Paston letters and papers of the fifteenth century, Part I

MEMORANDUM TO ARBITRATORS 1426-7

Be it remembred þat where, on þe nyght next biforn þe feste of þe Circumcision of owre Lord Jesu þe removesecunde yeer of þe regne of Kyng Henry þe Sexte, certeyns maffaisours, felons and brekeres of þe Kynges peas vnknowyn, to þe noumbre of iiijxx and more by estimacion, of malice and jmaginacion forn-thowght felonowsly þe dwellyng place of John Grys of Wyghton in Wyghton in þe shyre of Norffolk brokyn, and wyth carpenteres axes þe yates and þe dores of þe seyd place hewen, and þe seyd John Grys and hys sone and a seruaunt man of hese by here bodyes tokyn and fro þe seyd dwellyng place by þe space of a myle to a peyre galwes ledden, þere hem for to have hangyd; and by-cause hem fayled ropes convenient to here felonowse purpos þe seyd John Grys, hese sone, and hys man þere felonowsely slowen and mordered in þe most orrible wyse þat euer was herd spoken of in þat cuntré. Wher-vp-on Walter Aslak, purposyng and jmaginyng to putte William Paston in drede and intollerable fere to be slayn and mordered in þe seyd forme wyth force and ageyn þe Kynges peas, on þe shyre day of Norffolk halden at Norwiche þe xxviij day of August in þe seyd secunde yeer, beyng þere þanne a grete congregacion of poeple by-cause of þe seyd shyre, in hese owne persone and by Richard Kyllyngworth, þat tyme hese seruaunt, to þe seyd William Paston swiche and so many manaces of deth and dismembryng maden and puttyn by certeyns Englishe billes rymed in partye, and vp-on þe yates of þe priorie of þe Trinité chirche of Norwiche and on þe yates of þe chyrche of þe Freres Menures of Norwiche and þe yates of þe same cité called Nedeham yates and Westewyk yates, and in othre places wyth-inne þe seyd cité, by þe seyd Walter and Richard sette, makyng mension and beryng þis vndyrstondyng þat þe seyd William and hese clerkes and seruauntes schuld be slayn and mordered in lyke fourme as þe seyd John Grys in þe seyd fourme was slayn and mordered; conteynyng also þese too wordes in Latyn, ' et cetera', by whiche wordes commvnely it was vndyrstandyn þat

þe forgeers and makers of þe seyd billes jmagyned to þe seyd William, hese clerkes, and seruauntz more malice and harm þan in þe seyd billes was expressed; wherfore þe seyd William, hese seyd clerkes, and seruauntz by longe tyme aftyr were in gret and intollerable drede and fere by þe seyd maffaisours and felons to be slayn and mordered, wherfore þe seyd William, hese clerkes, and seruauntz ne durst not at here fredom nothyr goon ne ryde. Wher-vp-on þe seyd William for hese owyn persone affermyd a pleynt of trespas ageyn þe seyd Walter and Richard. Processe contynued þer-vp-on til þe seyd Walter and Richard were founden gilty of þe seyd trespas by an jnquisicion þer-of takyn in dwe and lawefull fourme, by whiche jnquisicion þe damages of þe seyd William for þe seyd trespas were taxed to cxx li.; aftyr whiche pleynte affermyd, and tofore ony plee vp-on þe seyd pleynt pleded, þe seyd Walter and William by Thomas Erpyngham, knyght, a myghty and a gret supportour of þe seyd Walter in alle þese matiers and circumstaunces þer-of ageyn þe seyd William, were induced to trete in þe same matier in þe fourme þat folwith; þat is to seyne þat þe seyd William schuld sue forth þe seyd pleynt and þe execucion þer-of at hese owne will, and þe seyd Walter schuld defende hymself in þe seyd pleynt at hese owne will, except þat he schuld no benefice take by noon proteccion ne wrytte of corpus cum causane of no lordes lettres vp-on þe seyd sute. And what-so-euer fortunyd in þe seyd pleynt, þe proces, execucion, or þe sute þer-of, þe seyd Walter and William schuld stonde and obeye to þe ordinaunce of certeyns persones by þe seyd William and Walter arbitratores þat tyme named, if þei myghten accordyn; and ellys of a noounpier also þat same tyme named of all þe seyd trespas, pleynt, and sute and all þe circumstaunces þer-of, so þat þe seyd arbitrement and ordinaunce of þe seyd arbitratores, or ellys of þe seyd nounpier, were made wythinne xl dayes next folwyng aftyr þe jugement yeven in þe seyd pleynt. And aftyrward, þe Thursday next biforn Pentecost þe thrydde yeer of þe regne of þe seyd Kyng, at London in þe presence of þe right excellent high and myghty prynce þe Duc of Gloucestre, and by hese commaundement, atte sute and instaunce of þe seyd Thomas Erpyngham it was accordyd bytwen þe seyd William and Walter þat þei schuld stande and obeye to þe ordinaunce and award of all þe seyd matiers of tweyne of þese iiij persones: William Phelip, knyght, Henry Inglose, knyght, Oliuer Groos, and Thomas Derham chosen on þe partye of þe seyd William Paston; and tweyne of þese iiij persones: Symond Felbrygge, knyght, Bryan Stapilton, knyght, Roberd Clyfton, knyght, and John of Berneye of

Redeham chosen on þe partie of þe seyd Water, and elles þe decree and iugement of a nounpier to be chosen by þe same arbitrores. þe whiche William Phelip, Bryan Stapilton, Roberd Clyfton, Oliuer Groos, John of Berneye, and Thomas Derham takyng vp-on hem þe charge of þe makyng of þe seyd award and ordinaunce by þe assent of þe seyd Thomas Erpyngham, þe Fryday next aftyr þe feste of þe Assumpcion of Owre Lady in þe seyd thrydde yeer, at Norwiche tokyn ensurauns of þe seyd William and Walter by here feyth and here trowthez to stonde and obeye to here ordinaunce of alle þe seyd matiers; and þe same day biforn noon maden here full ordinaunce and arbitrement of alle þe same matiers in þe chyrche of þe Greye Frerys at Norwich, and aftyrward, vp-on þe same award and ordinaunce mad, hadden a commvnicacion þer-of wyth þe seyd Thomas Erpyngham, and aftyr þe same commvnicacion þe same day aftyr noon þe same ordinaunce and award wretyn was red byforn þe seyd arbitrores and þe seyd Walter and William, and examyned, agreed, and assented, and by þe seales of þe same vj arbitrores and þe seyd Walter and William was affermed and ensealed and left in þe handes of þe seyd Ser Bryan, saueliche to be kept in pleyn remembraunce of þe seyd award and ordinaunce, þe whiche award and ordinaunce þe seyd William was at all tymes redy to obeye and parfourme on-to þe seyd feste of Michelmesse þat þe seyd Walter to holde or parfourme þe seyd award pleynly refused. And where þe seyd Walter, by iugement of þe Chaunceller of Inglond þe xvj day of Jull þe seyd thrydde yeer, was remytted to þe Kynges prison at Norwich by-cause of þe seyd sute, the seyd Walter yede at large owt of warde fro þe seyd xvj day of Jull to þe seyd day of þe makyng of þe seyd arbitrement and award, and fro þat day in-to Michelmesse þanne next aftyr, þe seyd William þat meene tyme euermore supposyng þat þe seyd Walter wold have holde and parfourmyd þe seyd ordinaunce, arbitrement, and award. And at þe comyng of þe right high and myghty prynce þe Duc of Norffolk fro hys castell of Framyngham to þe cetie of Norwyche aftyr þe seyd day of þe makyng of þis arbitrement and ordinaunce, and tofore þe feste of Michelmesse þan next folwyng, þe seyd Walter by hese sotill and vngoodly enformacion caused þe seyd Duke to be hevy lord to þe seyd William, where þe seyd William þe tyme of þe seyd enformacion was, wyth Ser John Jermy, knyght, and othre of þe counseill of þe seyd Duk of Norffolk in hys lordshipes in Norffolk and Suffolk þanne to hym falle by þe deth of þe right worthy and noble lady hys modyr, occupied abowte þe dwe seruice of wryttes of diem clausit extremum aftyr þe deth of þe seyd lady; and where as þe seyd William Paston, by assignement and commaundement of þe seyd Duk of Norffolk at hese fyrst passage ouer þe see in-to Normandye in þe Kynges tyme Henry þe Fyfte, was þe styward

of þe seyd Duc of Norffolk of all hese lordshipes in Norffolk and Suffolk fro hys seyd passage vn-to þe seyd feste of Michelmesse. removeAnd ouer þat as sergeaunt of lawe, thow he be vnworthy, withholdyn wyth þe seyd Duc of Norffolk all þe tyme þat he was sergeaunt bifore þe same feste of Michelmesse. And all be it þat þe fees and þe wages of þe seyd William for hys seyd seruice vnpayed draweth a gret somme to his pouere degree, jf þe seyd Duk of Norffolk lyked of hys noble and plentifous grace to graunte to þe seyd William in right ony part of þe fauour of hese good lordship, þe seyd William wold euere be hys pouere and trewe bedeman and euere in hys herte thenke all hys seyd seruice and all þe seruice þat euere he dede to þe seyd removeDuke of Norffolk plentefousely weell rewardyd. And where þe seyd Walter þe tyme of þe seyd trespas and of þe seyd bylles makyng ne longe tofore, ne neuer aftyr biforn þe seyd comyng of þe seyd Duc of Norffolk to Norwich, ne no tyme hangyng þe seyd sute, ne þe tyme of makyng of þe seyd arbitrement and ordinaunce, neuer was seruaunt to þe seyd Duc of Norffolk at fees ne at wages, ne wythhaldyn in hese seruice, ne to hym sued to be supported by hese high lordship in þis seyd matier, to þe knowleche of þe seyd William ne to no commvne knowleche in þe shyres of Norffolk, Suffolk, ne Norwiche; the sute þat þe seyd Walter made for supportacion in þis seyd matier was be þe meene of þe seyd Thomas Erpyngham to þe seyd Duk of Gloucestre, by whose reule and commaundement þe seyd arbitrement and award was mad in þe fourme aforn seyd. And not with-stondyng þe seyd trespas and greuaunce by þe seyd Walter doon to þe seyd William, ne þat þe seyd William ne is not satisfied of þe seyd cxx li. ne no peny þer-of, and hath absteyned hym of al maner of execucion, sewyng of godes or catelles þat by force of þe seyd processe or ony othyr he myght have had ageyn þe seyd Walter or hese borwes, ne þat þe seyd William hath suffred þe seyd Walter to gon at large by long tyme whan he myght haue had hys body in warde in lawefull fourme, the seyd Walter be billes in þe too last parlementz holden at Westminster and at Leycestre, and at diuers tymes in diuers other maneres hath noysed and skaundered þe seyd William vngoodly and othyr wyse þan othyr gentilnesse or trowthe wolde, and ouermore caused þe seyd William orribly to be manassed of hys deth, betyng, and dismembryng of hys persone by certeyns seruauntz of þe Lordes Fitz-wauter and othre persones and by ferefull and ouere felle lettres and sondes, wherfore þe seyd William nothyr hese frendes ne hese seruauntz in hys companye at

here fredam sithen þe seyd parlement at Leycestre durst not, ne yet ne dar not, rydyn ne goo abowte swyche occupacion as he arn vsed and disposed, to here grete and importable drede and vexacion in here spirites and gret harme and damage and losse of here pouere goodes. removeOuermore þe seyd Walter hath sued, and yet rigerously sueth, a wrytte of decies tantum ageyns x persones of þe seyd jnquisicion and ij of þe seruauntz of þe seyd William and iiij othre persones, supposyng by hese seyd sute hem to have taken of þe seyd William in hys seyd sute lxij li. and more of moneye; the whiche sute of decies tantumþe seyd Walter betwyx God and hym knowith verraly is vntrewe. And also þe seyd Walter hath sued and yet pursuyth Adam Aubré, on of þe seyd jnquisicion, in þe court of þe seyd Duc of Norffolk of hys manoir of Fornsete by cause and occasion of þe seyd matiers, in whiche sute in þe seyd court it is proceded ageyn þe seyd Adam in other maner þanne othyr lawe, conscience, or good feyth wolde. Ouermore þe seyd William, atte commaundement of þe seyd Duc of Norffolk, hath submytted hym to stonde to þe ordinaunce of diuers persones of alle þe seyd matiers: ones at Leycestre þe Wednesday next biforn Palme Soneday þe iiij yeer of þe regne of þe seyd Kyng, a-nothyr tyme atte Reed Clyf in Aprill þe same iiij yeer, aftyr þe fourme of certey+ ns billes endented þer-of made; the whiche submission wyth alle þe circumstaunces þer-of þe seyd William hath be at alle tymes redy to obeye. The cause why þe seyd Walter by þe seyd Englyshe bylles and in othyr fourme putte and sette þe seyd William and hese seyd clerkes and seruauntz in drede and fere intollerable to be slayn and mordered, and to hem trespaced in þe fourme aforn seyd, was onely for as moche as þe seyd William was wyth þe Priour of Norwich of counseill in hese trewe defence ageyn þe entent of þe seyd Walter in a sute þat he made ageyn þe seyd Priour of a voweson of þe chyrche of Sprouston in þe counté of Norffolk, wher-to þe seyd Walter hath nothyr title suffisaunt ne right in no maner wyse by ony matier by hym declared byforn thys tyme. Thys scrowe is mad only for þe jnformacion of þe worthy and worshepfull lordes þe arbitrores, sauyng euere to þe maker þe benefice resonably to adde and amenuse, &c., his ignoraunce in swiche occupacion and defaute of leyser also tendrely considered.