Thomas Betanson, priest to Sir Robert Plumpton

 46 Thomas Betanson, priest to Sir Robert Plumpton, [29 November
     1486] (No. 146, p. 89)

Right worshipfull & my singuler gud master, I recomend me vnto your
mastershipe & vnto both my gud ladys & vnto all gud masters & frynds,
your servants. If it please your mastership to here of me and where I
abyde, I serve in the Sepultre church without Newgaytt. There is a
woman was borne in Selby. I haue x marke & no charg, & the term
<tymes> I haue meat & drynk of my Lord Beryan, cheife iudge of the
common place;¹ & this Christenmas I goe with him into the country to
his place, & comes agayn the next terme. Wherfore, if it wold please
your mastership to send me a letter how <ye> & my ladys, with all
your houshold, doth, for yt were to me great comforth; & if there be
any thing here pat I can or may do, send me word & I shall indever
me to do yt, as is my dewty.

     Sir, as for tydings, here is but few. The king & quene lyeth at
Grenwych; the Lord Perce² is at Wynchester; the earle of Oxford is in
Essex; the earle of Darby & his son [p. 90] be with the king. Also here
is but litle spech [. . .]^a of þe earle of Warwyke³ now, but after
Christenmas they say ther wylbe more spech of. Also ther be mayny
enimies on the see, & dyvers schippes take, & ther be many take of the
kyngs house for theues. Other tydings I know non. Also they begyn to
dye in London;⁴ ther is but few pariches free. At summer they die
faster. Then I purpose to come into Yorkshire, with Gods grace, who kepe
you & your lovers euermore. At London in vigil St Andrew appostle.

Your dayly bedman                 Tho: Betanson^b

Endorsed (p. 89): To his worshipfull master Sir Robart Plompton kt this
delyuer

     ^a of the deleted.

     ^b Appended: Copied þe 20 of Aprill 1613.

     ¹ Sir Thomas Brian (d.1500), justice of the bench from 1485, N.H. Nicholas (ed.),
Testamenta Vetusta (2 vols, 1826), ii, 450; CPR, 1485–94, 1, 40 & passim.

     ² Henry Percy, eldest son of the 4th earl of Northumberland, who succeeded his father
April 1489, 125.

     ³ Edward, earl of Warwick (exec.1499), son of George, duke of Clarence (exec.1478),
was a prisoner in the Tower.

     ⁴ Probably due to the ‘old bubo-plague’ which raged in York in 1485, and caused high
mortality among the monks of Christ Church Priory, Canterbury, C. Creighton, History
of Epidemics in England (2 vols, 1894), i, 282; J. Hatcher, ‘Mortality in the Fifteenth
Century’, Econ. HR, 2nd ser., xxxix (1986), 29; Crowland Chronicle Continuations, 169.

LETTER XV.

To his worshipfull master, Sir Robart Plompton, Kt. this delyver.

    Right worshipfull and my singuler gud master, I recomend me
unto your mastershipe, and unto both my gud Ladys, and unto all
gud masters and frynds, your servants. If it please your mas-
tership to here of me, and where I abyde, I serve in the Sepulcre
church without Newgaytt. Ther is a woman was borne in Selby.
I have x marke and no charg, and the terme tymes I have meat
and drynke of my lord Bryan, cheife judg of the common place; a
and this christenmas I goe with him into the country to his place,
and comes agayn the next terme. Wherfore, if it wold please
your mastership to send me a letter how ye, and my Ladys, with
all your houshold doth, for yt were to me great comforth; and if
ther be any thing here that I can or may do, send me word, and I
shall indever me to do yt, as is my dewty. Sir, as for tydings,
here is but few. The King and the Quene lyes at Grenwych;
the Lord Perce b is at Wynchester: the earle of Oxford is in
Essex: the erle of Darby and his son be with the King. Also
here is but litle spech of the erle of Warwyk c now, but after chris-
tenmas, they say ther wylbe more spech of. Also ther be many
enimies on the see and dyvers schippes take, and ther be many
take of the kyngs house for theves. Other tydings I know non.
Also they begyn to dye in London; there is but few pariches fre:
at summer they die faster. Then I purpose to come into York-
shire, with Gods grace, who kepe you and your loves evermore.
At London in vigil. St. Andrew appostle.
          (29 Nov. 1486.)    Your dayly bedman, THO. BETANSON.

    a Sir Thomas Brian, kt. Chief Justice C. P. Writ tested at Westminster, 20
Sept. 1486.

    b Lord Percy, eldest son of the Earl of Northumberland, to which title he suc-
ceeded 28 Apr. 1489.

    c Edward Plantagenet, Earl of Warwick, then a prisoner in the Tower.