John Eyre to Sir Robert or Lady Plumpton, or to William or Isabel Plumpton, or Richard Plumpton, chaplain

192 John Eyre¹ to Sir Robert or Lady Plumpton, or to William or Isabel
        Plumpton, or Richard Plumpton, chaplain        (No. 174, p. 113)

Most honorable & worshipfull and my especiall good master, after most
hartyest manner I can or may, I recomend me vnto your mastership.
Sir, I am a poore beadman of yours, & I am at wayes right glad to
here of your welfare, my lady your wyfe, Master William your son &
my mystress his wiffe,² & all your childer, & all your good frinds &
lovers. Sir, the cause of my wrytting to your mastership at this tyme:
your mastership remembers ?at John Toyllar left me with ?e keyes of
your schawittey³ to keepe for your behalfe, in the defalt of a better. Sir,
I had the keyes leuered me when John Toyller came to your mas-
tership, & had a fellow lemett to keepe the sayd schawnter with me, &
he faylled me in my most neede. In the defalt of him ther come another
poore man as my selfe, whose name is called Ingland, & we two keeped
yt well & trewly to ?e tyme ?at your seruant came & discharged vs,
whose name called Broweke, your seruant. I leuered him ?e keyes,
afore John Tayller, in Bondgate, to Sir Thomas Aykryge behalf, by the
comandement of Broweke, your seruant. Touching [. . .] Akryg pro-
mysed to content all maner of dues. I beseech you, Sir, ?e most enimies
?at I have within Rypon is Robert Squire & his wyffe, touching ?e
right ?at John Toyller knowes right well. Desiring your mastership to
send me word with this pure boy, how I shalbe demeaned & vnder
what forme; & Jhesu preserue you, Sir. I am yours at all tymes.

Your servant & poore beadman of yours     John Eyre^a

Endorsed: To his right reuerent & worshipfull master Sir Robt Plompton
knight or my lady his wyfe or ayre William or my mystress or Sir
Richard his chaplain or any of you deliuer this byll

     ^a Appended: Copied ?e 27 of Apryll 1613. Words are omytted by cause they are ryuen
out.

     ¹ The spelling of the words ?schawnter? and ?schawittey? is said to indicate that the
writer of this letter, whether John Eyre or an amanuensis, was an unlettered man, J.W.
Adamson, ?The Extent of Literacy in England in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries?,
The Library, 10 (1929?30), 165.

     ² William Plumpton and Isabel Babthorpe were married in the autumn of 1496, App.
I, 5.

     ³ The chantry of the Holy Trinity behind the high altar of the Collegiate church of
Ripon, Letters Patent of James I, 2 Aug. 1604, Cathedral chapter House; App. II, 1.

LETTER CLIV.

To his right reverent and worshipfull master, Sir Robart Plomp-
    ton, knight, or my lady his wyfe, or ayre, William, or my mistres,
    or Sir Richard, his chaplan, or any of them, deliver this byll.

    Most honorable and worshipfull and my especiall good master,
after the most hartyest maner I can, or may, I recomend me unto
your mastership. Sir, I am a poore beadman of yours, and I
am alwayes right glad to here of your welfare, my lady your wyfe,
master William, your son, and my mystres his wiffe, and all your
childer, and all your good frinnds and lovers. Sir, the cause of
my wrytting to your mastership at this tyme; your mastership
remembers that John Toyllar left me with the keyes of your
schawittry,a to keepe for your behalfe in the defalt of a better.
Sir, I had the keyes levered me, when John Toyller came to your
mastership; and had a fellow lemett to keepe the said schawnter
with me, and he faylled me in my most neede. In the defalt of
him ther come another poore man, as my selfe, whose name is
called Ingland, and we two keeped yt well and trewly to the tyme
that your servant came and discharged us, whose name called
Broweke, your servant. I levered him the keyes, afore John
Tayller in Bondgate, to Sir Thomas Aykryg behalfe, by the
comanndement of Broweke, your servant. Touching . . . . .
Akryg promysed to content all maner of dues. I beseech you,
Sir, the most enimies that I have within Rypon is Robart Squire
and his wyffe, touching the ryght that John Toyller knowes right
well. Desiring your mastership to send me word with this pure
boy, how I shalbe demeaned and under what forme, and Jesu pre-
serve you. Sir, I am yours at all tymes.
                 Your servant and a poore beadman of yours,
                                                                                            JOHN EYRE.

    a. In the Collegiate Church or Minster at Ripon, an ancestor of Sir Robert Plumpton
had founded at the altar of the Holy Trinity beyond the high altar, a chantry, which
it appears from this letter was screened from the rest of the church and under lock
and key. At the foot of the page in the MS. is written, words are omytted bycause
they are ryven out.