Sir John Heveningham to Margaret Paston

  • Medieval Family Life
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Title
Sir John Heveningham to Margaret Paston
Reference
Add. 34888, f. 67
Date
?7 May 1451
Library / Archive
  • The British Library
Transcript location(s) in printed volume(s)
Gairdner, Vol II, item 191; Fenn, Vol III, Henry VI item 34
Transcript from John Fenn, 'Original Letters, written during the reigns of Henry VI., Edward IV., and Richard III…. Volume III' (1st transcript)

LETTER XXXIV.

 

         To my Ryght Worchipffull
         Cosyn Margarete Paston
         be yis lettr delivred.

 

RYGHT Worchipffull and welbeloved cosyn I comāunde
     me to you as herteli as I can thankyng you off yor goode
chere ye last tyme I was wt you And worchippffull cosyn please
yt you to calle un to your remēbrauns I wrote un to you For
my cosyn Anneys loveday to have ben in yor srvic And I r’seyved
From you a lettr that your wyll was goode but durst not to in to
ye tyme ye hadde spoke wt my Cosyn your husbonde. Wor-
chippffull Cosyn I have labored For hir in othir placez but I cā
not have my entent as yet. Wherffor yff that hit please you to
have hyr wt you to in to ye tyme that A Mastris may be prveyeid
For hir I pray you ther off And I shall cōtēte you ffor hir boarde
that ye shal be wel pleased For Cosyn And I hadde A wyff I
wolde not care ffor hir And ther as she is she is not well at hir Ease
For she is At Rob. lethum And therfor I pray you herteli that
ye wyll tendr’ this my Writyng And I beseche you that in cas be
that ye wyll fulffylle hit that ye wel sende my Cosyn Will
Staunton for hir And I shal kepe you trewe prmys. As I have
be For Wret[SYM] And I beseche Almyghti Ihu prserve you Wret[SYM] at
Heven[SYM]gh’m on ye vij day off May &c.

                                              your oune cosyn

                                                                     John Hebenyngham, Knyght.

 

  I have given this Letter as shewing the method of educating young women of some
family, but of small fortune, by placing them in the families of the gentry, &c.

     It is plain, from Sir John’s desiring that Margaret Paston would take her for a time as
a boarder, that the young person was not to have been in the line of a common servant.

     He likewise shews a propriety of conduct in not taking her himself, as he was a widower;
at the same time acknowledging that, had he had a wife, he should have found no dif-
ficulty in providing properly for her in his own family.

     Sir John Heveningham married Elizabeth the daughter and heir of Sir John Reddi-
sham, Knt. and he was living in 1459.

     Autograph, Pl. XVIII. No 10.

       Paper Mark,
      Bull’s Head and Star,
            Pl. VIII. No 2.

      Heveningham,
              7 May,
      Between 1450 and 1460. 28 and 38 H. VI.
Transcript from John Fenn, 'Original Letters, written during the reigns of Henry VI., Edward IV., and Richard III…. Volume III' (2nd transcript)

LETTER XXXIV.

 

To my right worshipful Cousin Margaret Paston be this letter
delivered.

 

RIGHT worshipful and well beloved cousin I commend
     me to you as heartily as I can, thanking you of your
good cheer the last time I was with you; and, worshipful cousin,
please it you to call unto your remembrance, I wrote unto you
for my cousin Anneys Loveday to have been in your service, and
I received from you a letter that your will was good, but (you)
durst not to into the time ye had spoken with my cousin your
husband.

     Worshipful cousin, I have laboured for her in other places, but
I cannot have mine intent as yet, wherefore if that it please you
to have her with you to into the time that a mistress may be pur-
veyed for her, I pray you thereof, and I shall content you for
her board, that ye shall be well pleased; for cousin and (if) I
had a wife, I would not care for her; and there as (where) she
is, she is not well at her ease, for she is at Robert Lethum’s,
and therefore I pray you heartily, that ye will tender this my
writing, and I beseech you that in case be that ye will fulfil it,
that ye will send my cousin William Staunton for her, and I
shall keep (to) you true promise, as I have before written; and
I beseech Almighty Jesu preserve you. Written at Hevening-
ham on the 7th day of May, &c.

                                                 Your own Cousin,

                                      JOHN HEVENINGHAM, Knight.

     

  I have given this Letter as shewing the method of educating young women of some
family, but of small fortune, by placing them in the families of the gentry, &c.

     It is plain, from Sir John’s desiring that Margaret Paston would take her for a time as
a boarder, that the young person was not to have been in the line of a common servant.

     He likewise shews a propriety of conduct in not taking her himself, as he was a widower;
at the same time acknowledging that, had he had a wife, he should have found no dif-
ficulty in providing properly for her in his own family.

     Sir John Heveningham married Elizabeth the daughter and heir of Sir John Reddi-
sham, Knt. and he was living in 1459.

     Autograph, Pl. XVIII. No 10.

      Paper Mark,
      Bull’s Head and Star,
            Pl. VIII. No 2.

      Heveningham,
              7 May,
      Between 1450 and 1460. 28 and 38 H. VI.

Transcript from James Gairdner, 'The Paston Letters, A.D., 1422-1509, New Complete Library Edition, Volume II'

191

 

SIR JOHN HEVENINGHAM TO MARGARET
PASTON1

 

To my ryght worchipffull cosyn, Margarete Paston,
be this letter delivered.

 

RYGHT worchipffull and welbeloved cosyn, I com-
     maunde me to you as herteli as I can, thankyng you
     off your goode chere the last tyme I was with you.
And, worchippffull cosyn, please that you to calle un to your
remembrauns I wrote un to you for my cosyn Anneys Loveday
to have ben in your service, and I reseyved from you a letter
that your wyll was goode, but durst not to in to the tyme ye
hadde spoke with my cosyn your husbonde.

     Worchippffull cosyn, I have labored for hir in othir
placez, but I can not have my entent as yet. Wherffor yff
that hit please you to have hyr with you to in to the tyme
that a mastris may be purveyeid for hir, I pray you ther off,
and I shall contente you ffor hir boarde, that ye shal be wel
pleased; for, cosyn, and I hadde a wyff, I wolde not care for
hir. And ther as she is, she is not well at hir ease, for she is
at Robert Lethum; and therfor I pray you herteli that ye
wyll tendre this my writyng, and I beseche you that in cas be
that ye wyll fulffylle hit that ye wel sende my cosyn Will
Staunton for hir, and I shal kepe you trewe promys, as I
have be for wretyn. And I beseche Almyghti Jesu preserve
you. Wretyn at Hevenyngham, on the vij. day off May, &c.
—Your oune cosyn,

                                            JOHN HEVENYNGHAM, Knyght.

 

     1 [From Fenn, iii. 144.] The date of this letter is doubtful, but it was evidently
written at a time when John Paston had been for some considerable time absent from
Norwich, which appears to have been the case in the beginning of May 1451. The
writer of this letter died in July 1453.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1451(?)
MAY 7