6)***


E-text prepared by Louise Hope, Chris Curnow, and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made
available by Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries
(http://archive.org/details/toronto)



Note: Images of the original pages are available through
      Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries. See
      http://archive.org/details/pastonlettersad02gairuoft

      Project Gutenberg has the other volumes of this work.
         Volume I: see http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/43348
         Volume III: see http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41024
         Volume IV: see http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41081
         Volume V: see http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/42239
         Volume VI, Part 1 (Letters, Chronological Table): see http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/42240
         Volume VI, Part 2 (Index): see http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/42494


Transcriber's note:

      The Gairdner edition of the Paston Letters was printed in six
      volumes. Each volume is a separate e-text; Volume VI is further
      divided into two e-texts, Letters and Index. Volume I, the
      General Introduction, will be released after all other volumes,
      matching the original publication order.

      Except for footnotes and sidenotes, all brackets are in the
      original, as are parenthetical question marks and (_sic_)
      notations. Series of dots representing damaged text are as in
      the printed original.

      The year was shown in a sidenote at the top of each page; this
      has been merged with the sidenote at the beginning of each
      Letter or Abstract.

      A carat character is used to denote superscription. The
      character(s) following the carat is superscripted (example:
      xxviii^me). Braces { } are used only when the superscripted
      text is immediately followed by non-superscripted letters
      or period (full stop). Errata and other transcriber's notes
      are shown in [[double brackets]]. The notation "corrected by
      editor" refers to the Errata printed in Volume VI. "(o)" is
      used to represent the male ordinal.

      Footnotes have their original numbering, with added page
      number to make them usable with the full Index. They are
      grouped at the end of each Letter or Abstract.

      Typographical errors are listed at the end of each Letter,
      after the footnotes. In the primary text, errors were only
      corrected if they are clearly editorial, such as missing
      italics, or mechanical, such as u-for-n misprints. Italic "d"
      misprinted as "a" was a recurring problem. The word "invisible"
      means that there is an appropriately sized blank space, but the
      letter or punctuation mark itself is missing. The spelling
      "Jhon" is not an error. Gresham and Tresham are different
      people.

      Note that the printed book used z to represent original small
      letter yogh. This has not been changed for the e-text.





This edition, published by arrangement with Messrs. ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE
AND COMPANY, LIMITED, is strictly limited to 650 copies for Great
Britain and America, of which only 600 sets are for sale, and are
numbered 1 to 600.

  No. 44.

  [[The number 44 is handwritten.]]


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           *       *       *       *


              THE PASTON LETTERS

                A.D. 1422-1509


           *       *       *       *
       *       *       *       *       *


THE PASTON LETTERS
A.D. 1422-1509

New Complete Library Edition

Edited with Notes and an Introduction

By
JAMES GAIRDNER
of the Public Record Office

_VOLUME II_







London
Chatto & Windus

[Decoration]

Exeter
James G. Commin
1904

Edinburgh: T. and A. CONSTABLE, Printers to His Majesty




THE PASTON LETTERS

_Early Documents_


Before entering upon the correspondence of the Paston family, in the
reign of Henry VI., we have thought it well to give the reader a brief
note of such deeds and charters of an earlier date as appear either to
have been preserved in the family, or to have any bearing on its
history. The following is a list of those we have been able to meet with
either in the originals or in other quarters, such as Blomefield's
_History of Norfolk_, where notices are given of several documents,
which appear now to have got into unknown hands. The documents seen by
Blomefield, and those from the Paston and Dawson-Turner collections, now
in the British Museum, were probably all at one time part of the Paston
family muniments. The three Harleian charters seem to have been derived
from a different source.

  A Deed is cited by Blomefield (_Hist. Norf._ vi. 480), by which
  Anselm, Abbot of St. Benet's, Hulme, and the Convent there, gave to
  Osbern, the priest (said by Blomefield to have been a son of Griffin
  de Thwait, the founder of the Paston family), the land of St.
  Benet's of Paston (_terram Sancti Benedicti de Paston_), in fee, for
  half the farm of one _caruca_, as his ancestors used to pay for the
  same.

  Also a Deed of William the Abbot (who lived in King Stephen's
  reign), granting to Richer de Pastun, son of Osbern, son of Griffin
  de Thwete, all the land that the Convent held in Pastun, with their
  men, and other pertinencies.

  Also a Deed of Covenant between Richer de Paston and Reginald the
  Abbot, and Convent of St. Benet's, Holme, that when peace should be
  settled in England, and pleas held in the Court of our Lord the
  King, the said Richer would, at the request and at the expense of
  the Abbot, give him every security in Court to release the lands in
  Pastun.

  'Ralph de Paston was son, as I take it' (says Blomefield) 'of this
  Richer, and appears to have had two sons, Richard and Nicholas.

  'Richard, son of Ralph de Paston, by his deed, _sans_ date, granted
  to Geoffrey, son of Roger de Tweyt, lands in this town (Oxnead),
  paying 9d. per ann. for his homage and service, 40s. for a fine
  (_in gersumam_), and paying to him and his heirs on the feasts of
  St. Andrew, Candlemas, Pentecost, and St. Michael, on each feast,
  2s. _ob._ He sealed with one _lis_. Laurence de Reppes, William and
  John, his brother, William de Bradfield, &c., were witnesses.'
  --Blomefield, vi. 480-1.

  'There was also another branch of this family, of which was Wystan,
  or Wolstan, de Paston, which I take to be the lineal ancestor of Sir
  William Paston, the Judge, and the Earls of Yarmouth. This Wolstan
  lived in the reign of Henry II. and Richard I., and married, as is
  probable, a daughter of the Glanvilles, as appeared from an
  impalement of Paston and Glanville in the windows of Paston Hall in
  Paston. His son and heir styled himself Robert de Wyston and Robert
  de Paston; who, dying in or about 1242, was buried at Bromholm, and
  left Edmund de Paston. To this Edmund, son of Robert, son of Wolstan
  de Paston, Sir Richard de Paston gave the land in Paston which
  Robert, his father, held of him and Nicholas, his brother, by deed
  _sans_ date.' --Blomefield, vi. 481.

  Undated Deed of Nicholaus filius Radulfi Diaconi de Paston, granting
  to Robert, son of Wistan de Paston, two parcels of land--one of them
  abutting on the lands of Eudo de Paston. Witnesses--Richard de
  Trunch; Will. Esprygy; Ralph de Reppes; Roger de Reppes; Richard,
  s. of Ralph de Baketon; John de Reppes; Roger, s. of Warin de Paston;
  Hugh, s. of Will. de Paston, &c.--Add. Charter 17,217, B.M. (Paston
  MSS.).

  Undated Deed of Richard, son of Ralph de Pastune, granting to
  Edmund, son of Robert Wistan de Pastune, lands in Pastune,
  &c.--(_Seal attached, in fine condition._)--Add. Charter 17,218,
  B.M. (Paston MSS.).

  Blomefield also mentions (vi. 481) that Nicholas, son of Ralph de
  Paston, gave lands to Robert, son of Wystan de Paston, by deed _sans
  date_. Witness, Roger de Repps.

  Undated Deed Poll, by which Richard, the son of Ralph, Deacon of
  Paston, grants to Edmund, the son of Robert Wiston of Paston,
  certain lands at Paston.--Add. Charter 14,810, B.M. (D. Turner's
  Collection of Deeds relating to Norfolk).

  Richard, son of Ralph de Paston, according to Blomefield (xi. 24),
  gave 12_d._ a year rent in Paston to the Priory of Bromholm. This
  gift is also mentioned by Richard Taylor in his Index Monasticus of
  the Diocese of Norwich, p. 15, where the purpose of the endowment is
  said to be 'to keep their books in repair.'

  Deed, cited by Blomefield (vi. 481), by Richard, son of John, son of
  Richard de Paston, granting to Richer Alunday and his heirs his
  native Alan de Tilney, with all his family, &c. (_cum tota
  sequela_), and 7 acres of land in Paston and Knapton, with
  messuages, &c., for 4 marks of silver _in gersumam_, and a rent of
  22_d._ a year.

  Undated Deed Poll, whereby William, the son of Robert Barrett,
  grants to Edmund, the son of Robert Whiston of Paston, certain lands
  in the Common Field of Paston.--Add. Charter 14,813, B.M.
  (D. Turner's Coll.).

  Undated Indenture between Clement Parcerit of Gimmingham, and Cecil,
  his wife, and Edmund, the son of Robert de Paston, concerning lands
  in Paston Field.--Add. Charter 14,814, B.M. (D. Turner's Coll.).

  Undated Deed Poll, by which Richard de Lessingham grants to William,
  son of Robert de Paston, certain lands in the Common Field of
  Paston.--Add. Charter 14,812 (D. Turner's Coll.).

  Ancient Deed of Nich. Chancehose of Baketun granting to Edmund