Paston letters and papers of the fifteenth century, Part I

PETITION TO EDWARD IV 1475

to þe King our souuerain lord

Sheweth vnto your highnesse your feythful liegeman and seruaunt John Paston, knight, that where Ser William Yeluerton, William Jenney, and Thomas Howes were infeffed in certain ...to þe vse of youre said suppliaunt, they of great malice, confetered with oon or ij of þe counsell of my lord þe Duc of Norffolk, caused the same Duc to clayme tytle vnto

þe manoire of Caster and other landes of your said suppliant, wherinne þe said Yeluerton and his coofeffees were infeffed, contrary to þ'entent and wille þat þei were enfeffed fore; vpon whiche title the said Duc with great force assegid and entred þe said manoire of Castre and other landes of your said suppliant, putting hym from þe lawful possession and estate þat he had in þe same, and also take from him vjc shepe and xxx nete, and þe same with other stuf and ordinaunces longing to þe same manoire of þe value of c li. toke and caryed awey, and þe said manoire diffacid, hurt, and appeired, so þat it coude not be repaired with cc marc. Also þe revenues of þe said landes by þe space of iij yeres to þe value of vijxx li. þe same my lord the Duke receyued and þe owt rentes of þe same never payed; whiche great trouble was like to be þe vndoing of your said suppliant. Wherfore he was fayn to sue to þe said Duc and lord by þe meanes of his godsip þe Bisshop of Wynchestre, whiche was in his special favour; at whos contemplacion, and for vc marc whiche þe same your suppliant payed vnto the same Duc, he graunted him to haue ayen his said manoire and landes and to restore him to þe possession of the same, whiche was so doon. And your said suppliant being in peasible possession, my said lord þe Duc and his cofeffees, Ser William Brandon, Thomas Hoo, Rauf Ashton, and other, at þe desire of my said lord relessed þeire estate and interesse aswel vnder my said lordes sele as vnder þeire own seles; wherupon your said besecher continued in possession but half a yere, at whiche time he was chargid in reparacions to þe somme of c marc, and payed þe owt rentes dewe by þe space of þe said iij yere to þe somme of xl li. That doon, my said lord, by sinistre mocion and aduice with force ayen entred þe said manoire and other landes aforsaid, with alle stuf of howshold being in þe same manoire to þe value of c marc, and so long time hath kept and reioysed þe revenues of þe said landes, and in chief þe said manoire, to þe value of vjxx li, by þe space of iiij yere and more. For redresse wherof your said suppliant hath þis said space of iiij yere sued to my said lord and his counsell, and of alle þat time þe same my lord wold never suffre hym to comme in his presence ne here him, ne noon other for him, to declare or shewe his grief. And forthermore, whanne your said besecher hath sued to þe counsel of my said lord and desired þem to moue his lordship þerinne, and to ansuere him resonably and according to right, they ansuered þat þei haue shewed my said lord his request, and þat he was, and is alwey, so moved and displesid with þem þat þei dar nomore move him þerinne. And þus your said suppliant hath loste alle his coste and laboure, to his charge, by his feyth, this iiij yere in his sute þe somme of vc marc, and now is owt of remedye without youre habundant grace be shewed in þat behalue, in somoche as he is not of power t'attempte youre lawes ayenst so mighty and noble estate, nor t'abide þe displeser of him.

Wherfore please it your moost noble grace, at þe reuerence of God, to move my said lord to withdrawe þe affeccion whiche he so hath to þe said manoire and landes, and to suffre your said besecher to haue and enioye þe possession of þe same according to right; and he at youre commandment shal relesse vnto my said lord alle þe dammages aboue wretyn, whiche amounte to þe somme of ml ccc liij li. vj s. viij d., and in time to comme, with Goddes grace, be þe more hable to do you seruice, and also specially preye to God for þe conseruacion of youre moost noble persone and estate royall.