Halnath Mauleverer to Sir Robert Plumpton, Miles Wilstrop, John Pullein and Robert Birnand

41 Halnath Mauleverer to Sir Robert Plumpton, John Pullein and Robert
     Birnand, 20 May [1480 × 1486] (No. 134, p. 81)

Right worshipfull Sires, I recomend me vnto you, letting you wytte þat
I have comond with lerned men to vnderstamd wher my syster in law
may enter into her ioynter & dower, or no. They say forasmuch as the
erytance & right of þe same was in my neveu after the death of his
father, <on> whose soule Jesu have mercy; at whose death my sayd
sister let to ferme hir iointer & dower to my sayd nephew, hir son,
afore wyttnese, terme of hir lyfe, the which is thought, by them that
be learned, is a surrender in the law. Wherfore she must byd by such
comonds as was betwyxt hir son & hir.¹ As for my brother William, if
it may be shewed vnder his seale or synmanuell, [p. 82] or if the sayd
wyll be lost, if ther be iiij worshipfull men þat will swere vpon a booke
þat they saw the wyll, & þat my sayd brother at his death desired them
þat the same wyll myght be performed, my nephewes must needs have
ther porcion, & every person to have after thayr porcion. Also yt is
thought by the forsayd lerned men þat if my sayd nevew had a cli of
his father goods, if yt were spended afore his death, his father seckturs
may have no accion agaynst his seckturs. Ye haue right wyse & descret
learned men in Yorkshire, ye may enquere of them, if it please you.
Jesu preserve you. Written at Clerrkynwell the xx day of May.

Yor owne                      Halnath Mallyverer^a

Endorsed (p. 81): To the right worshipfull Sir Robart Plompton, John
Pullan & to Robart Byrnand & to euery of you be thes deliuered

     ^a Appended: Copied the 18 of Aprill 1613.

     ¹ Strenuous efforts were sometimes made to persuade widows to accept a cash annuity
in place of dower in order that the whole estate might be brought back into single
ownership, for example Dame Isabel Plumpton, widow of Sir Robert (d.1407), was
persuaded to accept a rent charge of 40m out of the manor of Plumpton in lieu of dower,
App. II, 6.

LETTER IX.

To the right worshipfull Sir Robert Plompton, John Pullan, and
to Robert, Byrnand, and to every of you be thes delivered.

    Right worshipfull Sirs, I recomend me unto you, letting you
wytte that I have comond with lerned men to understand wher
my syster in law may enter into her joynter and dower, or no.
They say, for as much as the erytance and right of the same was
in my nevew after the death of his father, on whose sould Jesu
have mercy; at whose death my sayd sister let to ferme her
joynter and dower to my sayd nephew, hir son, afore wittnese,
terme of hir lyfe, the which is thought by them that be learned, is
a surrender in the law: wherfore she must byd by such comonds
as was betwyxt hir son and hir. As for my brother William, if it
may be shewed under his seale or synmanuell, or if the sayd wyll
be lost, if ther be iiij worshipfull men that will swere upon a
booke, that they saw the wyll, and that my sayd brother at his
death desired them that the same wyll myght be performed, my
nephewes must needs have their porcion, and every person to
have after thayr porcion. Also yt is thought by the forsayd
lernedmen, that if my sayd nevew had a cli. of his father goods, yf
it were spended afore his death, his father seckturs may have no
accion agaynst his seckturs. Ye have right wyse and descret
learned men in Yorkshire; ye may enquere of them, if it please
you. Jesu preserve you. Written at Clerkynwell, the xx day of May.
                                                     Yor owne, HALANTH MALLYVERER.