Constance Reynforth to Sir John Paston

LETTER L.

To S^r John Paston Chr˜
     be y^is byll delyveryd
     in hast.

RYTH reu˜ent and worchepful ser I recomend me on to yo^r
mast^rschepp effectually desyryng to her of yo^r welfar and
Contynual p’sp’ite and if it pies yow to her of my poor
estat I was in good hele at the makyng of y^is sympyll byll.
towchyng y^e cause of my wrytyng to yo^r mast^rschep is
for as moche as J poyntyd w^t yow to a be w^t yow be y^e day
y^t ye asynyd me of y^e wheche w^touth yowr good supporta-
cyon I con not well have myn entent w^touth it ple yow to
send oon of yowr men to me and J shall p’vyd a lett^r in
myn Unkyll name the wheche he shall delyu^r to my Cosyn
as he wer myn Unkyll masager and be y^is mene J wyll Com
at yo^r request For my Cosyn wold I shuld not depart w^t
hym w^touth it wer to myn Unkyll s˜vyse. heys and all
other J refuse for yowrs yf my sympyl s^rvyse may be to yowr
plesur. and of an answer her of I beseche yow to be y^e
brynger of my byll and I wyll Conforme me to yowr en
tente be y^e g’rce of good the wheche mot p’s˜ve yow all
ours Wretyn at Cobh’m the xxj day of Marche

                                                    By yo^r woman and sevnt,

                                                          CONSTANCE REYNYFORTH.

      8½ by 5½.

 At the bottom of this letter, in a different hand from the original, is written,
“ Lr˜a illius p^r qua˜ J. Paston mil. ac Bacchalaurcus h˜uit filiam,” and under
the direction on the back of it, in the hand of Sir John Paston, is written,
“Custaunce Hayuford, A^o. xviij^o.”

     The style of this letter is artless and simple, but the lady’s contrivance by a
forged letter, as from her Uncle to her Cousin, to leave him and to go to Sir
John, shews she understood what she had undertaken, and that her attachment
to him got the better of every other consideration.

     Sir John left a natural daughter by this lady, to whom his mother, by her
Will, dated 4th Feb. 1481, and proved 18th Dec. 1484, gave 10 marks
(£6. 13s. 4d.) in the following words:—

    “Item, I bequeth to Custaunce basterd Dought^r of John Paston knyght
“ when she is xx yer of age x m˜rs, and if she die bifore the seid age, than I
 “ wull that the seid x m˜rs be disposed by myn executours.”

     Whether this young person ever attained the age here mentioned, or what
afterwards became of her, I have never been able to discover, though I have
examined many papers with that view; as no one can read this letter without
feeling an interest in the welfare of the writer, which, on knowing she left a
daughter, will be transferred to her.

     There is more than one village of the name of Cobham in Surrey; and
likewise one of that name in Kent; from which Cobham this letter was dated
cannot be ascertained.

     Autograph, Pl. xxix. No. 4.

     Since writing the above Notes I have discovered a Letter from Sir John
Kendal, Prior of St. John’s of Jerusalem, to Sir John Paston, Kt., dated
between 1495 and 1500, wherein it appears that the daughter of the then late
Sir John Paston, by Constance Reynforth, lived with her Uncle, and was then
sought in marriage by John Clippesby, of Oby, Esq. See Letter XXXIV.,
written in the reign of Henry VII., in this volume.

LETTER L.

To Sir John Paston, Chevalier, be this bill delivered in haste.

RIGHT Reverend and Worshipful Sir, I recommend me to
your mastership, effectually desiring to hear of your welfare
and continual prosperity; and if it please you to hear of
my poor estate, I was in good health at the making of this
simple bill; touching the cause of my writing to your
mastership it is, for as much as I appointed with you to
have been with you by the day that ye assigned me of, the
which, without your good supportation, I cannot well have
mine intent, without it please you to send one of your men
to me, and I shall provide a letter in mine uncle’s name,
the which he shall deliver to my cousin, as [if] he were
mine uncle’s messenger; and by this mean I will come at
your request, for my Cousin would I should not depart
with him, [leave him] without it were to mine uncle’s ser-
vice; his and all others I refuse for yours, if my simple
service may be to your pleasure; and of an answer hereof
I beseech you by the bringer of my bill, and I will con-
form me to your intent by the grace of God, the which mot
[may] preserve you at all hours.

     Written at Cobham, the 21st day of March.

                                                     By your woman and servant,

                                                                     CONSTANCE REYNFORTH.

                 Cobham,
         Saturday, 21st March,
              1477-8. 18 E. iv.

At the bottom of this letter, in a different hand from the original, is written,
“ Lr˜a illius p^r qua˜ J. Paston mil. ac Bacchalaurcus h˜uit filiam,” and under
the direction on the back of it, in the hand of Sir John Paston, is written,
“Custaunce Hayuford, A^o. xviij^o.”

     The style of this letter is artless and simple, but the lady’s contrivance by a
forged letter, as from her Uncle to her Cousin, to leave him and to go to Sir
John, shews she understood what she had undertaken, and that her attachment
to him got the better of every other consideration.

     Sir John left a natural daughter by this lady, to whom his mother, by her
Will, dated 4th Feb. 1481, and proved 18th Dec. 1484, gave 10 marks
(£6. 13s. 4d.) in the following words:—

    “Item, I bequeth to Custaunce basterd Dought^r of John Paston knyght
“ when she is xx yer of age x m˜rs, and if she die bifore the seid age, than I
 “ wull that the seid x m˜rs be disposed by myn executours.”

     Whether this young person ever attained the age here mentioned, or what
afterwards became of her, I have never been able to discover, though I have
examined many papers with that view; as no one can read this letter without
feeling an interest in the welfare of the writer, which, on knowing she left a
daughter, will be transferred to her.

     There is more than one village of the name of Cobham in Surrey; and
likewise one of that name in Kent; from which Cobham this letter was dated
cannot be ascertained.

     Autograph, Pl. xxix. No. 4.

     Since writing the above Notes I have discovered a Letter from Sir John
Kendal, Prior of St. John’s of Jerusalem, to Sir John Paston, Kt., dated
between 1495 and 1500, wherein it appears that the daughter of the then late
Sir John Paston, by Constance Reynforth, lived with her Uncle, and was then
sought in marriage by John Clippesby, of Oby, Esq. See Letter XXXIV.,
written in the reign of Henry VII., in this volume.

928

CONSTANCE REYNFORTH TO SIR JOHN PASTON²

[To Sir] John Paston, Chevalier, be this byll delyveryd in hast.

     RYTH reverent and worchepful ser, I recomend me on
         to yowr masterschep, effectually desyryng to here of
         yowr welfare and contynual prosperite; and if it ples
yow to here of my pour estat, I was in good hele at the
makyng of this sympyll byll. Towchyng the cause of my
wrytyng to yowr masterschep is, for as moche as I poyntyd
with yow to a be with yow be the day that ye asynyd me of,
the wheche, with outh yowr good supportacyon, I con not well
have myn entent, withouth it ple yow to send oon of yowr
men to me, and I psal provyd a letter in myn unkyll name,
the wheche he psall delyver to my cosyn as he were myn
unkyll masagear, and be this mene I wyll come at yowr
request; for my cosyn wold I psuld not depart with hym,
with outh it were to myn unkyll servyse; hoys and all others
I refuse for yowres, yf my sympul servyse may be to yowr
plesure. And of an answer herof I beseke yow be the brynger
of my byll, and I wyll conforme me to yowr en tente, be the
grace of Good, the Wheche mot preserve yow at all oures.

     Wretyn at Cobham, the xxj. day of Marche.

                          By yowr woman and sevnt,

                                                                 CONSTANS REYNFORTH.

     ² [From Paston MSS., B.M.] The writer of this letter was Sir John Paston’s
mistress, by whom he left a natural daughter. The date is ascertained by an endorse-
ment in Sir John’s own hand, ‘Custaunce Raynford, anno xviij^o.’

MARCH 21

1478
MARCH 21