Edward Plumpton to Sir Robert Plumpton

119 Edward Plumpton to Sir Robert Plumpton, 3 February 1496/7       (No.
        203, p. 140)

[p. 141] In my right humble wyse I recomend me vnto your good
mastership & to my singuler good lady, acertaynyng you þat ther is in
thes partes a great talking of those þat belong & medle with Mr
Hemson, þat he intendeth to attempte matters agaynst you¹ in þe title
of þe heire of John Suttell,² wherin he moved & brake the same vnto
Mr Gascoyne,³ of whom he had a discret & good answere, as thus: he
desired my sayd Mr Gascoyne to be favorable to him in þe premysses, &
he answered to him & sayd thus: “If your matter were against any man
in England except my vncle, I wold take your parte, but in this ye
must have me excused,” with dyvers words more concerning your
honor & wele.

     Sir, the sayd Mr Hemson moved this matter greatly & maketh his
frinds, & diuers þat he hath broken his hart & mynd too hath told me
þe same, & his saying afore, as they knew. If yt please your mastership,
to [. . .]^a <cause> your loving frinds & servants to haue knowledg therof.
Sir, I shewed to a gentleman þat is of counsell & fee with Master
Hemson, & a companyon of myne, how þat King Richard, in his most
best tyme, & the first yere of his reigne,^b having you not in þe favor of
his grace, but vtterly against you, caused them to haue a parte of þe
lands by his award and ryall power, contrary to your agrement & all
ryght conscience;⁴ the which I trust to god wylbe called againe. Sir, ye
haue many good frinds & servants, & moe, with Gods <grace>, shall
have. This is þe matter I thinke no dout yn. Ye haue a great treasour
of Mr Gascoyn. If ther be any seruice your mastership wyll comand
me, yt shalbe done to þe uttermost of my power, as knoweth our Lord,
who preserue you. Written in Furnyvalls Inne, þe iij day of Feb. 1496.

Your humble servant                Ed: plompton^c

Endorsed (p. 140): To my singuler good master Sir Robt Plompton knight

     ^a call deleted.

     ^b Marginal note. King Ric: not frendly in is award.

     ^c Appended: Copied þe 20th day of May 1613.

     ¹ This is the first intimation of Richard Empson’s intention to oust Sir Robert from
the lands secured to him by Richard III’s arbitration of 16 Sept.1483, App. II, 48.

     ² Husband of Elizabeth Plumpton.

     ³ Sir William Gascoigne (d.1551), Sir Robert’s nephew, App. III.

     ⁴ The rule applying to most land held by free tenure was that the daughters of a dead
eldest son excluded a younger son, Sir F. Pollock and F.W. Maitland, The History of English
Law (2nd edn of 18₉8, Cambridge, 1968), 260; Introd., above p. 8.

LETTER XCIV.

To my singular good master, Sir Robart Plompton, kt.^a

    In my right humble wyse I recomend me unto your good mas-
tership, and to my singuler good lady; acertaynyng you that ther
is in thes partes a great talking, of those that belong and medle
with Mr. Hemson,^b that he intendeth to attempt matters agaynst
you in the title of the heire of John Suttell.^c Wherin he moved
and brake the same unto Mr. Gascoyne,^d of whom he had a dis-
cret and good answere, as thus. He desired my sayd Mr. Gas-
coyne to be favorable to him in the premysses; and he answered
to him, and sayd thus: "if your matter were against any man in
"England except my uncle, I wold take your parte; but in this ye
"must have me excused," with dyvers words more concerning your
honour and wele. Sir, the sayd Mr. Hemson moved this matter
greatly, and maketh his frinds; and divers that he hath broken
his hart and mynd, too, hath told me the same, and his saying afore,
as they kenw. If yt plese your mastership, to cause your loving
frinds and servants to have knowledge therof. Sir, I shewed to a
gentleman, that is of counsell and fee with Master Hemson, and
a companyon of myne, how that Kyng Richard, in his most
best tyme, and the first yere of his reigne,^e having you not in the
favor of his grace, but utterly against you, caused them to have
a parte of your lands by his award and ryall power, contrary to
your agrement and all right conscience; the which I trust to God
wylbe called againe. Sir, ye have many good frinds and servants,
and moe, with Gods grace, shall have; this is the matter I thinke
not dout yn. Ye have a great treasour of Mr. Gascoyne. If ther
be any service your mastership wyll comand me, yt shalbe done
to the uttermost of my power, as knoweth our Lord, who pre-
serve you. Written in Furnyvalls Inne, the iij day of Feb. 1496.

                Your humble servant,
    (3 Feb. 1496-7.)            ED: PLOMPTON.

    ^a We have in this letter the first intimation of the scheme hatching by the too celebrated
lawyer, Empson, the infamous tool of Henry's rapacity, to oust Sir Robert Plumpton
from the lands, which should have been made secure to him by the award of King Richard
III. The progress of the suit will be traced with interest in the series of letters which
follow, and which step by step will be traced with interest in the series of letters which
the commencement of the next reign we find him a prisoner in the Counter, and
depending on his son's bounty for subsistence. He had, however, the satisfaction to
live to witness the tragic end of his once all-powerful adversary.

    ^b Richard Empson, esq. was chosen speaker of the House of Commons in the Parlia-
ment that met on 17 Oct. 7 Hen. VII. 1491 (Rot. Parl.VI. 440); and was one of
the serjeants-at-law, chosen by act of Parliament to be feoffees for the King of his
Duchy of Lancaster, 19 Hen. VII. 1503, in which year he was knighted. (Ibid. 522.
and 537 b.)

    ^c Sir John Suttell, or Sotehill, of Stoke Faston, or Stockerston, com. Leic. kt. who
had married Elizabeth, grand-daughter and one of the heirs at law of Sir William
Plumpton, kt. was then lately deceased, he having made his will in July 1493, and it
having been proved 7 Oct. 1494. His eldest son was named Henry, and at his death
a minor, as he was in ward to his mother 11 Hen. VII. 1495-6, (History of Suffolk,
p. 436, notee fol. 1838,) the same year as the date of this Letter. Dame Elizabeth
Sotehill survived to 21 September, 22 Hen. VII. 1506, when she died, leaving her
twin granddaughters, her infant heirs. She and her husband were buried at Stocker-
ston, in the south aisle of the church, the chapel of the Lords of Stockerston. "On
the floor of the south aisle," says Mr. Smith, writing in the year 1747, "close by the
last (monument) towards the south wall, inlaid in brass, were the figures of two per-
sons, the man in armour, and both in a posture of prayer; at his feet the figures of
eight sons, at hers of two daughters; inscription round the edge quite gone. Over his
head, O pater in celis, me tecum pascere velis. D'ne miserere, &c. From her mouth a
label, Nos precibus matris salvet sapiencia patris. Over their heads, their arms;
quartely, 1 and 4, Sotehill; 2 and 3, quarterly, Boyvile and Murdac, impaling, quar-
terly, her coat, 1 and 4, Plompton of Plompton, Ebor.; 2 and 3, Foljambe of Kenalton,
co Nott. This impalement identifies the parties; and moreover, another manuscript
recites an invocation for paryer for the soul of John Sotehill who died in 1493, which
was then in glass in the same church. (See Nichols's Leicestershire, Vol. II. p. 823.)

    ^d Sir William Gascoigne of Gokethorp, kt.

    ^e 16 Sept. 1 Ric. III. 1483. For the particulars of this award, see Memoirs.