Edward Barlow to Sir Robert Plumpton

114 Edward Barlow¹ to Sir Robert Plumpton 4 February 1495/6         (No. 177,
         p. 115)

Right reuerent & my singuler good master, I comend me to your good
mastership, to my gode lady your mother & my lady your wyffe. Please
yt your mastership to know þat I haue receiued your letters sent to me
by Robart Benson, & hath hard his commyng from you. And I haue
bene & labored to þe clarkes of þe privie signit dyuers tymes afore þe
making herof, & to my lord [. . .]^a <presedent>,² after thentent of your
wrytting; & the day of the delyuerie of this wrytting by the sayd Robt
Benson, Percyvall Lanton³ & I went to þe Tower to speak with my lord
pryuey seale,⁴ as þe clark of þe kings signet aduised vs, thynking þat to
be our next way, if so were þat we wold not aduise you to com not vp
by the pryvie seale. For ther was a byll put into þe Parliament a litle
before Christynmas þat no privie seale shold go against no man, but if
þe suer therof wold find surety to yeld the parties defendants ther
damages;⁵ & after þe intent yt is sayd þat þe lords of þe Counsell
behaue them selfe;⁶ & þe most dylygent labor & way þat the sayd
Percyvall & I can doe our [p. 116] good master in his behalfe, we shall
endeuer our selfs.

     For to the sayd Percyvall for both his labour at the last terme, & this
terme ye be much beholden vnto; & þe sayd Lanton is generall atturney
to my said lord privey seale; & as for Edward Plompton,^b he is not
commyn to London at the making of this simple wrytting. Also Sir
Robt Blawall, your atturney in the kings escheker,⁷ hath shewed me
þat Edward Plompton^c hath not payed þe money for respityng of your
homage in þe sayd escheker, as he promysed me & your menyall
seruant Goffray Tounley^d the last terme; & by great labour of the sayd
Blakwall he hath saved your issues to this terme; & he will lay down
no penny; & it is so þat I haue promysed payment or I come home, &
with þe grace of God, so shall I make payement; & at my commyng
home I shall shew to your mastership al things more clerely, praying
your sayd mastership be not displeased with my homely wrytting.
Written in þe even & in great hast, for parte of your matters I haue
spede, & parte of my ladies matters also; & as touching the remnent of
your matters, I shall indeuer me for you as farre as I can. With the
grace of God, who preserue you <& all yours> to his pleasure. Wrytten
þe Thursday next <after> [. . .]^e þe Puryfication of our Lady þe
<Virgin> last past. Anno xi H. VII.

Your seruant     Edw: Barlow^f

Endorsed (p. 115): Vnto my singuler good master Sir Robt Plompton kt
be thes <letter> deliuered in goodly hast

     ^a A word deleted.

     ^b Marginal note: Edw: plo:.

     ^c Marginal note: Ed: Plo: vidz.

     ^d Marginal note: Geffray Townley, Sir Rob: Plo: seruant.

     ^e A word deleted.

     ^f Appended: Copied 30 of Apryll 1613.

     ¹ Probably an attorney; perhaps the Owen Barley mentioned in 115.

     ² Sir Thomas Lovell (d.1520). Of recent origin, the presidency of the Council, as
implied in this letter, controlled the office of the signet, Select Cases, p. xxxix.

     ³ Percival Lambton, lawyer, son of Richard Lambton, of Harrogate. Ives calls him ‘an
apparently insignificant’ member of Lincoln’s Inn. Attorney-general of the Palatinate of
Durham 1492–1501, E.W. Ives, ‘Promotion in the Legal Profession of Yorkist and Early
Tudor England’, Law Quarterly Review, lxxv (1959), 303; 106, 115, 116.

     ⁴ Richard Fox, 112.

     ⁵ Parliament sat from 14 Oct. 1495 until just before Christmas, but the bill is not
mentioned in RP. An Act was passed against similar abuses in the county courts, Statutes
of the Realm (11 vols, HMSO, 1810–28), ii, 579; RP, vi, 458–508.

     ⁶ Probably a reference to the unscrupulous methods of Empson and Dudley, A.F.
Pollard (ed.), The Reign of Henry VII from Contemporary Sources (3 vols, 1913), ii, 123n.

     ⁷ 147, 91, 85. On legal managers who put up money for their clients’ costs, see Ives,
CL, 142; 116.

LETTER LXXXIX.

Unto my singuler good master, Sir Robart Plompton, Kt. be thes
letter delivered in goodly hast.

    Right reverent and my singuler good master, I recomend me
to your good mastership, to my gode lady your mother, and my
lady your wyffe. Please yt your mastership to know, that I have
received your letter sent to me by Robart Benson, and hath hard
his commyng from you. And I have bene and labored to the
Clarkes of the previe signit dyvers tymes afore the making herof,
and to my lord presedent, after thentent of your wrytting; and
the day of the delyverie of this wrytting by the sayd Robart
Benson, Percyvall Lanton and I went to the Tower to speake with
my lord pryvey seale,^a as the clark of the Kings signit advised us,
thynking that to be our next way, if so were that we wold not
advise you to com not up by the pryvie seale. For ther was a
byll put into the Parliament, a litle before Christynmas, that no
privie seal shold goe against no man, but if the suer therof wold
find suerty to yeld the parties defendants ther damages, and after
that intent yt is sayd, that the lords of the counsell behave them-
selfe. And the most dylygent labor and way that the sayd Percy-
vall and I can doe our good master in his behalfe, we shall ende-
vor ourselfs, for to the sayd Percyvall, for both his labour at the
last terme and this terme, ye be much beholden unto; and the
sayd Lanton is generall atturney to my said Lord Privey seale.
And as for Edward Plompton, he is not commyn to London at
the making of this simple wrytting. Also, Sir Robert Blawall,
your atturney in the Kings Escheker,^b hath shewed me, that Ed-
ward Plompton hath not payed the money for respityng of your
homage in the sayd Escheker, as he promysed me and your me-
nyall servant Geffray Tounley the last terme; and by great labour
of the sayd Blakwall, he hath saved your issues to this terme, and
he will lay down no penny. And it is so that I have promysed
payment or I come home, and with the grace of God so shall I
make pacement; and at my comyng home, I shall shew to your
mastership al things more clerely, praying your sayd mastership be
not displeased with my homely wrytting. Written in the even
and in great hast. For parte of your matters I have spede, and
parte of my ladies matters also, and as touching the remnent of
your matters, I shall indevor me for you as farre as I can, with the
grace of God, who preserve you and all yours to his pleasure.
Wrytten the thursday next after the puryfication of our lady the
Virgin last past. Anno xi. h. vii. Yor servant,

    (4 Feb. 1495-6.)            EDW: BARLOW.

^a Richard Fox, Bishop of Durham, Lord Privy Seal.

    ^b Sir Robert Blackwall, clerk, Master in Chancery. (See notea Letter LXX.