Sidenote: 1484 / MAY 1]

We wole and streitly charge you that ye content and paie unto the bringer herof for money imployed in our houshold thre pound threttenne s.h.i.+llings and foure pens for such stuff as we our owne person have promysed, and not to be failed upon our wors.h.i.+p. Of the which some of lxxiij_s._ iiij_d._ so by you contented and paied, we wole and also stretly charge our auditors for the tyme being, by virtu of this our writing, signed with our hand, to make you dew and pleyn allowaunce at your next accompt.

At Wingfeld, the first day of May in the first yer of Kyng Richard the III^{de}.

SUFFOLK.

And ffayle not on peyn [of] losyng off yor fferme.

[Footnote 74-4: [From Fenn, ii. 316.]]

998

COMPLAINTS OF JOHN PASTON AGAINST HIS UNCLE WILLIAM[75-1]

[Sidenote: 1484]

All so the seyde John Paston, now compleynaunt, seyth that John Paston, fadyr off the same John, was seased off the maner callyd Hollwellhawe, wyth th'appurtenaunces in Estodenham, joyntly wyth all the londis, tenementes, rentes, and services, whyche sume tyme were John Jerham, Ewstase Rows, John Davy,[75-2] vikere off the chyrche off Estodenham, ande Water Danyell, or any off thers, lyeng in the townys off Estodenham, Mateshalle, Mateshalebergh, and othir townys adjoynyng, ande off all the londis and tenementes, rentes, services, and lybertes wyth ther appurtenaunces callyd Toleys, lyeng in the townys off Wymondham and Carleton and othir townys adyoynyng, whyche sume tyme were William Thuxston; and off the scite off on mese [_messuage_] wyth a pece londe lyenge in a croffte to the same mese adyoynyng, wyche is accomptyde xiiij. acres off londe wyth th'appurtenaunces, callyd Colneys, othyr wys callyd Whynnes in Carleton ----[75-3] in hys demeane as off ffee; ande so beyng seased ther off, up on trust enffeffede William Yelverton, Justys, John Fastolff, Knyght, Myles Stapelton, Knyght, and othir, to be hadde to them and theyr heyrs for ever, be the fores wher off they were ther off seased in theyr demeane as off ffee, ande afftyr the seyd ffeffment in forme afforseyd mad, the seyd John Paston the fadyr dissea.s.sed. The ryght off the whyche maner, londis, tenementes, and othir the premysses, afftyr the desses of the seyd John the fadyr, owith to come to the seyd John, now compleynaunt, as sone and heyr off the seyd John Paston, ffor as myche as the seyd John the fadyr made no wylle nor mencyon of the aforseyd maner, londis, tenementes, nor off othir the premysses, whyche maner, londis, and tenementes, and othir the premysses the seyd William Paston hath, and agenst the cours of the lawe ocupyeth.

Item, the seid John requerith an astate to be takyn in those londys lymyted to William the sone for deffaut off issu off Clement Paston by the will of there fadir accordyng to the seid will, as well as in those londis that ar or shuld be purchased with the m^l. [1000] mark accordyng to th'endentur mad by twyn th'executors of William Paston, Justice, that is to sey, to the seid William the son, and to the eyres of his body, and for defaute of yssue of his bodye, to remayn to th'eyers of William Paston, Justice, which the seid John is.

All so the seyd John Paston, now compleynaunt, seyth that ther be decayed at Marlyngfford and Oxenhed be meane off th'enterupsion off the seyd William tweyn water melles, wher off iche was letyn ffor x. marke be yer. And all so othir howsyng be the same ockasion at Oxenhed, Marlyngfford, Stansted, and Orwelbury decayed to the hurt off the seyd John Paston off v. C. [500] mark whech the seyd John Paston desyreth to be recompensede.

Item, the seid John axith of the seid William for wast don in the maner of Paston for lak of reparacion, xl_li._

Item, the seid William hath takyn awey owth of the maners of John Paston, that is to sey, of hes maners of Paston, Oxened, Marlyngford, Stansted, and Horwelburye, siche stoff and greynys, catell and hotilementis of the seid maners as were agreyd be the executors of the seyd William Paston, Justyse, to be left and latyn with the seid maners to the value of xl_li._

Item, the seid John axith to be restored to all the evydence longyng to the maners aforesaid and other the premysses which the seid William wrongfully witholdith.

Item, the seid John axith to hys possession which he hath of [and] in the maner of Caster and other maners adyongnyng, the relesse of all such t.i.tle and interest as the seid William hath be wey of feffement in the foresaid maner and maners, in like forme as other his cofeffes have in tyme past rela.s.sed to Sir John Paston, whoos eyre the seid John is.

Also, the seid John Paston desireth the performance of diverse comenauntis and articles conteyned in diverse indentures and writynges mad be the avise of the reverend fadir in G.o.d, William, Bisschoppe of Lyncolne,[76-1] supervisour of the testement of the seid William Paston, Justice, bytwix th'executors of the same William Paston for kepyng of the trewe intent and will of the seid William Paston, Justice, as by the same indentures and writynges redye to be schewed more pleynlye shall appere, the entent and performance of which writyng is interupted and brokyn by the seid William Paston and his meanys to the hurt and damage off the seyd John Paston, now compleynaunt off ----.[76-2]

Item, the seid William hath, contray to trouuth and conscience, vexed and trouubled and put to cost and charge the seid John nowe be the s.p.a.ce of v. yer saffe a quarter,[76-3] and hath dis...o...b..de the same John to take and perceyve th'issus and profetes off the same maners, to the hurt and damage off the seyd John in defendyng of his right off and in the maners afforeseyd of ij. m^l. mark, besyde greffe, gret labour and disseace that the seid John hath dayly be putt onto by th'okcasion afforseyd.[77-1]

Item, accordyng to the will of William Paston, Justice, the seid John axith to be restored to parth of such goodis as hath ben dispendid by John Paston the fader, Sir John Paston, and the seid John nowe compleynaunt, in defence, kepyng, and recoveryng of such londis as were William Paston, Justice, which draweth above the summa of m^l_li._

Item, where on ----[77-2] Lomnor had a cofur in kepyng and and D.m^l.

mark in the same be extymasion to the use of John Paston, fadir of the forsayed Sir John and John, the seid William Paston fraudelently atteyned the seid cofur wyth the seyd sume of money after the dissece of the seid John the fadir, and had it in his kepyng serteyn dayes, and did with it his pleasur unknowyn to the seid Sir John Paston and John Paston, his brother; and after at Herry Colettes[77-3] house the seid William brought the seid cofur to the seid John Paston, Knyght, and there openyd the seid cofur, where was then lefte but CC. old n.o.blis which wer by extymacion in value C_li._ And the seid William toke ther the seid gold awey with hym, ageyn the will of seid Sir John, and witholdith the same, whereof the seyd John preyeth to be restored.

Item, the seid William atteynyd and gate a payer of basons of silver and parte or all gilt from the seid Sir John Paston and John Paston, now compleynaunt, abouuth such season as he toke the cofur and coyne aforerehersed, which basons were in value C. mark; and the seid William yet witholdith the seid basons, to the whyche the seyd John preyeth also to be restored.