Edward Plumpton to Sir Robert Plumpton

124 Edward Plumpton to Sir Robert Plumpton, 16 February [?1497/8]      (No.
        198, p. 135)

[p. 136] In my most humble wyse I recomend me vnto your good
mastership & to my singuler good lady. Sir, I haue bene at Sacombe¹ &
had [. . .]^a <theder> with me from Ware, William Barlow, goodman of
Christofer & William Waman, now for þe tyme baly; & of thos I haue
bylls, of þe which I sent to your master the copies, of such woods as is
sold later. The maner goeth downe & decayeth, & all þe houses about
yt; the woods are clene destroyed & ligly to be in hast. I haue giuen &
done as fare as I myght in comandment & charge for further felling &
carying such as are felled & remane ther. Necessary yt were, me seames,
þat ye made a bargain with Master Hastyngs, & it wold be. It is a
fayre lordship & yt were well gidded, it is ix myle compasse about. Sir,
I haue done good ther & avantaged much wood & tymber, both as
were felled as not felled, & my doings wyll stand. I haue put byers in
great fere. I pray you, master, in all hast possible, send to me word of
your mynd in þe premysses & all other, & a byll of such lands as ye
are [. . .]^b content to departe with to Kilborne² in exchange, & if ye will
haue þe surcrortr.³ Our lord Jhesu preserue you & all yours. From
London þe xvi of February.⁴

Your humble seruant              Edward Plompton^c

Endorsed (p. 135): To my singuler good master Sir Robt Plompton kt
deliuer these

     ^a þe der deleted.

     ^b A word blotted.

     ^c Appended: Copied þe 8 of May 1613.

     ¹ The manor of Sacombe in Hertfordshire had descended to Isabel, wife of William
Plumpton. At this date Sir John Hastings (d.1504) held the manor by courtesy of England,
Introd., above p. 16, 126; App. II, 63.

     ² On 28 Jan. 1501/2 Thomas Kilborne sold property in Plumpton to Sir Robert and
his son and heir William, CB, 806.

     ³ Surplus, excess.

     ⁴ This is Edward Plumpton’s last surviving letter.

LETTER XCIX.

To my singuler good master, Sir Robart Plompton, Kt. deliver these.

    In my right humble wyse I recomend me unto your good mas-
tership, and to my singuler good lady. Sir, I have bene at Sa-
come,^a and had theder with me from Ware William Barloe,
goodman of Christofer and William Waman, now for the tyme
baly; and of thos I have bylls, of the which I sent to your master
the copies, of such woods as is sold late. The maner goeth downe
and decayeth, and all the houses about yt; the woods are clene
destroyed and ligly to be in hast. I have given and done, as fare
as I myght, in comandment and charge for further felling and cary-
ing such as are felled and remane ther. Necessary it were, me
seames, that ye made a bargan with Master Hastyngs,^b and it wold
be. It is a fayre lordship, and yt were well gidded; it is ix myle to
compasse about. Sir, I have done good ther and avantaged
much wood and tymber, both as well felled as not felled, and my
doings wyll stand. I have put the byers in great fere. I pray
you, master, in all hast possible send to me word of your mynd in
the premysses and all other, and a byll of such lands as ye are con-
ent to departe with to Kilborne^c in exchange, and if ye wyll have the
surcrortr. Our Lord Jesu preserve you and all yours. From
London, the xvi of February.

                Your humble servant,
    (16 Feb. 1496-7.)            EDWARD PLOMPTON.

    ^a Sacomb, com. Herts, had been a manor belonging to the family of Holt. By
deed bearing date 11 Sept. 8 Hen. V.1420, and sealed in red wax, with a seal of arms,
comprising in the scochen of the same a chevron and three squerells scehine (seiant),
Richard Holt, clerk, brother and heir of Hugh Holt, of the county of Northampton,
Esq. gave the said manor, with the advowson, to Sir Robert Babthorp, Kt. together
with certain lands in Staunton and Epcomp, in the same county;* to hold for life,
with remainder in tail to Ralph Babthorpe his son and Katherine his wife, and the
heirs of their bodies; and in default, to the right heirs of Sir Robert. Witnesses
Thomas Bishop of Durham, Robert Tirwhit, John Leventhorp, John Hotoft, John
Fray, and others. (Chartul. No. 791.)

    * Standon-wood, in the parish of Sacomb, is marked on the Ordnance Map, but
Epcomp is a name that nowhere appears; though I find in the invaluable record of
Domesday Seuechampe, Stuochampa, and Thepecampe, and there noticed. The change of
the second name to Staunton or Standon is a curious instance of the corruption of
orthography. To the historians of Hertfordshire, Standon, Epcomp, and even the
armorial bearings of the family of Holt, appear to have been alike unknown. Holt of
Aston, near Birmingham, had the squirrel for a crest.

    ^b Sir John Hastings, of Roxby, com. Ebor. kt. had married Elizabeth, or Isabel,
daughter and heir of Sir Ralph Babthorp, of Bahthorp, com. Ebor. kt., and in her
right had possession of the manor of Sacombe, com. Hert. She dying with-
out surviving issue, between the years 1489 and 1496, the reversion of this inhe-
ritance of the Babthorpes came to Isabel, daughter and heir of the next brother of
Sir Ralph Babthorpe, called Robert in the pedigree, after the death of Sir John Hastings,
who was tenant by the curtesy of England. This lady was contracted to marry Wil-
liam, eldest son of Sir Robert Plumpton, 11May, 11 Hen. VII. 1496, before the ensu-
ing feast of St. Michael, she being then under seventeen years of age and in ward to her
uncle, William Babthorp of Osgodby, com. Ebor. esq. (Chartul. No. 781.) The
object of the visit of Edward Plumpton was therefore to prevent waste on the part of
Sir John Hastings, which would be prejudicial to his young master, the expectant heir
in right of his wife.

    ^c Thomas Kylborne, yeoman, sold some property in Plumpton to Sir Robert
Plumpton and William Plumpton his son 28 Jan. 17 Hen. VII. 1501-2. (Chartul. No.
806.)