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WILL OF AGNES PASTON[251.2]
B.—And after that the —— day of the monethe my seyd husbond lyyng seke on hys bede sent for me, John Paston, Bakton, and John a Dame, to here hiis wyll rede; and in owr presens all he began to reede hiis wylle, and spak fyst of me, and assynyid to me the maners of Paston, Latymer, and Schypden and Ropers, in Crowmer, for terme of my lyffe, and the manerys of Merlyngforthe, Stonsted, and Horwelbury, whyche wasse myn owne enheritans, and Oxned, whyche wasse my jontor, and [prayd me to hold me contente so, for][251.3] hadde do to lityll to ony it wasse to me, for somme he faryd the better, and so devedede (?) he ded for not of hem all, but he hadde more to care for, wyche myn as well as hys. And than he red John parte, and assynyd to hym and to hys wyffe the maner of Gressam, and after my desesse the maner of Oxned; and he, thynkyng by John Pastons demenyng that he wasse not plesyd because . . . .
C.—Swynne of slowyth that hiis wyll wasse not made up, but wot swm ever cwm of me, Dame, I wyll ze know my wyll, and seyd that swyche lond as he hadde not wrytyn in hiis wyll wott xwlde he do with all, he wold his ij. yongest sonnys, Wyllam and Clement, xwlde have, and owte of Sweynthorpe to have hiis perpetuell masse. And of thys prayd me to reporte recorde and berre wyttnesse; in qwyche disposicion and intent he continuyd in on to the day of hiis dethe, and I darre rytgh largely deposse that that same wasse hiis last wyll the tyme of hiis dethe; qwyche wyll immediatly after my husbondes decesse I hopynd and declaryd to John Paston and al the other executores of my husbond, desyeryng hem to have performyd it. And the seyd John Paston wold in no wysse agree ther to, seyying that by the lawe the seyd manerys xulde be hiis, in as moche as my husbonde made no wyll of hem in wrytyn, and gatte the dedis owte of my possession and estat of the feffees in the seyde manerys, myn unknowyng.
And after that swyche tresowre of my husbons as wasse leyde in the Abbey of Norwyche by the seyd John Paston, John Bakton, John Dam, and me, to delyvere azen to us all, the seyde John Paston owte of the seyde Abbey unknowyn to the priour or ony oder person of the seyde Abbey, and withowte my wetyn[g] and assente, or ony of owre felawys, toke and bare awey all, and kepyng it styll azens my wyll and all the tother executores wyllys, nothere restoryng the seid Wyllam and Clement to the forseyd land, nother recompensyng them of my husbonds tresor, and ordeynyng for my husbonds sowle in havyng of hiis perpetuell masse acordyng to his wyll. Werfor, in as moche as I know and understonde verrely that it wasse my husbonds wyll the tyme of hys dethe, that the seyd Wyllam and Clement xwlde have the seyd manerys of Sporle, Sweynsthorp, and Bekham, and the annuyte for hys perpetuell masse to be going owte of the seyde maner of Sweynthorp, and that the possessioners of the seyd manerys at thys day wyll in no wysse by any fayer menez or spekyng tender my seyd husbonds sowle and myn, ner perform the wyll of my seyd husbond, I wyll have and xall by the gras[e] of swyche lyvelode as I have in my possession, that is for to sey, the maners of Stonsted, Marlyngforthe, and Horwellbury, that swm tym wasse my faders and my moders, and cwm on to me by them as myn enheritance. And after my decesse if I wolde soffer it to desend, xwld goo to the wronge possessioners of the seyd manerys of Sporle, Sweynsthorp, and Bekham, qwyche xall not be lettyd for me, but if it be thorow her owne defaute, make, stalesse and ordeyn myn husbonds perpetuell masse and myn, and of the remenaunt, as swerly as can be made by the lawe, I wyll the seyd Wyllam and Clement be recompensyd to the valew of the seyde manerys of Sporle, Sweynthorpe, and Bekkam, zerly [yearly], on to the tyme that they be restoryd to the forseyd manerys of Sporle, Sweynthorp, and Bekkam, in lik forme, and lyke astat as xall be afterwards lymytyd in thys my last[253.1] [will; chargyng and requiryng the seyd Wyllam and Clement that after that they be restoryd to the manerys of Sporle, Sweynsthorp, and Bekam, they restore myn heyres to Marlyngforthe, Stons[ted], and Orwelbury.]
[251.2] [From Paston MSS.] The following appear to be three separate fragments of an original draft of Agnes Paston’s will, written on two sides of a small scrap of paper. Two of these fragments have the letters B and D prefixed to them, showing that they were intended as insertions in a part of the text now lost.
[251.3] These words are struck through with the pen.
[253.1] The word ‘will’ is omitted in the MS., and the words ‘my last’ repeated. What follows is crossed out.
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NOTE
In the Paston Genealogy drawn up by Sandford, to which we have several times before alluded, occurs another extract from the will of Agnes Paston, as follows:—
‘Also I bequeath to the Whight Fryers of the said city of Norwich, for I am there a suster, to helpe to pay hir [their] debts, xxli., which I will be gathered of the arrerage of my lyvelode. Also I bequeath to the auter of Gracion of the said House, whereas mine husband and I have a perpetuall masse, a vestment which they have for a prist to judge in or [of ?] rede satern. Also to the mendinge of the chappell of our Ladie within the said place, whereas Sir Thomas Gerbrege, my grandfather, and Dame Elizabeth his wife, and Sir Edmond Berrye my father, and Dame Alice his wife, be buried, and Clement Paston my sonn.’