Information of Outrages

Add. 27444, f. 18

1452

217

INFORMATION OF OUTRAGES³

      CHARLYS NOWEL, Otywell Nowell, Robert Lede-
          ham, John the sone of Hogge Ratkleff, Robert
          Dallyng, Herry Bangge, Roger Cherche, Nicholas
Goldsmyth, Robert Taylor, Christofer Grenescheve, ——⁴
Dunmowe, Elis Dokworth, Christofer Bradle, Jon Cokkow,
assemblyng and gadderyng to hem gret multitude of mys-
rewled people, kepe a frunture and a forslet at the hows of
the seid Robert Ledeham, and issu ought at her pleser, sum-
tyme vj., sumtyme xij., sumtyme xxx^ti and mo, armed, jakked,
and salattyd with bowis, arwys, speris, and bylles, and over
ride the contre and oppresse the people, and do many orible
and abhomynable dedis lyke to be distruccion of the shire of
Norffolk, wythoute the Kyng owre Sovereyn Lord seth it
redressid.

Un Mydlent Soneday⁵ certeyn of the seid felechep in the
chirche of Byrlyngham made a fray upon tweyne of the ser-
vauntes of the reverent fadyr in Godde, Byschop of Nor-
wiche,⁶ the seid servaunts at that tyme knelyng to see the
usyng of the Masse; and there and than the seid felechep
wold have kelled the seid two servauntes at the prestis bakke,
ne had they be lettyd, as it semed.

¹[Item, un the Moneday² next before Esterne daye, sex
of the seid persones made a saute upon John Paston and hese
two servauntes at the dore of the cathedrall cherche of Nor-
weche, wyth swerdes, bokeler, and dagareis drawe smet at the
seid Paston, on of them holdyng the seid Paston be bothe
armes at hese bakke, as it semyth purposyng there to have
morderid the seid Paston and they had not a be lettyd; and
also smet on of the servaunts of the seid Paston upon the
naked hed wyth a swerd, and poluted the seyntewary.]

Item, on the Monday² next before Esterne day, x. of the
seid persones lay in awayte in the hey weye undyr Thorp
Woode up on Phelep Berney, Esquier, and hese man, and
shet at hem and smet her hors wyth arwes, and then over rede
hym and brake a bowe on the said Phelippis hed and toke
hym presoner, callyng hym traytor. And when they had
kepte hym as long as thei lyst, thei led hym to the seyd Byshop
of Norwiche and askid of hym swerte of the peas, and forwyth
relessid her suerte and went her way.

Item, iij. of the seid felechep lay unawayte upon Emond
Brome, jentelman, and with nakid swerds fawte wyth hym be
the space of a quarter of a owre and toke hym presoner; and
when they had kepte hym as long as they lyst, lete hym goo.

Item, xl^ti of the same felechep come rydyng to Norwiche
jakked, and salettyd, with bowys and arwys, byllys, gleves, un
Maundy Thursday,³ and that day aftyr none, when service
was doo, they, in lyke wyse arrayid, wold have brake up the
Whyte Freris dores, where,⁴ seying that they came to here
evesong; howbeit that they made her avaunt in towne they
shuld have sum men owt of town (?), qwhyke or deede; and
there made a gret rumor, where the mayre and the aldermen,
with gret multitude of peple, assembled, and therupon the
seyd felischep departid.
Item, dyvers tymes serteyn of the seid felechep have take
fro John Wylton, wythoute any cause, hese net, hese shep, and
odyr cattell, and summe there of have saltyd and eten, sume
thereof have aloyned,¹ so that the seid Wylton wot not where
for to seke hese bestes; and un the morwe² next aftyr Esterne
day last past, they toke fro hym xj. bestis, and kepte hem two
day is wythowte any cause.

Item, in lyke wyse they have do to John Coke and Kateryn
Wylton.

Item, in lyke wyse they have take the goodys and catelles
of Thomas Baret and many odyr.

Item, certeyn of the seid felechep late made a sawte upon
John Wylton in Plumsted cherche yerd, and there beete hym
so the [that] he was [in] dowth of his liff.

Item, in lyke wyse upon John Coke of Wytton, brekyng
up hese dores at xj. of the clok in the nyght, and with her
swerdis maymed hym and gaf hym vij. grete woyndis. Item,
smet the modyr of the seid Coke, a woman of iiij^xx [four score]
yeres of age, upon the crowne of the heed wyth a swerd,
wheche wownde was never hol to the daye of her deth.

Item, the seyd Dunmowe, on of the seid feleche[p], now
lete beet the parson of Hasyngham, and brake hese hed in hese
owne chauncell.
dyvers persones for feer of mordyr darnot abyde in her howses,
ne ride, ne walke abowte ther ocupacions, wyth owte they take
gretter people abowte hem then acordith to her degre, wheche
they wol not do in evel exaumple gevyng.

Item, the seid felechep of a fer cast maleys and purpose
now late toke Roger Cherche, on of ther owne felechep, be
hese owne assent, wheche Roger Cherche be her assent had
movid and and sterid a rising in the hundred of Blofeld, and
hath confessed hym self to be at that arysyng, and hath
enbylled, as it is seid, divers jentelmen and the most part of
the trysty yomen and husbondis and men of good name and
fame of the hundred abowte the seid Ledehams place, where
the seid felechep is abydyng, and nameth hem wyth odyr
suspecious people for risers, to the entent to hide and cover
her awn gylt, and to holde them that be trw men and innosent
in that mater in a dawnger and feer that they shuld not gader
peopell, ner atempte to resiste ther riotows governauns of the
seid reotows felechep.

¹ [Item, it is conceyved that if the seyd riotows felechep,
and they that drawe to them were dewly examyned, it shuld be
knowe that if there were any seche rysyng, it was conjectyd,
don, imagened, and labored be the seid reotows felechep and
be ther meanes; for aswele the seid Cherche, as dyvers of the
most suspeciows persones be the seid Cherche enbelled for
rysers, as it is seid, be and have be of long tyme dayly in
compeny wyth the seid reotows felechep.

Item, on of the seid felechep of late tyme, as it is seide,
to encresse her maliciows purpose, hath proferid rewardis and
goode to anodyr persone for to take upon hym to apele
certeyn persones, and afferme the seying of the seid Roger
Cherche.]

In wytnesse of these premesses, dyvers knytes and esquieres,
and jentelmen whos names folwen, wheche knowe this mater be
seying, heryng, or credible reporte, to this wrytyng have set
her seall, besechyng your Lordcheppis to be meanes to the
Kyng owre sovereyn Lord for remedy in this behalve. Wrete,
&c.

On the lower margin of this paper, and on the back are scrawled a few additional
memoranda, of which the following are the most important. One paragraph, which
is in the handwriting of John Paston, is so carelessly written that the names contained
in it are quite uncertain.

Memorandum, that Jon, sone of Roger Ratkliff, bet T. Baret, and Beston
and Robyn Taylor tok and imprysonyd Thomas Byrdon of Ly[n]gwode.
Item, Robert Dalling bet Nicholas Chirch at Stromsaw Chirch. Memorandum
of manassing of the quest at Hengham. Item, Robert Dallyng bete Thomas
Dallyng.

Roger att Chirche, Robert Dallyng and Herry Bang with other went with
fors and armys, and fechid William Clippisby oute of his faders hous, and
brought hym to the town of Walsham, and kept hym there ij. days and ij.
nytys, and fro thens had hym to Romgey (?), and there inpresonyd hym and
made hym [give] to Eusdale (?) an oblygacion of C. libr. made after her owyn
desyr.

³ [From Paston MSS., B.M.] The misdemeanours of Roger Church, who is here
complained of among other malefactors, must refer to the same period as Letter 214.
The date is rendered even more certain by a comparison with the letter following.

⁴ Blank in MS.

⁵ Midlent Sunday fell on the 19th March in 1452.

⁶ Walter Lyhart or Hart.

¹ This paragraph is crossed in the MS.

² April 3, Easter day being the 9th April in 1452. ³ April 6.

⁴ After the word ‘where’ the original text had ‘the seid Paston dwellith,’ but
these words have been struck out, and other alterations made in the paragraph

¹ Eloined (French éloigne), removed to a distance. ² April 10.

³ This paragraph is crossed out. ⁴ April 1.

¹ These paragraphs are crossed through.

1452