Sir John Paston's Will

920

SIR JOHN PASTON’S WILL¹

     [I, JOHN PASTON,] Knyght, in the last day of O[ctober,
Anno] Domini m^lcccclxxvj^o, will, graunte, and be queth my
sowle to All myghty God, and to the . . . . . . Marye,
Seint John Baptist, Seint Gorge, Seint Cristofur, and Seint
Barbara; and my body, yf I dyghe ny the Cyte of London,
[to the chapel] of Owre Lady in the Whithe Frerys there, at
the Northeest corner of the body of the chyrche, and there to
be made an orator[y] . . . . . or muche leke as ys
over Sir Thomas Browne in the Frere Prechours, to the valour
of xxli., so that it may cause . . . . . . . . . . . . ther prayours
there, the rather to remembre my sowle, and to pray therefore;
and that there be gevyn to the behoff . . . . . . . . . . . . at plotte
of grounde be made suer unto me for ever the some of xx.
marc.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . dayly, be the space of an holl yere,
by soumme well disposed brother of the same howse, and that
the seyd brother . . . . . . . . . . . . [not]withstondyng yf I
decesse in the counte of Norffolk, or there nye abouute, I
wolde my bodye were buried at the prio[ry of Bromholm]
. . . . . . . . . . . . un to the Founders Toumbe, which arche is
unto the North syde, and ryght agayn my fadyr toum[be]
. . . . . . . . . . . . ith an awter and a toumbe for me,
to the value of xxli., and that the howse there have a rewarde
. . . . . . . . . . . . to the frerys of London, and
that there be also a broder of that howse to synge for my sowle
by one . . . . . . . . . . . . salarye.

     . . . . . . . . . . . .
a closette made at my cost over my faders body ther . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . of xxli., so that owre cousyns . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . have the more devocion to that place,
and the rather reste there bodyes there the encresse of the
. . . . . . . . . . . . encrese and profite of the howse,
and reste on the religeus there of, lyke as owr auncetours have
. . . . . . . . . . . . [a]nd to the entent that I disclosed
but on to fewe persons concernyng the fee ferme that is payed
. . . . . . . . . . . . Duke of Suffolk.

     [Item, I will that my bro]ther, John, yf I dye with owth
yssue leffull of my bodye, have the maner of Swaywell to hym
and . . . . . . . . . . . . accordyng to the willez both of
myn graunfader and of my fader, on whos sowles God have
mercye, the . . . . . . . . . . . . esse.

     [Item, I will that the] Bysshoppe of Wynchester, or his
assygnes, woll and fynde suerte to do founde at the lyste iiij.
prestys . . . . . . . . . . . . of John Fastolf and
his frendys, &c., at Caster, and that there be bylded loggyng
conveniant for those . . . . . . . . . . . .
adjoynyng uppon the bakhous over the gardeyn withouuth the
mote on the Weste syde of my . . . . . . . . . . . .
in the seid maner or maners yn Caster, graunt by chartour,
grounde, space, and londe, convenyant for such . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . entre and yssue therunto, and to that entent, and
byldyng or purchasyng of license of the kyng . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . profitez of the seid maners holly be expendid the
terme of vij. yerez next after my dissece; and, moreover, . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . resorte theder in his owne persone to
over see the werkys or byldyng or establyssyng of the seyd
howse [he shall h]ave playn lyberte to dwell withinne my seid
maner and fortresse the seid terme of vij. yerez, and that . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . estys.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . [cha]pell of Seint
John Baptyst, withyn the seyd towne of Caster, with all the
profitez yerly of that same begeny[ng] . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . ed to the seyd college or howse for evermore, with
lycence therunto had of the Kyng and of the Pope, with . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . in Caster before seyd, which londis, with the
seyd chapell, schalbe of the yerly value of vijli. yerly . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . ment of one prest above the charge that the Bysshope
wyll do to pray for the sowles of my fader . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . Thomas Lyndys, clerk, and of Sir John Dawbeney.
And that after this above wretyn be performed, yf that . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . es make astate by fyne reryd and enrolled in the
Kynges courte of the seid maner and maners in Castre . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . yssue of his bodye laufully comyeng,
and for defaute of yssue of his body lawfully . . . . . . . . . . . .
[rem]ayne to the issue of my moders lawfully commynge.
And for defaute of yssue of her body lawfully commyng . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . myn uncle, Edward Maudeby, and to the
yssue of his body lawfully commynge. And that for defaute
. . . . . . . . . . . . [comm]yng that the seyd maners
remayn to my cousyn, Sir William Calthorp, and to the right
eyrez . . . . . . . . . . . . defaute of issue
of his body lawfully commynge, the seyd maners to reverte to
the . . . . . . . . . . . .

     [Item, I will that the priest of the chap]ell of the seyd
collage be presented by the lordys of my seid maner . . . . . . . . . . . .

 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . ed by Syr John
Fastolff.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . .
eryng de eadem villa vendatur per executores meos ad perim-
plendum et persolvendum. . . . . . . . . . . . .
em invenetit securitatem ad redimendum manerium de Sporle
praedictum, quod si ipse . . . . . . . . . . . . x. acr?
terrae de eisdem perquesit? de Johanne Kendall tempore debito
dentur praedicto Johanni fratri [meo et haeredibus suis legiti]me
procreatis; et defectu exitus legitimi de praedicto Johanne
fratre meo, tunc praedictae terrae et tenementa remaneant . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . triavi mei, legittime pro-
creatis; et pro defectu exitus legittimi praedicti triavi mei, tunc
remaneant Willelmo . . . . . . . . . . . . [et haeredibus i]psius
Willelmi legitime procreatis; et pro defectu exitus legitimi
praedicti Willelmi, tunc omnia praedicta terrae et tenementa
[remaneant] . . . . . . . . . . . . assignatis imperpetuum; pro-
viso quod executores testamenti Willelmi Pekering habeant x.
marcas pro . . . . . . . . . . . . et habeat xxxvij. acras terrae de
praedictis terris sibi per voluntatem patris ejus assignatis sive
legatis si tantae . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . terrae quae
idem Johannes vendidit sint de numero illarum acrarum sibi
limitatarum per Nicholaum patrem praedicti Johannis ac .
. . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . recompensacionem; eo quod idem
Johannes forte credidit quod ipse juste potuit vendere, quaeque
terrae et tenementa in feofamento . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . [pat]ris,
non obstante quod pater praedictus non declaravit quicquid
faciendum de dictis terris suis ultra certas acras . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . na ipsius patris.

     ¹ [From Paston MSS., B.M.] The original of this document is mutilated. It is
endorsed in a more modern hand, ‘Testamentum Johannis Paston Senioris militis.’

OCT. 31

1477

OCT. 31

1477

OCT.31

1477

OCT. 31