John Paston's Petition

102

JOHN PASTON’S PETITION¹

To the Kyng, oure Soverayn Lord, and to the right wyse and
discrete Lordis, assemblyd in this present Parlement.

      BESECHITH mekly your homble liege man, John Paston,
          that where he, and oder enfeffed to his use, have be
          pecybily poscessyd of the maner of Gresham, within
the counte of Norffolk, xx. yere and more, til the xvij. day of
Februarij, the yere of your nobill regne xxvi.,² that Robert
Hungerford, Knyght, the Lord Molyns, entred in to the seyd
maner; and how be it that the seyd John Paston, after the seid
entre, sued to the seid Lord Molyns and his councell, in the
most louly maner that he cowde, dayly fro tyme of the seid
entre on to the fest of Mihelmes than next folwyng, duryng
which tyme divers communicasyons were had betwix the coun-
cell of the seid Lord and the councell of your besecher. And
for asmych as in the seid communicasions no titill of right at
any tyme was shewed for the seid Lord but that was fully and
clerly answeryd, so that the seid Lords councell remitted your
seid besecher to sewe to the seid Lord for his finall and right-
full answer. And after sute mad to the seid Lord be your seid
besecher, as well at Salysbery as in other places to his gret
coust, and non answer had but delays, which causyd your seid
besecher the vj. day of Octobre last past to inhabite hym in a
mansion with in the seid town, kepyng stille there his posces-
sion, on tille the xxviij. day of Januarij last past, the seid Lord
sent to the seid mansion a riotous peple, to the nombre of a
thowsand persones, with blanket bendes¹ of a sute as riseres
ageyn your pees, arrayd in maner of werre, with curesse,
brigaunders, jakks, salettes, gleyfes, bowes, arows, pavyse,²
gonnes, pannys with fier and teynes brennyng therein, long
cromes³ to drawe doun howsis, ladders, pikoys, with which
thei myned down the walles, and long trees with which thei
broke up yates and dores, and so came in to the seid mansion,
the wiff of your besecher at that tyme beyng ther in, and xij.
persones with her; the which persones thei dreve oute of the
seide mansion, and myned down the walle of the chambre wher
in the wiff of your seid besecher was, and bare here oute at the
yates, and cutte a sondre the postes of the howses and lete
them falle, and broke up all the chambres and coferes within
the seid mansion, and rifelyd, and in maner of robery bare
awey all the stuffe, aray, and money that your seyd besecher
and his servauntes had ther, on to the valew of ccli. [£200],
and part therof sold, and part ther of yaffe, and the remenaunt
thei departed among them, to the grete and outrageous hurt
of your seid besecher, sayng openly, that if thei myght have
found ther yowr seid besecher and on John Damme,⁴ which
is of councell with hym, and divers oder of the servauntes of
your seid besecher, thei shuld have died. And yet divers of
the seid mysdoeres and ryotous peple onknowyn, contrary to
your lawes, dayly kepe the seid maner with force, and lyne
[i.e. lien, lie] in wayte of divers of the frendis, tenauntes, and
servauntes of your seid besecher, and grevously vexe and
trobill hem in divers wise, and seke hem in her howsis, ran-
sakyng and serchyng her shevys and strawe in her bernes and
other places with bore speris, swerdis, and gesernys,⁵ as it
semyth, to sle hem if thei myght have found hem; and
summe have bete and left for ded, so that thei, for doute of
here lyves, dare not go home to here houses, ner occupy here
husbondry, to the gret hurte, fere, and drede, aswele of your
seid besechere as of his seid frendis, tenauntes, and servauntes.
And also, thei compelle pore tenauntes of the seid maner, now
within ther daunger, ageyn ther wille, to take feyned pleyntes
in the courtes of the hundred ther ageyn the seid frendis,
tenauntes, and servauntes of your seid besecher, whiche dare
not apere to answere for fere of bodily harme, ne can gete no
copiis of the seid pleyntes to remedi them be the lawe, because
he that kepyth the seid courtis is of covyn with the seid mis-
doers, and was on of the seid ryseres, which be coloure of the
seid pleyntes grevously amercy the seid frendes, tenauntes, and
servauntes of your seid besecher, to the[ir] outrageous and
importabille hurte.

     Please it your hynesse, consideryng that if this gret insur-
reccyon, ryottis, and wrongis, and dayly continuans ther of so
heynosly don a geyn your crowne, dignite and peas, shuld not
be your hye myght be duly punysshed, it shall gefe grett
boldnesse to them, and alle other mysdoers to make con-
gregacyons and conventicles riottously, on abille to be seysed,
to the subversyon and finall distruccyon of your liege peple and
lawes: And also, how that your seid besecher is not abille to
sue the commone lawe in redressyng of this heynos wrong, for
the gret myght and alyaunce of the seid Lord: And also, that
your seid besecher canne have non accyon be your lawe ageyn
the seid riotous peple for the godis and catellis be hem so
riottously and wrongfully take and bore awey, because the seid
peple be onknowe, aswelle here names as here persones, on to
hym;—To purvey, be the avyse of the Lordis spirituall and
temporall assembled in this present Parlement, that your seid
besechere may be restoryd to the seid godis and catellis thus
riottously take away; and that the seid Lord Molyns have
suche comaundment that your seid besecher be not thus with
force, in maner of werre, hold oute of his seide maner, contrary
to alle your statutes mad ageyn suych forcibille entrees and
holdyngs; and that the seid Lord Molyns and his servauntes
be sette in suche a rewle, that your seid besechere, his frendis,
tenauntes, and servauntes, may be sure and saffe from hurt of
here persones, and pesibly ocupy here londs and tenements
under your lawes with oute oppressyoun or onrightfull vexa-
sioun of any of hem; and that the seid riseres and causeres
therof may be punysshed, that other may eschewe to make
any suche rysyng in this your lond of peas in tyme comyng.
And he shalle pray to God for yowe.

     ¹ [Add. Charter 17,240, B.M.] The date of this petition must be during the
sitting of Parliament, in the beginning of the year 1450. The first expulsion of John
Paston from Gresham is here clearly dated in February 1448. The ‘October last’ in
which he re-entered might, so far as appears in this petition, have been in the same
year, but the letters referring to this dispute in 1449 compel us to put it a twelvemonth
later.                                                                     ² A.D. 1448.

     ¹ Bands of white woollen cloth?     ² Pavises were large shields.

     ³ Crome is a Norfolk word, signifying a staff with a crook at the end of it.

     ⁴ This person was returned to Parliament for Norwich in October 1450.

     ⁵ Battle-axes.

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