Alice, Lady Fitzhugh, to John Paston

Add. 43490, f. 54

24 February 1486

Gairdner, Vol VI, item 1008; Fenn, Vol II, Richard III item 7

LETTER VII.

To my Right trusty and welbeloved Son Sir John Paston
be y_s. delyu’ed.

SON Paston I Recommaunde me to you in my moste hertely
maner and wher I understande be my Doghter Lovell ye
desyre to know whedir I woll have y^e bargane ye made for me
in Norwich or nay, and if I wol I moste content therfor now in
merce, Son in good faith it is so I shal Receyve no money
of the Revenowse of my lyvelod afor mydsōme^r and also I
have payd accordyng to my p’mise to Sir William Cabell a great
payment y^e which ye knowe wel was due to be payde so that I
can not be of power to content therfor’, for the which I am
right sory for I know well I shall never have such a bargane,
Also my Doghtyr Lovell makith great sute and labo^r for my sone
hir husbande S^r. Edwarde ffranke hath be’n in the north to
inquire for h[SYM] he is comyn agayne and cane nogth understonde
wher he is. Wherfor’ her Benevolers willith hir to continue hir
sute and labo’ And so I can not dep’te nor leve hir as ye know
well, and if I might be ther’ I wold be full glad as knowith o^r.
Lorde God whoo have you in his blissid kepynge ffrom London
the xxiiij^th day of ffebruary.

Yr loving Moder,

Alise Lady Fitzhugh.

9 by 4 ½.

           London,
            24th of February,
            1485.

              Paper Mark,
       A Star of eight points, fur-
         mounted by a Coronet.
                Pl. XIII. N^o 5.

This is in some degree a private Letter of Business, and shews the Lady to be a
Purchaser (I suppose) of Estates. She was the Widow of Henry, Lord Fitzhugh, Baron
of Ravensworth, Daughter of Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury, and Sister to Richard,
the great Earl of Warwick. Pl. VII. N^o 5.

Francis, Viscount Lovell, the Husband of her Daughter was at this time concealed, in
consequence of the part he had taken in favour of his royal Master Richard III. to whom
he had been Lord Chamberlain, and in whose considence he held the first place. He

afterwards joined in the plot of Lambert Simnel, and was killed at the battle of Stoke, in
1487.

The hand writing of this Letter is the same throughout, and appears to be the hand of
a Secretary, rather than that of a Lady, but whether it be so or not must remain a
doubt.

It was written after the Accession of Henry VII. but as it contains an Anecdote of
Lord Lovel, the Favourite of Richard III. I have inserted it here.

Under the Direction in a hand more modern is written, ? Lrā Dn’e ffitzhugh
“sed ob quā causam vocat p’d’tum Johēm siliū fuū adhuc ignoro.”

LETTER VII.

To my Right trusty and well beloved Son, Sir John Paston,
be this delivered.

SON Paston, I recommend me to you, in my most heartily
manner; and where(as) I understand by my Daughter
Lovell, ye desire to know whether I will have the bargain ye
made for me in Norwich, or nay; and if I will, I must content
therefore now in mercy. Son, in good faith it is so, I shall
receive no money of the Revenue of my livelihood afore Mid-
summer; and also I have paid according to my promise to Sir
William Cabell a great payment, the which ye know well was
due to be paid, so that I cannot be of power to content there-
fore; for the which I am right sorry, for I know well I shall
never have such a bargain. Also my Daughter Lovell maketh
great suit and labour for my Son her ¹ Husband. S^r. Edward
Franke hath been in the North to enquire for him; he is come
again, and can nought understand where he is. Wherefore her
Benevolers (well-wishers) willeth her to continue her suit and
labour; and so I cannot depart nor leave her as ye know
well; and if I might be there, I would be full glad, as knoweth
our Lord God, who have you in his blessed keeping. From
London, the 24th day of February.

Your loving Mother,

ALISE Lady FITZHUGH.

9 by 4 ?.

           London,
            24th of February,
            1485.

          Paper Mark,
       A Star of eight points, fur-
         mounted by a Coronet.
                Pl. XIII. N^o 5.

This is in some degree a private Letter of Business, and shews the Lady to be a
Purchaser (I suppose) of Estates. She was the Widow of Henry, Lord Fitzhugh, Baron
of Ravensworth, Daughter of Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury, and Sister to Richard,
the great Earl of Warwick. Pl. VII. N^o 5.

Francis, Viscount Lovell, the Husband of her Daughter was at this time concealed, in
consequence of the part he had taken in favour of his royal Master Richard III. to whom
he had been Lord Chamberlain, and in whose considence he held the first place. He

afterwards joined in the plot of Lambert Simnel, and was killed at the battle of Stoke, in
1487.

The hand writing of this Letter is the same throughout, and appears to be the hand of
a Secretary, rather than that of a Lady, but whether it be so or not must remain a
doubt.

It was written after the Accession of Henry VII. but as it contains an Anecdote of
Lord Lovel, the Favourite of Richard III. I have inserted it here.

Under the Direction in a hand more modern is written, ? Lrā Dn’e ffitzhugh
“sed ob quā causam vocat p’d’tum Johēm siliū fuū adhuc ignoro.”

1008

ALICE, LADY FITZHUGH, TO JOHN PASTON¹

To my right trusty and welbeloved son,² Sir John Paston,
be this delyvered.

     JON PASTON, I recommaunde me to you in my moste
         hertely maner. And wher I understande be my doghter
        Lovell, ye desyre to know whedir I woll have the bar-
gane ye made for me in Norwich or nay, and if I wol, I moste
content therfor now in mercs; Son, in good faith it is so, I
shal receyve no mony of the revenowse of my lyvelod afore
Mydsommer; and also I have payd accordyng to my promise
to Sir William Cabell a great payment, the which ye knowe
wel was due to be payde, so that I can not be of power to
content therfore, for the which I am right sory, for I know
well I shall never have such a bargane.

Also my doghtyr Lovell¹ makith great sute and labour
for my sone hir husbande. Sir Edwarde Franke hath bene in
the North to inquire for hym; he is comyn agayne, and cane
nogth understonde wher he is. Wherfore her benevolers
willith hir to continue hir sute and labour; and so I can not
departe nor leve hir as ye know well; and if I might be there,
I wold be full glad, as knowith our Lorde God, Whoo have
you in His blissid kepynge.

From London, the xxiiij^th day of February.

Your loving moder,

ALISE, LADY FITZHUGH.

¹ [From Fenn, ii. 336.] There is a difficulty in dating this letter only from the
address being to Sir John Paston. It has every appearance of having been written in
the year 1486, when Francis, Viscount Lovel, lay concealed shortly before his out-
break with Humphrey and Thomas Stafford. But in that case the prefix ‘Sir’ before
John Paston’s name must not be taken as indicating that he was then a knight; for
he was not knighted till the battle of Stoke in June 1487.

The writer of this letter was the widow of Henry, Lord Fitzhugh, who died on
the 12th June 1472. She was the daughter of Richard Nevill, Earl of Salisbury, and
sister of Warwick the Kingmaker.

² I find no evidence of any real relationship between Paston and Lady Fitzhugh.

¹ Francis, Viscount Lovel, married Anne, daughter of Alice, Lady Fitzhugh.

FEB. 24

1486
FEB. 24