Robert, Prior of Bromholm, to John Paston

Add. 34888, f. 28

?5 March 1449

Gairdner, Vol II, item 84; Fenn, Vol III, Henry VI item 18

LETTER XVIII.

To my Sovereyn
John Paston.

I Recomend me hertily thankyng yow for ye tydings and ye
good awysse y^t ze sent me be ye p^rson of Thorpe latyng zow
wittin y^t ye byschope of ye todir syde of ye see sent laate to me
a man y^e qwych wuld abydin uppon my leyser for to an had me
ouyr wyt hym to ye seyd byschope and so forth to y^e Courte
so ye seyd man and I arryn a poynted y^t he schal Comyn ageyn
a purpose fro ye byschope to be my gyde ouyr y^e See and so I
purpose me fully forthe a noon aftir this estryn J mak me euyre
day fulli redy as p’uyli as I can be sekyng zow as I trost on zow
and as I am zour trow bede man as labor for me her y^t I mythe
haf a wyrte of Passagche directid un swyche men as zow thyng
y^t schyd best yife me my schargche ye best takyng of schepynge
is at yernemuthe er Kyrley or som othir place in Norfolk syde I
schal haf favour he now wyt ther seergiours bod all my goode
spede and all my wel lythe in you heer for ther on I trost fully
som Cownsel me to haf a lett^r of exschawnge thow it wer bode
of xl s er lees bod I comitte all my best in this matir to zour
ysdam and qwat at euyr ze pay in this matir I schal truly at
owr metyng repay ageyn to zow bod for godds love purvey
for my sped her for ell J lees all my purvyans and ther too J
schyd jaape y^e byschope man and caus hym to com in to yng-
land and lees all his labor for goddis loue send me down this
wyrte er ell bryng it wyt zow y^t I mythe haf fro zow a lett^r of
tydings and Comforthe for I had neuyr verray need of zour
labor til now bod my hert hangithe in gret langor all my brethir
wenyth y^t I schy^d no forthir goo than to ye byschope and undir
y^t colour schal I weel go forthe to ye Courte I haf gret stody
til I haf tydings fro zow Avy^r mor all mythi good haf zow in
kepyng bodi and soule Writtin in hast y^e Wednesday in y^e
fyrst week of clen Lenton.

Your Orator,

Robt. P. of B.

I sent zow a lett^r bod I
hade non answer ageyn

It is very difficult to ascertain the date of this Letter, unless we may suppose it written
about 1449, when Walter Lyhart, Bishop of Norwich, was sent Embassador into Savoy,
to induce Felix V. who had been chosen Anti-Pope, to renounce his claim to Nicholas V.
for the peace of the Church. This our Bishop accomplished, and it might be at the
same time that the Prior of Bromholm wished to go to him when abroad, but on what
account does not appear. I give this merely as a conjecture, as I do not find that the
priory of Bromholm had any connection with any foreign Bishop.

Robert was Prior of Bromholm, from about 1435 to about 1460, when he was suc-
ceeded by John Titleshale.

This priory became famous for a Holy Cross, made (as it was said) of part of the
Cross on which our Saviour was crucified.

The House was dissolved in 1539, and sold by the Crown to Sir Thomas Wodehouse;
it was afterwards in the families of Berney and Branthwaite. It then became the Estate
of John Norris, Esq. and by him was settled upon the University of Cambridge, as a
stipend for a Professor.

Autograph. Pl. XVIII. N^o 5.

11 ? by 7 ?.
Wednesday,
March,
About 1449-50. 28 H. VI.

LETTER XVIII.

To my sovereign John Paston.

I Recommend me heartily, thanking you for the tidings, and
the good advice that ye sent me by the parson of Thorpe,
letting you weet that the Bishop of the other side of the Sea,
sent lately to me a man, the which would abide upon my leisure,
for to have had me over with him to the said Bishop, and
so forth to the Court; so the said man and I are appointed that
he shall come again, on purpose from the Bishop, to be my
guide over the sea, and so I purpose me fully forth anon after
this Easter; I make me every day full ready as privily as I can,
beseeching you, as I trust on you, and as I am your true
beadsman as [to] labour for me here that I might have a writ of
passage directed unto such men as you think that should best give
me my charge.

The best taking of shipping is at Yarmouth or Kyrley, or some
other place in Norfolk side. I shall have favour enough with
their Seergiours [Searchers q?], but all my good speed and all
my weal lyeth in you here, for thereon I trust fully.

Some counsel me to have a Letter of Exchange, though it were
but of forty Shillings or less, but I commit all my best [behest q?]
in this matter to your wisdom, and whatever ye pay in this
matter, I shall truly at our meeting repay again to you, but for
God’s love purvey for my speed here, for else I lose all my
purveyance, and thereto I should jape [deceive] the Bishop’s man,
and cause him to come into England and lose all his labour;
for God’s love send me down this writ, or else bring it with
you, that I might have from you a letter of tidings and comfort,
for I had never very need of your labour till now, but my
heart hangeth in great languor.

All my brethren weneth that I shall no farther go than to the
Bishop, and under that colour shall I well go forth to the Court,
I have great study till I have tidings from you.

Evermore Almighty Good [God] have you in keeping, body
and soul.

Written in haste, the Wednesday in the first week of clean
Lent.

Your Orator,

ROBERT, Prior of BROMHOLM.

I sent you a letter, but I had none answer again.

It is very difficult to ascertain the date of this Letter, unless we may suppose it written
about 1449, when Walter Lyhart, Bishop of Norwich, was sent Embassador into Savoy,
to induce Felix V. who had been chosen Anti-Pope, to renounce his claim to Nicholas V.
for the peace of the Church. This our Bishop accomplished, and it might be at the
same time that the Prior of Bromholm wished to go to him when abroad, but on what
account does not appear. I give this merely as a conjecture, as I do not find that the
priory of Bromholm had any connection with any foreign Bishop.

Robert was Prior of Bromholm, from about 1435 to about 1460, when he was suc-
ceeded by John Titleshale.

This priory became famous for a Holy Cross, made (as it was said) of part of the
Cross on which our Saviour was crucified.

The House was dissolved in 1539, and sold by the Crown to Sir Thomas Wodehouse;
it was afterwards in the families of Berney and Branthwaite. It then became the Estate
of John Norris, Esq. and by him was settled upon the University of Cambridge, as a
stipend for a Professor.

Autograph. Pl. XVIII. N^o 5.

     11 ? by 7 ?.
     Wednesday,
                March,
                About 1449-50. 28 H. VI.

84

ROBERT, PRIOR OF BROMHOLM, TO JOHN PASTON¹

To my Sovereyn, John Paston.

    I RECOMEND me hertily, thankyng yow for the tydings,
      and the good awysse that ze sent me be the Parson of
      Thorpe;² latyng zow wittin that the Byschope of the
todir syde of the see sent laate to me a man, the qwych wuld
abydin uppon my leyser, for to an had me ovyr wyt hym to
the seyd Byschope, and so forth to the Courte.³ So the seyd

man and I arryn a poynted that he schal comyn ageyn a purpose
fro the Byschope, to be my gyde ovyr the see, and so I purpose
me fully forthe a noon aftir this Estryn. I mak me evyre day
fulli redy as privyli as I can, be sekyng zow, as I trost on zow,
and as I am zour trow bede man, as labor for me her that I
mythe haf a wyrte of passagche directid un[to] swyche men as
zow thyng that schyd best yife me my schargche.

The best takyng of schepynge is at Yernemuthe er Kyrley,
or som othir place in Norfolk syde. I schal haf favour he now
[enough] wyt ther seergiours [searchers]; bod all my goode
spede and all my wel lythe in you heer, for ther on I trost
fully.

Som cownsel me to haf a letter of exschawnge, thow it wer
bode of xls. er lees, bod I comitte all my best in this matir to
zour wysdam, and qwat at evyr ze pay in this matir, I schal
truly at owr metyng repay ageyn to zow. Bod for Godds
love purvey for my sped her, for ell [else] I lees all my
purvyans, and ther too I schyd jaape¹ the Byschope man, and
caus hym to com in to Yngland, and lees all his labour. For
Goddis love, send me down this wyrte, er ell bryng it wyt
zow, that I mythe haf fro zow a letter of tydings and com-
forthe; for I had nevyr verray need of zour labor til now,
bod my hert hangithe in gret langor.

All my brethir wenyth that I schyd no forthir goo than to
the Byschope, and undir that colour schal I weel go forthe to
the Courte. I haf gret stody til I haf tydings fro zow. Avyr
mor All mythi Good haf zow in kepyng, bodi and soule.

Writtin in hast, the Wednesday in the fyrst week of clen
Lent.²

Your Orator, ROBT., P. of B.

I sent zow a letter, bod I hade non answer ageyn.

¹ [From Fenn, iii. 80.] There is no distinct clue to the date of this letter; but
Fenn throws out a conjecture which, in default of any better guide, may be accepted
as not improbable, that ‘the Bishop of the other side of the sea’ was Walter Lyhert,
Bishop of Norwich, who in the beginning of 1449 must have been in Savoy, having
been sent thither by the King to persuade the anti-pope Felix v. to renounce his claim
to Nicholas V. for the peace of the Church. This Felix actually did in the beginning
of this year, and Wharton considers Bishop Lyhert to have been the cause of his doing
so (Angl. Sac. i. 418). Fenn, however, dates this letter 1450, on the supposition that
the Bishop would have been still abroad in the beginning of that year, which is a
mistake, as his name appears in the Rolls of Parliament as a trier of petitions as early
as February.

² Robert Rogers was parson of Thorpe from 1445 to 1476.

³ Court of Rome.

¹ Deceive.

² The first week in Clean Lent means the first entire week in Lent beginning on
a Sunday.

1449 (?)
MARCH 5