Ingham's Petition

238

INGHAM’S PETITION²

FUL mekely bisecheth your humble liege man, Walter
     Ingham of youre schire of Norffolk, gentylman, that
     where the seide Walter was in Goddes pees and youres
at Dunston in the seid shire the xj. daye of the monthe of
January, the yere of youre rengne the xxxij., oone Thomas
Denyes,³ of ful grete malice, prepensed ungodely soore agaynste
gode feithe and concience, imagynyng utterly to destroye youre
seyde besecher, contryved a lettre in the name of my Lord of
Oxenforde, he not knowyng of ony soch lettre comaundyng
youre seide besecher to be with the seide Lorde at Wevenho,
in your shire of Essex, the xiij. day of the seide monthe of
January, for divers grete maters towchyng my seide Lorde.
The seide Thomas, thenkyng in his conceite that youre seid
besechere wolde in noo wyse disobeye the seide wrytyng, but
that he wolde putte hym in his devoyre to fulfill my seide
Lords desyre, layde dyvers folks arraied in maner of werre
with jakkes, saletts, langedebiefs,⁴ and boore speres in ij.
busshements for youre seide besecher in ij. places, knowyng
wele that youre seide besecher must come oone of thes ij.
weyes for, tho [there] were no moo, to that intent that they
[might] murdre your seide besecher be cause he had laboured
for his fadir in a wryte sub pena agaynst the seide Thomas
Denys and Anneys his wyf for a notable somme of money that
the seide Anneys shulde have payede to the fadir of your seide
besecher; the seide Thomas comaundyng the seide mysdoers
in any wyse whech of theym that mette first with youre seide
besecher shulde sle hym, and they shol be nota[b]ly rewardet
for ther laboure, and the seide Thomas shulde kepe and save
theyme harmeles. Bicause of whech comaundement oone of
the seide busshements mette with the forsaide besechere the xij.
day of the seide month, as he came toward my seide Lorde of
Oxenforde acordyng to his lettre at Dunstone afore seide, and
hym than and there grevosly bette and woundet, aswell upon
his hede as uppon his leggs, and other ful grevous strokes and
many gaf hym upon his bakke, so that youre seide besecher is
mahaymed upon his ryght legg, and feyne to goo on crucches,
and so must do al dayes of his lif to his utter undoyng; not-
withstandyng the seide mysdoers and riotous peple in this
conceite [lef]te youre seide besecher for dede. Uppon the
whech ryot it was complayned to my Lord Chauncelere¹ by
the frends of yowre besecher, desyryng of hym by ca[use of
th]e grete ryote doone by the seide Thomas, and also for the
sauf garde of youre seyde besechere, that oone of your serjantes
of armes myght be comaundement [go]² and areste the seide
Thomas to appere before you in your Chauncerie for the seide
ryot, because the seide Thomas was at that tyme at London;
bi force of [whech com]aundement oone of youre serjants of
armes went to Lyncolne Inne to arreste the sayde Thomas.
The whech areste the seide Thomas utterly diso[beyed in]
grete contempte of your highnesse; nevertheles he is now in
the warde of the Wardeyne of the Flete by the comaundement
of my Lorde Chaunceler. [Wher]fore plese it your highnes of
youre most noble and habundante grace, by the assente of your
Lordes Spirituel and Temporel, and of your Comons in this
your present Par[lement assem]bled, and by auctorite of the
same, to ordeyne and estabelessche that the seide Thomas
Denys may abide in the seide prisone of the Flete, and not to
be [admitted to bayl] nor meynprise in noo wyse in to soch
tyme that the seide Thomas have answered to soch accion or
accions as youre seide besecher schal take agaynst hym for the
seide mahayme and betyng, and also unto soch tyme as the
same accions ben folly discussed and determyned bi twene your
seide besecher and the seide Thomas Denys, consideryng that
if the same Thomas scholde go at large, he wolde never answere
your seide besecher but hym delay by protecions and other
weies, so that the same besecher schulde never be content nor
agreed, for the exhorbitant offence done to hym; and also un
to the tyme the seide Thomas fynde sofficient suerte of his
gode beryng fro this tyme forthe. And he shal pray to God
for youre moste noble astate.

      ² [From Paston MSS., B.M.] This is a petition to the King in Parliament which,
supported by the influence of Cardinal Kemp, appears to have met with a favourable
hearing from the House of Lords. The date will appear by the letter following.

     ³ See Nos. 123 and 124.

     ⁴ The langue-de-bœuf was a kind of glaive with a double edge half down the
blade.

      ¹ John Kemp, Archbishop of Canterbury and Cardinal.     ² Mutilated.

1454

1454

1454