John Doddington to William Plumpton

231 John Doddington¹ to William Plumpton, 22 February [1538/9] (No.
        25, p. 203)

Right worshipfull,^a my deuty to you premised, in my most hertyest
maner I recomend me vnto you, and likewise to my good mistress,
your wife, trusting in Jesus that you with all your children be in good
health, the continuence wherof I pray Jesus increase. It may please you
to be advertised I haue receiued your gentle letters datted at Plompton
the ix of January, by the which you required me to helpe Tho:
Compton,² your nephe, to some honiest ocopation at London, with
him to be bownd prentis, which I wad gladly to the vttermost of my
power and the helpe of my frinds haue don, as I am bownd, in case
he had come vnto me, as he did not. The bringer of your said letters
informed me that your said nephew was determend to kepe in his owne
countrie & not to cum to London.

     And where your pleasure in your said letter is that I shold giue you
notise if theare wear any thing in varience [p. 204] within your maner
or lordship of Sacomp, to the intent you might send your pleasure
therin by your baly at his next coming to Sacomp. Sir, thear is one
thing in varience for title of copehold land ther, which one Edward
Glidall, your late farmer, hath, which land was somtimes one Flegs,
vnto the which one Flege now maketh title, and hath don longtimes
past. And abowt Chrismas last past, the same Flegge deliuered a supenea
[. . .]^b to Glidall for the same, as I am informed, but what is don therin
I know not. Of this matter Settil, your servant, can informe you better
than I.

     Allso ther is one Slepe, dweling abowt St Albones, who at your last
court thear maid clame to a percill of grownd of your said copehold
in the tenner of Marston, of the which the same Marston hath a cope.
Soeuer the less, said Slepe aledgeth that his brother, of whome the said
Marston bought the same ground, never maid sirrender <therof>,
according to the [. . .]^c custome of your maner. Albeit, it apereth plainely
in a bill remaining with the said Merston, that the brother of the said
Slepe sold vnto Merston all his intreast in the <said> coppehold. The
same Slepe at your last court required your baly [. . .]^d <ther, with the
asent> of the said Merston, [. . .]^e <to make search in your court rowl
that if any such surrender war maid, acording as> it is mentioned in
the said copie remaining with the said Marston, which cope, as I
remember, was made in the^f [p. 205] fowerth or fifth yeare^g of the reign
of our souaraigne lord the king that now is, whear the said rowle would
not be found. Howbeit, theare was all the rowles of this king reigne,
but onely that of that yeare. Sir, as me thinks your rowls theare be not
kept as they ought to be, the cofer wherin your said court rowles lieth
is nought and the lock therof not worth a pene, and it standeth in the
church at Sacomp, wheare every man may com at his pleasure.
Wherfore, in my simple mind, it should be nesary for you to provide
som other meane for the safe custody of your said rowles.

     Also, Sir, sith the time I haue bene your farmer ther I haue paid,
and must pay within tow yeares next to come vj fiftens for the farme
of yur maner of Sacomp: the first payment xxiiijs, the second xxxs viijd,
and either of the other fowr years xxiiijs, which amounteth in the hole
vijli xs viijd. I marvill greatly that your said manor shold be so highley
charged, considering the hole fiftene of your towne of Sacomp is but
lixs. I could never se no writing of the sesment therof, but only by the
report maid of your tennants ther by word of mouth. Sir, I wright this
vnto you because in case you haue any sertinty therof in wryting, I
might know it. I wold be sory to charge your said maner with any
more then ought of right to be; and yet I haue paid the same bycause
I am loth to stand in contentions with my neighbors [?until]^h the truth
therin be known. [p. 206]

     Furtherⁱ I haue receiued the letter sent to you by Sir Philip Butler,³
knight, wherin he wrighteth that you haue bene insensed against him
by the report of lewd and evill disposed persons – by whome he
meaneth the same, I may not iudge, howbeit I think rather by me then
any other. His sones ar discontented with me because I kepe greyhounds
and hownds at your said maner, saieng that it becometh not me to
kepe grey hownds and hownds so near theyr fathers nose, with many
other things which I remite for lake of time.

     And whear your pleasure is in your said letter, that I shold shew Mr
Butler that in case he wold giue you such fine for your milne of Sacomp
as your baly did demaund for the same, you wear contented that he
shold be amited tennant therof. Sir, with the receit of your said letter
I haue not spoken with the said Mr Butler, because I haue bene, and
yet am at London, as this bearrer can informe you. Albeit, at this
Hillary tearme I spoke woth one Mr Hide,⁴ who maried the said Mr
Butlers daughters and lieth and continueth within the said Mr Butlers
and is the greatest doer about him, to whom I shewed your pleasure
therin, requiring him to informe Mr Butler therof, and of your said
pleasure. Whervpon the said Mr Hide said that you demaunded an
vnreasonable fine for the same, and that his father did ofer you double
the fine that ever was paid by any man for the same. And further, he
said that in case ye wold not take such fine as shold stand with reason
and good conscience, he trusted that my lord Chaunceler of England,⁵
vpon the matter hard before him, wod se such fine for the same as
shold stand with right and good [p. 207] consience.^j And whear also
the said Mr Butler, amongst other things, wryteth in his said letter that
your tennants thear be daly in his danger, and that he might pot them
daily to trobles, if he wold.

     Sir, I trust you haue no tennant thear but that is the kings trew
subiect and obedient to Gods law and his Graces. And as long as the
be so I dought not but that we, having so noble and gratious a king as
we haue, power men shal liue in rest, doing their deuty to his Grace
as they and all other men ar most bownd to do. Sir, Mr Butler, of
himself, is a good and gentle knight, in case he wear not otherwise
counciled, as knoweth Jesu, who ever preserue you and all yours in
good and prosperus health, with long continuance of the same, to his
pleasure. From London, the xxij day of Febuary.

Your fermar and servant          John Dodington^k

Endorsed (p. 203): To the right worshipfull and his singuler good master
Mr William Plompton esquire at Plompton Hall in the countie of York
giue theis

     ^a Marginal note: 25 letter by John Dodington.

     ^b of deleted.

     ^c said deleted.

     ^d therwith the asent deleted.

     ^e that the brother of the said Slepe sold vnto the said Marston deleted.

     ^f Marginal note: Thomas Cholmley desiers Mister William Faerfax to sufer all he can
posible for the good of the comanwelth, and long lokt for will cum at last.

     ^g Marginal note: 25 letter by John Dodington.

     ^h Illegible word.

     ⁱ Marginal note: 25 letter by John Dodington.

     ^j Marginal note: As above.

     ^k Marginal note: Copied the 13 of June, Tewsday.

     ¹ John Doddington (d.1544), farmer of the manor of Sacombe, Lincs, part of Isabel
Plumpton’s inheritance, 126.

     ² Stapleton suggests that Thomas Compton came of a Lincs family and was ‘nephew
in half-blood’ to Isabel Plumpton, 238n.

     ³ Sir Philip Boteler, of Woodhall, Herts, four times sheriff of the county, Somerville,
405.

     ⁴ Leonard Hide married Anne Boteler, Stapleton, 240n.

     ⁵ Probably Lord Audley (d.1544).

                                                          LETTER XV.

Too the right worshipfull and his singuler good master, Mr. William
    Plompton, esquire, at Plompton Hall, in the countie of York,
    give theis.

                                                   Your fermar and servant,
                                                                JOHN DODINGTON.^d

     ^a Thomas Compton was perhaps of the family of that name at Willingham, com.
Lincoln, and nephew in half-blood to the wife of William Plumpton. (See note to Let-
ter CLXXX.)

     ^b Sir Philip Boteler, of Woodhall, in the parish of Watton-at-Stone, com. Herts. kt.

     ^c Anne, daughter of Sir Philip Butler, kt. married Leonard Hide, esq. Pedigree in
Clutterbuck's Herts.

     ^d In Sacombe Church, on the floor in the chancel, was a stone with this inscription,
"Here lieth buried the bodie of John Dodington, of Sacombe, gentleman, who de-
ceased a faithfull Christian the vii^th daie of Januarie, in the yeare of our Lord God
1544, and was husband to Eleanor Dodington, whose grave is joyned here to his on the
right side ; after whom he survived seven yeares and seaven weeks and left alive at his
departure by her his only wife three sons and six daughters.

                                      Cygnea qui terris modulati carmina mortis,
                                      Dulce polo vit? nunc melos usque canunt."