Robert Blackwall to Sir Robert Plumpton

147 Robert Blackwall¹ to Sir Robert Plumpton 16 November [1500]     (No.
         ₁₇8, p. 116)

[p. 117] Right worshipfull Sir and my especial good master, with due
recomendation please yt your mastership to vnderstand þat Master
Gryffith is schereffe of Yorkshir, Sir Ralfe Longford of Not[tingham-
shire] & Derby[shire], & John Caston² of Staufordshire. And as for þe
eshetours in Staffordshire, as yet, as fare as I know, is non. Ralfe
Saucheuereth of Hopwell³ is eschetour of Nottinghamshire, & Derby-
[shire], & as farre as I vnderstand William Crowch, þat was custymer
of Hull, is eschetor of Yorkshire.⁴ My lord of Carlile⁵ hath athorytie to
make eschetor ther, & as fare as I know or can learne ?e sayd Crowch
occupieth still ther; & as yet, as fare as I can vnderstand, ther is noe
office found, nor as yet reconed, nether into ?e chaunchry nor yet into
?e eschetor after ?e death of my master your father. I shall lye in
awayte as much as I can therfore.

     I pled for your mastership yere agoo a pardon⁶ for Wolfehuntlands
about Maunsfeild in Shirwood, by which plee ye clamed ?e land by
fefement of my master yore father.⁷ A gentilman ?at is of counsell with
Master Empson enquered for the same plee, & saw yt, & was sory
?at ye had not clamed ?e saide land as son & heire.⁸ Other tydings
there be none, but ?at make you redy, for surely, as farre as I kow, Mr
Emson will in hand with you this yere, & as farre as I can know by
<assise>.⁹ I besech you ?at I may be recomended to my good lady,
my lady your wyfe, with Master Pole & my mystres his wyfe. My
master recomendeth him to you & prayeth you to remember his I
marc now, for he sath ?at he hath nede therof.¹⁰ And Jesu preserue
you. From London in great hast <as apeareth> the xvj day of
Nouember.^a

                               Your seruant     Robt Blakwell^b

Endorsed (p. 116): To his right worshipfull & especiall good master Sir
Robt Plompton knight be these deliuered in hast

     ^a Marginal note: 15 H.7.

     ^b Appended: Copied ?e 30 of Aprill 1613.

     ¹ Clerk, of Blackwell, Derbys, master in chancery and attorney in the exchequer. A
pluralist, he held numerous vicarages, including Mansfield, CB, 789; 85, 91.

     ² John Aston of Tixall, Staffs, J. Wedgwood, ?Sheriffs of Staffordshire?, Historical
Collections of Staffordshire (1921), 283; List of Sheriffs, 128.

     ³ Ralph Sacheverell was probably a younger son of John Sacheverell, of Morley,
Derbys, and younger brother of Sir Henry (d.1536), G.M. Marshall (ed.), The Visitation of
Nottinghamshire in 1569 and 1614 (Harleian Society, iv, 1871), 163.

     ⁴ William Crouch was appointed escheator for Yorks 5 Nov. 1498, and held the office
until 1506, List of Escheators, 72; CPR, 1494?1509, 504.

     ⁵ William Senhouse, 45, 50.

     ⁶ 84.

     ⁷ The feoffment was made by Sir William 6 Nov. 1475, CB, 598.

     ⁸ It appears that the estates were not entailed to the heir male, but that Sir Robert
held them as heir special, 146, 152; Stapleton, 147n, 131n; App. II, 35, 36.

     ⁹ 119.

     ¹⁰ Sir Robert Lytton (d.1505), under-treasurer of England, who had a pecuniary interest
in the marriage of German de la Pole, CPR, 1494?1509, 10; Anglica Historia, 52, 94.

LETTER CXIV.

To his right worshipfull and especyall good master, Sir Robart
Plompton, knight, be these delivered in hast.

    Right worshipfull Sir and my especial good master, with due
recomendation, please yt your mastership to understand that Mas-
ter Gryffith is Schereffe of Yorkshir,^a Sir Ralfe Longford of Not.
and Derby,^b and John caston^c (lege Aston) of Staufordshire; and
as for the Eshetours, in Staffordshire as yet, as fare as I know, is
non. Ralfe Sauchevereth of Hopwell^d is Eschetour of Noting-
hamshire and Derby, and as farre as I understand, W^m Crowch,
that was Custymer of Hull, is Eschetor of Yorkshire. My lord
of Carlele^e hath authorytie to make Eschetor ther; and as fare as I
know, or can learne, the sayd Crowch occupieth still ther. And
as yet, as fare as I can understand, ther is noe office found, nor as
yet reconed, nether into the Chaunchry, nor yet into the Esche-
quer, after the death of my master your father. I shall lye in
awayte, as much as I can, therfore. I pled for your mastership x
yere agoo a Perdon for Wolfe-hunt lands about Maunsefeild in
Shirwood;^f by which pree ye clamed the land by fefement of
my master, yore father. A gentilman, that is of counsell with
Master Empson, enquered for the same plee and saw yt; and was
sory that ye had not clamed the saide land as son and heire. Other
tydings ther be none, but that make you redy; for suerly, as farre
as I know, Master Empson will in hand with you this yere, and
as farre as I can know, by assise. And I besech you, that I may
be recomended to my good lady, my lady your wyfe, with Mas-
ter Pole^g and my mystres his wyfe. My master^h recomendeth
him to you and prayeth you to remember his I marc now, for he
sath that he hath nede therof. And Jesu preserve you. From
London, in great hast, as apeareth, the xvi day November.

            Your servant,    ROBERT BLAKWALL.ⁱ
    (16 Nov. 1500.)

    ^a Sir Walter Griffith, High Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1501.

    ^b Sir Ralph Longford, High Sheriff of Nott. and Derb. in 1501.

    ^c John Aston, esq. High Sheriff of Staffordshire in 1501, afterwards Sir John
Aston, kt.

    ^d Ralph Saucheverell, of Hopwell, com. Derb. esq.

    ^e William Sewer, Bishop of Carlisle and Abbot of St. Mary, York.

    ^f Perdon, i. e. per donum, by which plea the land was claimed under a gift special.
(See Letters LXIII. and LXIV.)

    ^g German Pole, son-in law of Sir Robert Plumpton.

    ^h Robert Lytton, esq. Under Treasurer of England in 1493, afterwards Sir Robert
Lytton, kt. is probably here indicated by "my master:" the debt was owing for the
marriage of the daughter of Sir Robert Plumpton to German pole in 1495, in which
contract Sir Robert Lytton had an interest.    (See Letter CVIII. note a.)

    ⁱThe name of Sir Robert Blackwall, clerk, is found among those appointed to be
receivers of petitions in the Parliaments 1 Richard III. 7,11,12, and 19 Henry VII.
( See Letters LXIV, notec, and LXX, notea.)