[241.2] The Duchess of Norfolk.
[879]
SIR JOHN PASTON TO EDWARD IV.[242.1]
[To the King] our souverain Lord.
1475
[Sheweth] unto your highnesse your feythful liegeman and servaunt, John Paston, Knight, that wher Sir William Yelverton, William Jenney, and Thomas Howes were infeffed in certain . . . . . [to the] use of your said suppliaunt, they of grat malice confetered with oon or ij. of the counsell of my lord the Duc of Norffolk, caused the same Duc to clayme tytle unto [the mano]ir of Caster and other lands of your said suppliant, wherinne the said Yelverton and his coofeffees wer infeffed, contrary to th’entent and wille that thei wer enfeffed for; upon whiche title the said Duc with great force asseyed and entred the said manoir of Castre and other lands of your said suppliant, putting hym from the lawful possession and estate that he had in the same, and also take from him vjc. shepe and xxx. nete, and the same, with other stuf and ordinaunces longing to the same manoir, of the value of Cli. toke and caryed awey, and the said manoir diffaced, hurt, and appeired, so that it coude not be repaired with CC. marc. Also the revenues of the said lands by the space of iij. yeres, to the value of vijxx.li., the same my lord the Duke receyved, and the owtrents of the same never payed, whiche great trouble was like to be the undoing of your said suppliant; wherfor he was fayn to sue to the said Duc and lord by the meanes of his godsip the Bisshop of Wynchestre, whiche was in his special favour; at whos contemplacion, and for vc. [500] marc whiche the same your suppliant payed unto the same Duc, he graunted him to have agen his said manoir and lands, and to restor him to the possession of the same, whiche was so doen. And your said suppliant being in peasible possession, my said lord the Duc and his cofeffees, Sir William Brandon, Thomas Hoo, Rauf Ashton, and other, at the desir of my said lord, relessed their estate and interesse, as wel under my said lordes sele as under their own sele. Wherupon your said besecher continued in possession but half a yer; at whiche time he was chargid in reparacions to the somme of C. marc, and payed the owt rents dewe by the space of the said iij. yer to the some of xlli. That doon, my said lord, by sinistre motive and advice, with force agen entred the said manoir and other lands aforsaid with alle stuf of howshold being in the same manoir to the value of C. marc, and so long time hath kept and rejoysed the revenues of the said lands, and in chief the said manoir, to the value of vjxx.li. by the space of iiij. yer and mor; for redresse wherof yor said suppliant hath this said space of iiij. yer sued to my said lord and his counsell, and of alle that time the same my lord wold never suffre him to come in his presence, ne here him, ne noon other for him to declair or shewe his grief. And furthermor whanne your said besecher hath sued to the counsel of my said lord, and desired them to move his lordship therinne, and to answer him resonably and according to right, they answered that thei have shewed my said lord his request, and that he was, and is alwey, so moved and displesed with them, that thei dar nomor move him therinne. And thus yor said suppliant hath loste alle his coste and labour, to his charge by his feyth this iiij. yer in his sute, the somme of vc. marc, and now is owt of remedye, without your habundant grace be shewed in that behalve, in somoche as he is not of power t’attempt your lawes ayenst so mighty and noble estate, nor t’abide the disples of him. Wherfor please it your moost noble grace, at the reverence of God, to move my said lord to withdrawe the affeccion whiche he so hath to the said manoir and lands, and to suffre your said besecher to have and enjoye the possession of the same according to right; and he at your commandment shal relesse unto my said lord alle the damages above wretyn, whiche amount to the somme of ml.ccc.liijli. vjs. viijd., and in time to come, with Goddes grace, be the mor hable to do you service, and also specially preye to God for the conservacion of your moost noble persone and estate royall.
Endorsed in a later hand— . . . . Paston mil. Regi pro . . . . . . . . . Norff. in . . . . . de Caister.
[242.1] [From a MS. in the Bodleian Library.] The Castle of Caister was surrendered to the Duke of Norfolk in September 1469, but he must have been taking the rents of the manor for a year or two before. From what is stated in this petition, the Duke must have given it up again in the end of the year 1470, i.e. during the restoration of Henry VI.; but he entered again after half a year, and the date of this second entry is given by William Worcester as the 23rd June 1471. After this, the petition says, he kept possession for four years and more, so that the date of the document must be towards the close of the year 1475. The Duke died on the 17th January 1476.
[880]
ABSTRACT[244.1]
Robert Whynbergh to Sir John Paston
Has ridden 100 miles to get out the obligation of Craksheld and Salter. Has been opposed by Mr. Lovell, as they are his tenants. Understands it is in my lord’s closet, and the tenants are warned to pay no money without it. They keep from him the farm of the Priors Maner as well as Strehalle.[244.2] Desires him to write to Mr. William Paston to inform my lord of a wrongful distress taken by John Markham at Strehall in Cressingham, which is held of the King’s manor of Necton. They took cattle in lambing time in March, in the 14th year of this King, ‘and put Craksheld and Salter in such fear of losing of their cattle that they were bound to my lord by obligation, and Craksheld is dead for thought.’ Will take the letter to Mr. William though it cost him fourteen days’ labor. Was five weeks riding ‘to Canterbury, and again I will no longer drive, for in winter I may not ride,’ etc.