Paston letters and papers of the fifteenth century, Part I

Walter Paston

TO MARGARET PASTON 1479, 05, 19

To his worchypfull moder Margaret Paston, dwellyng in Mawtby, be + þis letter delyveryd in hast.

Rytgh reverent and worchypfull moder, I recomavnd me on-to yowre good moderchypp, besechyng yow to geve me yowre dayly benedyiccyon, desyeryng hartyly to heere of yowre prosperyté, whych God preserve to hys plesure and to yowre hartys desyyre, &c. I marvel soore that yow sent me noo word of the letter wych I sent to yow by Master Wylliam Brown at Ester. I sent yow word that tym that I xold send yow myn exspenses partyculerely, but as at thys tym the berare here-of had a letter sodenly that he xold com hom, and there-fore I kowd have noo leysure to send them yow on that wys; and there-fore I xall wryt to yow in thys letter the hool som of my exspenses sythyns I was wyth yow tyll Ester last paste, and also the reseytys, rekenyng the xx s. that I had of yow to Oxon. wardys, wyth the Buschopys fyndyng. The hool som of reseytys ys v li. xvij s. vj d., and the holl som of exspenses ys vj li. v s. v d. ob. qua.; and that comth over the reseytys in my exspenses I have borowd of Master Edmund, and yt drawyth to viij s., and yet I recon non exspenses sythyns Ester; but as fore them they be not grete. And there-fore I besech yow to send me mony by Syre Richard

Cotman, brynger of thys letter, ore ellys by the next masenger that yow kan have to me. I besech yow that he that I sent by thys letter to yow may have good schere yf he bryng yt hym-selfe, as he telth me that he woll, fore he ys a good lover of myn. Master Edmund Alyard recomavnd hym specyaly to yow, and to all my brodyrn and systyrs and to all yowre howsold, and I besech yow that I may be recomavndyt to all them also, and specyaly to my brodyre John þe yonger. No more to yow at thys tym, but Allmythy Iesus have yow in hys kepyng, amen. Wretyn at Oxonforth on Seynt Dunstonys Day and þe xix day of May. By yowre soun and scolere Walter Paston

TO JOHN PASTON II 1479, 05, 22

To hys ryth reverend broder Ser John Paston at Caster Hall in Norfolk.

After all dw reverens and recomendacions, likyth yt yow to vnderstond that I reseyvyd a letter fro my broder John wher-by I vnderstod that my moder and yow wold know what þe costys of my procedyng schold be. I sent a letter to my broder John certyfyyng my costys and þe causys why that I wold procede; but as I have sent word to my moder I purpose to tary now tyll yt be Mychylmas, for yf I tary tyll than sum of my costys schall be payyd for. I supposed whan that I sent þe letter to my broder John that þe Qwenys broder schold have procedyd at Mydsomer, but he woll tary now tyll Michylmas; but, as I send word to my moder, I wold be inceptor be-for Mydsomer, and ther-for I besechyd her to send me sum mony, fore yt woll be sum cost to me, but not mych. And, Syr, I besech yow to send me word what answer ye have of þe Buschopp of Wynchester for that mater whyche ye spak to hym of for me whan I was wyth yow at London. I

thowth fore to have had word ther-of or thys tym. I wold yt wold com, for owr fyndyng of þe Buschopp of Norwych begynnyth to be slake in payment. And yf ye know not whath thys term menyth, 'inceptor', Master Edmund, that was my rewlere at Oxforth, berar her-of, kan tell yow, or ellys any oder gradwat. Also I pray yow send me word what ys do wyth þe hors I left at Totnam, and whyder þe man be content that I had yt of or nat. Iesu preserve yow to hys pleswr and to yowr most hartys desyyr. Wretyn at Oxforth þe Saturday next after Ascensyon of Owr Lord. Walter Paston

TO JOHN PASTON III 1479, 06, 30

To hys ryth trusty and hartyly belovyd broder John Paston, abydyng at þe + Georg at Powlys Qwharfe in London, be þis letter delyueryd.

Rygth worchypfull and hartyly belovyd broder, I recomaund me on-to yow, desyeryng feythfoly to here of yowr prosperyté, qwhych God preserve; thankyng yow of dyverse letterys that yow sent me. In the last letter that yow sent to me ye wryt that yow schold have wryt in the letter that yow sent by Master Brown how that I schold send yow word what tym that I schold procede; but there was non such wrytyng in that letter. The letter is yet to schew, and yf yow com to Oxon. ye schal see the letter, and all the leterys that yow sent me sythynnys I cam to Oxon. And also Master Brown had that sam tym mysch mony in a bage, so that he durst nat bryng yt wyth hym, and that sam letter was in that sam bage, and he had for-gete to take owt the letter, and he sent all to-geder by London; so that yt was þe next day after that I was maad bachylere ore than þe letter cam, and so þe fawt was not in me. And yf ye wyl know what day I was maad baschylere, I was maad on Fryday was sevynyth, and I mad my fest on the Munday after. I was promysyd venyson a-geyn my fest of my Lady Harcort and of a-noder man

to, but I was deseyvyd of both; but my gestys hewld them plesyd wyth such mete as they had, blyssyd be God, hoo have yow in hys kepyng, amen. Wretyn at Oxon. on the Wedenys-day next after Seynt Peter. W. Paston

COPY OF WILL 1479, 08, 18

vltima voluntas Walteri Paston, clerici.

In Dei nomine, amen. Ego Walterus Paston, clericus, in bona et sana memoria existens, condo testamentum meum apud Norwicum xviijo die mensis Augusti in hunc modum. In primis lego animam meam Deo Omnipotenti, Beate Marie, et omnibus sanctis, et corpus meum ad sepeliendum in ecclesia Sancti Petri de Hundegate coram ymagine Sancti Johannis Baptiste. Item, lego summo altari prefate ecclesie iij s. iiij d. Item, lego reparacioni ecclesie supradicte ij s. vj d. Item, Fratri Johanni Somerton, bachalaureo, v s. Item, lego Magistro Edmundo vnam togam penulatam cum manicis de mynkys. Item, lego Roberto Wulff vnam togam viridem cum chamelet. Item, lego Roberto Holand, filio spirituali, togam meam curtam. Item, lego Magistro Roberto Hollar vnam togam penulatam cum gray. Item, lego Johanni Parkere mantellum meum rubeum. Item, lego Magistro Roberto Hollere vnum puluinar vocatum le bolstar. Item, lego Magistro Edmundo Alyard vnum puluinar. Item, lego Ricardo Richardson vnam togam penulatam ad manus cum menyver. Item, volo quod residuum bonorum meorum in Oxonia sit ad vsum Magistri Edmundi Alyard, sic quod soluat principali Johanni Skelton et Thome Coco. Item, volo quod oues mee quas habet Willelmus Bataly senior in villa de Mawteby diuidantur equaliter inter fratrem meum Edmundum Paston et sororem meam Annam Yeluerton et sororem meam Margeriam Paston vxorem fratris mei Johannis Paston. Item, lego terras et tenementa manerij mei de Cressyngham, si possum dare, fratri meo Johanni Paston, armigero, sibi et heredibus suis, sub condicione ista quod

si contingat fratrem meum predictum Johannem paston esse heredem patris mei quod nullo modo habeat terras et tenementa predicta, sed quod frater meus Edmundus Paston habeat terras et tenementa predicta sibi et suis heredibus. Residuum vero bonorum non legatorum lego et do disposicioni executorum meorum vt et ipsi fideliter disponant pro anima mea. Huius autem testamenti mei executores condo per presentes fratrem meum Johannem Paston, armigerum, pro ista patria et Magistrum Edmundum Alyard pro bonis meis remanentibus Oxonie.