Godfrey Greene to Sir William Plumpton

9 Godfrey Greene to Sir William Plumpton, 14 February [1463/4]       (No. 26,
     p. 171)

Right worshipfull maistre,^a I recomend me vnto you. Please it you to
witt the minister of St Roberts¹ has taken 2 suits, one of trespas for
deluing his ground att St Roberts,² another of debt & detinue both in
a writt, debt 12 marks, which was, I vnderstand by Horberey, should
be lent to you. Be the place^b of the detinue [p. 172] for a chalise shold
be lent to you, also the writts were out but I caused Horberey per album
breue.³ So the sheriff shall haue none paid for the writts, by the avise of
Mr Rocliff. I pray you send answerre against the next tearme; also had
I understood for certain what goods Folbaron [. . .]^c and Walker had of
yours, I shold haue bene answerd this tearme by Horberey not guilty,
which is the best issue you can haue. I pray you send word against the
next terme. Also Whele had sent out exigi facias de nouo against Holden,
Hanworth & West⁴ or I came here, & said they were returned quarto
exactus: he had giuen them to short a day. Whearfore he said he wold
write vnto you for an excuse, and pray the exigi against West may be
withdrawen: I promised he shold take no hurt by the proces. Also
White sends you a capias utlegat⁵ against Harldre by Rauf Annias, but
he deliuered it to the sheriff. I shall send you another with the copie
of your new suites and a venire facias⁶ against þe ministre.

     Mr Rocliff hath labored effectually this tearme for your matter of
Stamford⁷ and for my Lady Inglestrop, for your sake, and to Pa[s]ke
also; and also he dined with my lady & thanked her hartely for your
sake.⁸ I trust by his labour your matter of Stamford shall take a good
end, with the grace of God, who haue you euermore in his keeping.
Written at London, 14 February.^d

                                    Your servant            Godfrey Grene⁹

Endorsed (p. 171): To my right worshipfull maistre Sir William Plompton
kt

     ^a Marginal note. 26 letter.

     ^b MS plea.

     ^c had deleted.

     ^d Marginal note: Copied I of February 1612, Monday.

     ¹ Robert Bolton, minister of the house of St Robert, of the Order of the Redemption
of Captives at Knaresborough, is known to have been in office in 1491. His successor
was appointed in 1499, VCH Yorks, ed. Wm. Page, iii (1930), 296.

     ² Sir William claimed some rights over this ground. The use of a plea of trespass
instead of one of novel disseisin enabled a straightforward question of title to be put, as
opposed to the complexity of the rules of pleading which had grown up around the petty
assizes, Hastings, 203–4, 237–8; 10, 18.

     ³ A slang expression for returning a writ without an endorsement, Hastings, 228.

     ⁴ A judicial writ of mesne process issued by the filacer and aimed at getting the
defendant into court, J.H. Baker, An Introduction to English Legal History (1979), 52.

     ⁵ Writ for the arrest of an outlaw. The minister and certain members of the community
were indicted and outlawed during these proceedings. The process did not bring the
defendant into court to answer the plaintiff unless he found himself inconvenienced by
the outlawry, Hastings, 240; App. II, 31.

     ⁶ Writ to summon a person against whom an indictment for a misdemeanour had
been found, 18.

     ⁷ See 10, 11.

     ⁸ Sir William may have been seeking a place in Lady Ingoldesthorpe’s household for
Isabel Marley, 12.

     ⁹ A trusted kinsman and lawyer, one of Sir William’s feoffees in the conveyances etc.
of 1472–5, 5; App. II, 35, 36.

LETTER VII.

To my right worshipfull maistre Sir William Plompton, kt.

    Right worshipfull maistre, I recomend me unto you. Please it
you to witt the minister of St. Roberts has taken 2 suits, one of
trespas for delving his ground att St. Robert, another of debt and
detinue both in a writt, debt 12 marks, which as I understand by
Horberey should be lent to you. Be the place (Plea) of the detinue
for a chalise should be lent to you; also the writts were out, but
I caused Horberey per album breve, so the sheirff shall have none
paid for the writts, by the avise of Mr. Rocliff.^a I pray you send
answerre against the next tearme; also had I understood for
certain what goods Folbaron and Walker had of yours, I shold
have bene answered this terme by Horberey not guilty, which is
the best issue you can have: I pray you send word against the
next terme. Also Whele had sent out exigi facias de novo
against Holden, Hanworth^b and West, or I came here, and said
they were returned quarto exactus; he had given them to short a
day. Whearfore he said he wold write unto you for an excuse, and
pray the exigi against West may be withdrawen: I promissed he
should take no hurt by the proces. Also Whele sends you a
capias utlegat. against Harldre by Rauf Annias, but he delivered
it to the Sheriff. I shall send you another with the Copie of your
new suites and a venire facias against the ministre. Mr. Rocliff
hath labored effectually this tearme for your matter of Stamford,c
and for my lady Inglestropd for your sake, and to Pakee also; and
also he dined with my lady and thanked her hertely for your sake.
I trust by his labour your matter of Stamford shall take a good
end with the grace of God, who have you evermore in his keeping.
Written att London 14 february.

    (14 Feb. 1463-4.)        Your servant GODFREY GRENE.

     ^a The pharse per album breve ought perhaps to be understood of a bribe given to
Horberey, acting as attorney on behalf of the minister of the house of St. Robert at
Knaresborough (at this date Robert Boulton), for the staying of these writes.

    ^b Thomas Holden and William Hanworth were with William Husworth, William
Rute, Christopher Craven, Richard Dryver, Richard Warter and John Ripley, freres
and brethren of the house of St. Robert, John Cock and William Barker, indicted and
outlawed during these suits by Sir William Plumpton. (Chartul. No. 573.)

^e Chapman of Stamford.     (Vide postea, Letters, VIII. and IX.)
^d Joan Lady Ingaldesthorp.     (Vide postea, Letter X. note b.)
^e Pake, qu?re if intended for Hugh Pakenam or Pagnam, whose letter is among
the correspondence, No. X.