The Sheriff of Norfolk to the King and Council

214

THE SHERIFF OF NORFOLK TO THE KING
AND COUNCIL¹

To the Kyng and the Lordes of his Councell.

      I JOHN CLOPTON, Shereffe of Norffolk, certifie that wher
          oon John Falyate and othre were take within the hundred
          of Blofeld in the seid shire, and led to the castell of Fram-
lyngham in the counte of Suffolk, I, the forseid Shereffe, be
the comaundement of my Lord of Norffolk, the last day of
Aprill receyved at the seid castell a bille of divers knowlech
and confessyons which were enformyd me shuld have be mad
in the presens of my seid Lords Councell be Roger Chirch
and othre, which the seid John Falyate, as it was enformed
me, shuld have confessid to have be trewe. After which bille
receyved and be me red and understand, callyng befor me the
seid John Falyate and alle othre that where examyned, except
the seyd Roger Chirch, in the presens of divers of my Lords
Councell there, I red to the seid John Falyate the tale
comprised in the seid bille seid be the seid Roger Chirch,
demawndyng hym of the trought her of; wherto he answered,
and seid that he wust wele ther was no wey with hym but
deth, and therfore, as he wuld answer afore God, he wuld sey
the trought, and seid that the substaunce of the tale told be
the seid Roger Chirch was untrewe, and feyned and imagyned
be the same Chirch, and that he never had knowleched that
the tale to be trewe. Neverthelesse he seid that he was with
a felesshep gadered undre Possewykwode be the prokeryng
of the seid Chirch, which feleshep, whan thei were all togeder,
passid not the nombre of XV. persones. And that the seid
Chirch wast the furst that ever mevid hym for to come theder,
seying that he shuld have feleshep i nowe and do goode, for
he was balyffe of the hundred, and be colour of his office he
shuld send in men i now, and that he knew a gode name for
her capteyn, that shuld be John Amend Alle. More over I
the seid Shereffe asked the seid Falyate if thei whan thei wer
to geder spoke of Paston and othre gentilmen named in the
seid bille to have assisted hem; and he seid pleynly nay, but
that thei and othre thryfty men were noysid be the seid Chirch
and be his councellores sith the tyme of the gaderyng of the
seid feleshep, and never was spokyn of ther. In like wyse
seid othre that were examyned in the seid bille.

     ¹ [From Paston MSS., B.M.] John Clopton was Sheriff of Norfolk from Michael-
mas 1451 to Michaelmas 1452.                                                                                                       

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1452
[APRIL 30]