The Paston Letters Volume V Part 67

J. WHETLEY.

[Footnote 320-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.]]

[Footnote 321-1: Corpus Christi Day, the Thursday after the Octave of Whitsuntide, was famous for the acting of Mysteries, particularly at Chester.--F.]

[Footnote 321-2: Richard Farrer, Farrour, or Ferriour, was five times Mayor of Norwich, namely, in 1473, 1478, 1483, 1493, and 1498.--F.]

[Footnote 322-1: The will now made by Margaret Paston was afterwards cancelled, as that which was proved after her death in 1484 was dated on the 4th of February 1482, 21 E. IV.]

[Footnote 323-1: John de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk, etc., married Elizabeth, third daughter of Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, and sister of Edward IV. They both lie buried at Wingfield, in Suffolk.--F.]

[[be thys delyvered in hast _final italic "d" misprinted as "a"_]]

933

MARGARET PASTON TO SIR JOHN PASTON[323-2]

_To the ryght worshypfull Sir John Paston, Knyght._

[Sidenote: 1478 / MAY 27]

I greet yow well and send yow G.o.ddys blyssyng and myn, latyng yow wete that I have sent yow be Whetele the clothe of golde, chargyng yow that it be not solde to none other use than to the performyng of yowyr fadyrs toombe, as ye send me worde in wrytyng; yf ye sell yt to any othyr use, by my trowthe, I shall never trost yow wyll I leve.

Remembyr that yt coste me xx^ti marke the pleggyng owte of yt, and yf I wher not glad to se that made, I wolde not departe from it. Remembyr yow what charge I have had with yow of late, whyche wyl not be for my ease this ij. yer; whan ye may better, I trost ye whyll remembyr yt.

My cosyn Clere dothe as meche coste at Bromhom as whylle drawe an C_li._ upon the deskys in the quere, and in othyr places, and Heydon in lyke whyse, and yf ther shulde no thyng be don for yowyr fadyr, yt wolde be to gret a schame for us alle, and in cheffe to se hym lye as he dothe.

Also as I understond that my cosyn Robert Clere thynkyth gret on kyndenesse in delyng wyth hym of Pec.o.ke, for certeyn pasture that ye[324-1] grawntyd hym to have, and Pec.o.ke hath letyn it to othyr, suche as he lyste to lete yt to, not withstondyng my cosyn hath leyd the pastur with hys catell, and Pec.o.k hathe strenyd them.

I thynk thys delyng is not as yt shulde be. I wolde that iche of yow shulde do for other, and leve as kynnysmen and frendys; for suche servawnts my make trobyll by twyxe yow, wheche wher a ageynste cortesy, so nyhe newbors as ye be, he is a man of substance and worchyp, and so wylle be takyn in thys schyr; and I wer lothe that ye shulde lese the good wylle of suche as may do for yow.

Item, wher as ye have begonne your cleyme in Heylysdon and Drayton, I pray G.o.d send yow good spede and foderance in yit. Ye have as good a season as ye wulde wysche, consyderyng that yowyr adversary standys not in best favyr with the Kynge.

Also ye have the voyse in this contre, that ye may do as meche with the Kyng, as any knygth that ys longyng to the corte. Yf yt be so, I pray G.o.d contynu yt; and also that ye shuld mary rygth nygth of the Qwenys blood; qwat sche ys we are not as certeyn, but yf yt be so, that yowyr lond schuld come agayne by the reason of yowyr maryage, and to be sett in rest, at the reverence of G.o.d for sake yt nowt, yf ye can fynde in yowyr harte to love hyr, so that sche be suche one as ye can thynke to have issu by, or ellys, by my trowthe, I had rather that ye never maryd in yowyr lyffe.

Also, yf yowyr mater take not now to good effecte, ye and all yowyr frendys may repent them that ye began yowyr cleyme, with owte that ye have take suche a suyr wey, as may be to yowyr intent, for many inconvenyens that may falle ther of. G.o.d send yow good spede in all yowyr maters.

Wretyn at Mawteby, the day after Seynt Austyn in May, the xviij. yer of Kyng Edward the iiij^te.

Be yowyr Modyr.

[Footnote 323-2: [From Fenn, ii. 264.]]

[Footnote 324-1: Fenn's literal text reads 'that be grawntyd,'

which seems to be an error. In the modern transcript it is 'that ye granted.']

934

OXNEAD PARSONAGE[325-1]

_The comodytys off the parsonage and the valew off the benyfyce off Oxned._

[Sidenote: 1478 / JULY 31]

My new parson off Oxned, whan he is instute and inducte, at the first entre in to the chyrch and benefyce off Oxned, must off awncyent custom long contynued with in the dyosesse off Norwyche, pay to the byschopp off Norwych, for the first frutes off the seyd benefyce, xiiij. marke; for wyche xiiij. marke, iff the new parson be wytty and have favour a bowt the Byschops offycers, he schall have days off paiment to pay the seid xiiij. marke in xiiij. yere, that is, a marke a yere, till it be payd; so that he can fynd suffycyent mene to be bownd to the Bischopp be obligacion to kepe his days off payment.

And the chyrch is but litill, and is resonable plesaunt, and reparyd.

[And the] dwellyng place of the parsonage is a yoynyng to the ... .

... d well howsyd and reparyd, hall, chamberes, barn, doffhowse, and all howsys off offyce.

And it hath a doffhowse worth a yere, xiiij_s._ iiij_d._

And it hath ij. large gardens with frute, and is yonynge to the place and chyrch yard, wher off the frute is worth yerly, xxvj_s._ viij_d._

And ther longith to the seid parsonage in fre lond, arable, pasture and medowe ayonyng to the seid parsonage, xxij^ti acre or more, wher off every acre is worth ij_s._; to latyn [_to let_], iij_li._ iiij_d._

And William Paston, Justice, qwan he[326-1] cam fyrst to dwell in the maner of Oxned, paid to the parson that was than for the corne growyng on the parsonage londys and for the tythynges, ondely but in corne whan it was inned in to the barn, xxiiij_li._

And the same yere the parson had all the awterage and oder profytes be syde the seyd xxiiij_li._

It is yerly worth, as the world goth now, x_li._

And it is b.u.t.t an esy cure to kepe, ffor ther ar natt past xx^ti persons to be yerly howselyd.[326-2]

The parsonage stant be a fresh ryver syde.

And ther is a good markett town callyd Alysham, within ij. myle off the parsonage.

And the cyte of Norwych is within vj. myle off the parsonage.

And the see is within x. myle off the parsonage.

And if a parson cam now, and warr presentyd, inst.i.tute, and inducte, he shuld have by the lawe all the cropp that is now growyng, that was eryd and sowyn off the old parsons cost, growyng on the parsonage landes now, as his own good, and all the tyth off all maner graynys off the maner, londes, and tenantes londes,[326-3] towardes his charges off the fyrst frutes. And if it ware innyd it war (the crop now growyng)[326-4] worth his first frutes.

[327-1]He that hath this benefice, and he were a pore man, myght have lycens to have service be side.

The Beshop ought not to have the valew of this cropp for the arrerages of the fyrst fruttes that Sir Thomas Everard, last parson of Oxned, oght to the Bysshop whan he died, for the said Sir Thomas Everard was bond to the Bisshop in an obligacion for the said frutes, and the said Sir Thomas Everard, for to defraude the Bysshop and oder men that he owid mony to, gaff a way his gooddes to serten persons, qwech persons toke a way the said goodes, and also durres and wyndow of the said parsonage; and it is though that both the Bysshop and the patron myght take accions a gayns the said persons.

[Footnote 325-1: [From Paston MSS., B.M.] The date of this doc.u.ment is shown by the following mutilated endors.e.m.e.nt: '... .

... ... parsonage of Oxnede made x.x.xj. Julii, A^o xviij^o E.

iiij^ti.' The first words were doubtless 'The value of,' or something to that effect; but the paper is mutilated.]

[Footnote 326-1: 'William Paston, Justice, qwan he.' These words are a correction, interlined, in the hand of William Paston, the uncle of Sir John. The text stood originally, 'And my hosbond and I whan we.']

[Footnote 326-2: _i.e._ to receive the sacrament.]