German de la Pole to Sir Robert Plumpton

194 German de la Pole to Sir Robert Plumpton, [1504]      (No. 101, p. 60)

Right worshipfull & my most singular good father in law, in my best
maner I hartely recomend me vnto you, right glad to here of [your]
whelfare, the <which our> Lord contynew long vnto his pleasure &
your most comforth. Father, the cause of this my wryting vnto you of
myn owne hand is for a matter ?at no man knoweth of but onely my
wyfe & I & the partyes. Father, this is ?e matter: ?er is a gentleman,
the which had maryed one of my naunts, whose name is Randolphe
Manwring,¹ and he beareth great love & favor vnto my sister Ellynor,² &
she doth likewyse so vnto him the same;^a & the gentleman hath desired
me to wryte vnto you to know if ye can be contented ?at he haue hir
in marage to his wyfe, the which, if ?at ye so be, he wilbe glad to meet
you in any plase ?at it please you to apoynt, & to haue a communication
in the matter; & I thinke in my mynd ?at he wilbe contented to take
lesse with her then any man in England wold doe, being of his avyower,
because of the great love & favour [. . .]^b ?at is betwyxt them. And,
father, this I will say by myn vncle Manwheryng: his land is a c
marke, & also he is as godly & as wyse a gentleman as any is within a
m. myle of his hed. And, Sir, all the whold [p. 61] matter lyeth in
you, & in noe man als; but if ?at she were myne owne born syster I
had lever ?at she had him, knowing him as I doe, then a man of vj
tymes his land. Father, how ?at ye are disposed in this matter, I besech
you ?at I may have answere as shortly as ye can, for my sister Ellynor
putteth hirselfe vtterly vnto ?at thing, ?at is your mynd. And my wyfe &
I will doe the same, by the grace of Jhesu, who send you shortly a
good end in your matters. Amen.

Your son     Germayn Pole

Endorsed (p. 60): To my right worshipfull father in law Sir Robart
Plompton knight be thes deliuered

     ^a Marginal note: Randal Manring, Ellen Plompton.

     ^b he beareth deleted.

     ¹ Possibly Randall Mainwaring, of Carrington, Cheshire, a cadet branch of the
Mainwarings of Over Peover, Clayton, 199?200; M.J. Bennett, ?A County Community:
Social Cohesion amongst the Cheshire Gentry, 1400?1425?, NH, viii (1973), 26, 29, 39.

     ² Sir Robert?s daughter, Eleanor Plumpton.

LETTER CLVI.

To my right worshipfull father-in-law, Sir Robart Plompton, kt. be
this delivered.

    Right worshipfull and my most singuler good father-in-law, in my
best maner I hartely recomend me unto you, right glad to here of
your welfare, the which our Lord contynew long unto his pleasure
and your most comforth. Father, the cause of this my wryting
unto you of myn own hand, is for a matter that no man know-
eth of but onely my wife, and I, and the partyes. Father, this is
the matter; ther is a gentleman, the which had maryed one of my
naunts, whose name is Randolpe Manwring,a and he beareth great
love and favor unto my sister Ellynor, and she doth likewise un-
to him the same. And the gentleman hath desired me to wryte
unto you, to know if ye can be contented that he have hir in
marage to his wyfe; the which if that ye so be, he wilbe glad to
meat you in any plase, that it please you to apoynt, and to have
a communication in the matter. And I thinke in my mynd that
he wilbe contented to take lesse with hir than any man in Inglond
wold doe, being of his avyowre, because of the great love and
favour that is betwyxt them. And, father, this I will say be myn
uncle Manwryng; his land is a c marke, and also he is as godly
and as wyse a gentleman, as any is within a m. myle, of his hed.
And, Sir, all the whole matter lyeth in you and in noe man els;
but if that she were myne owne borne sister, I had lever that she
had him, knowing him as I doe, than a man of vi tymes his land.
Father, how that ye are disposed in this matter I besech you
that I may have answere, as shortly as ye can; for my sister
Ellynor putteth herself utterly unto that thing, that is your
mynd. And my wyfe and I will doe the same, by the grace of
Jesu, who send you shortly a good end in your matters. Amen.
                                                                              Your son,
          (Anno 1504.)                                                  GERMAYN POLE.

    a Randal Mainwaring of Carincham, com. Cest. esq. married Margaret, daughter of
Ralph Pole of Radburn, com. Derb. esq. (See pedigree of the family in Ormerod's
Cheshire.)