German de la Pole to Sir Robert Plumpton

138 German de la Pole¹ to Sir Robert Plumpton [c.1499] (No. 98, p. 57)

[p. 58] Right <honorable> & worshipfull father & mother, in þe most
lowliest wyse þat I can, I mekely recomend me vnto you, desiring to
here of your welfare & prosperitie, the which I pray almyghty Jhesu
long to continew, to his pleasure & to your most ioy & comforth
and harts ease. Also, father, my brother William² hartely & mekely
recomendeth him vnto you, and vnto my lady my mother, desiring you
of your dayly blessing; and I also pray you of your dayly blessing, the
which is as glad vnto me as vnto any child þat you haue, <for I haue>
no other father but you, nor no other mother but my lady, for my
speciall trust is in you. Therfore I pray you take me as your poore son;
a beadman for my prayer you shall wyt I life. Sir, if it pleaseth you to
know þat a Munday my brother was at Thornton Brygge and I were;
all, blessed be almyghty Jesu, be in gud health; & my sister Margett, &
my wife, & my sister Elinor lowly comend them vnto you and vnto my
lady,³ praying you of your daily blessing, the which is better vnto them
then any worldly goods. Veryly, Sir, Master Nevele nor Mistress Nevele,⁴
neither of them, was at home, but his brother⁵ was at home, & he
made us very great chere as myght be.

     Also, Sir, I am very sory þat the death seaseth not at Plompton, but
I trust to almyghty Jhesu that his great mercy & grace [. . .]^a send to
my lady hir ioy & comforth, & to all your frinds, as my daly prayer
shalbe therfore. Sir, the cause of my wrytinge is but to heare of your
gud welfare, the which is to me great ioy & comforth. And, Sir, I lowly
pray you & my lady my mother to take this letter in gud parte, for it
is wrytten hastyly with my own hand & without the vise of any other
body; for I trow you had rather haue it of my own hand then of
another bodyes. Also Sir John Tynderley recomendeth him vnto you, &
vnto my lady my mother, gladly willing to heare of your welfare. No
more vnto you, gud father, nor mother, at this tyme, but pray þe holy
Trenytie to haue you in his blessed keeping.

Your good son & beadchild     German Pole^b

Endorsed (p. 57): To his right worshipfull father Sir Robart Plompton kt
be these letters deliuered in most godly hast

     ^a Blank.

     ^b Appended: Copied þe 29 day of March 1613.

     ¹ Son of John de la Pole, of Radburne, Derbys, deceased, and grandson of Elizabeth
(159), now aged about 16, App. III.

     ² Sir Robert’s son and heir, William Plumpton.

     ³ Sir Robert may have sent his daughters Margaret and Eleanor away from plague-
stricken Spofforth, 137.

     ⁴ Ralph Neville and his wife, Anne, daughter of Sir Christopher Ward of Givendale,
51, 149.

     ⁵ John Neville.

LETTER CVIII.

To his right worshifpfull father, Sir Robart Plompton, kt. be these
delivered in most godly hast.

    Right honorable and worshipfull father and mother,^a in the most
lowliest wyse that I can, I mekely recomend me unto you, desiring
to here of your welfaire and prosperitie, the which I pray almyghty
Jesu long to continue to his pleasure, and to your most joy, and
comforth, and harts ease. Also, father, my brother William^b har-
tely and mekely recomendeth him unto you, and unto my lady my
mother, desiring you of your dayly blessing. And I allso lowly pray
you of your dayly blessing, the which is as glad unto me, as unto
any child that you have, for I have no other father^c but you, nor
no other mother but my lady ; for my speciall trust is in you.
Therefore I pray you take me as your poore son; a beadman for
my prayer you shall wyt I life. Sir, if it pleaseth you to know
that a munday my brother was at Thornton brygge,^d and I were ;
all, blessed be almyghty Jesu, be in gud health. And my sister
Margaret,e and my wife, and my sister Elinorf lowly recomend
them unto you and unto my lady, praying you of your daly bless-
ing, the which is better unto them then any worldly goods.
Veryly, Sir, Master Nevell nor Mrs. Nevell,g neither of them was
at home ; but his brother was at home, and he made us very great
chere as myght be. Also, Sir, I am very sory that the death
seaseth not at Plompton, but I trust to almyghty Jesu that his
great mercy and grace (some words are here omitted) send to my
lady hir joy and comforth, and to all your frinds, as my daly
prayer shalbe therfore. Sir, the cause of my wryting is but to
heare of your gud welfare, the which is to me great joy and com-
forth. And, Sir, I lowly pray you and my lady, my mother, to
take this letter in good parte, for it is wrytten hastyly with my
own hand, and without the 'vise of any other body ; for I trow
you had rather have it of my owne hand, then of another bodyes.
Also, Sir, John Tynderley^h recomendeth him unto you and unto
my lady, my mother, gladly willing to heare of your welfare. No
more unto you, good father, nor mother, at this tyme, but pray the
holy Trenytie to have you in his blessed keepinge.

                    Your good son and beadchild,

    (anno circiter 1499.)            GERMAN POLE.

    ^a German Pole, the writer of this letter, married Anne, daughter of Sir Robert
Plumpton, in the lifetime of his grandmother Elizabeth Pole, who was a party to a
pair of indentures between her and Sir Robert Litton, kt. bearing date 28 Nov. 10
Hen. VII. 1495; for the fulfilment of the articles of which contract, she gave bond to
Sir Robert Plumpton, kt. 28 Aug. 15 Hen. VII. 1499. (Chartul. No. 797.) A sub-
sequent letter, written by her to Sir Robert Plumpton, indicates that these indentures
had reference to an assignment of lands in jointure to her grandson, German Pole,
and his wife, Anne Plumpton. (Vide postea, Letter CXXVIII.) The bond was pro-
bably signed about the time of the consummation of her son's marriage, and I ascribe
this letter to the same year, 1499, from the mention made of the pestilence at Plumpton.
    ^bWilliam Plumpton, eldest son of Sir Robert Plumpton.

    ^cJohn Pole of Redburn, com. Derb. was the father of German Pole; he, as well
as his wife Jane, daughter of John Fitzherbert of Etwall, com. Derb. esq. died in the
lifetime of Ralph Pole, the grandfather of the writer, before 7 Hen. VII. Their mar-
riage covenant bore date 14 Aug. 13 Edw. IV. 1473, and German pole their son was
aged nine years 25 July, 8 Hen. VII. 1492. (Esc. 8 Hen. VII. n. 23.)

    ^d Thornton-bridge, in the parish of Topcliffe.

    ^e Margaret Plumpton, married in the following year to Arthur Eyre, esq.

    ^f Eleanor Plumpton. (See the letters concerning her marriage, postea.)

    ^g Ralph Nevill of Thornton-bridge, esq. and Ann his wife, daughter of Sir Christo-
pher Ward of Givendale, com. Ebor. kt. John Nevill was his brother.

    ^h He was probably owner of the house at Ripon, under whose roof the younger
branches of the family of Plumpton had sought a shelter from the plague, then raging
in the vicinity of their own home.