Thomas Hampton to Thomas Stonor

65. THOMAS HAMPTON TO THOMAS
STONOR

[1462]

The history of Mistress Swete's case is too complicated for treatment here
and has therefore been given at length in an Appendix to the Introduction—
see pp. xlviii-lvi above. This and No. 67 were clearly written whilst the litiga
tion was pending, and since No. 67 is dated 31st August both letters must be
ascribed to 1462; after July, 1463, Mistress Swete's friends could no longer
have believed that Thomas Romesey was son of Sir Walter and his first wife
Joan. The writer was Hampton of Kimble—see Nos. 68 and 76. It is diffi-
cult to tell why he calls Mistress Swete his sister, unless Hampton's wife was
a sister of Thomas Swete. Stapulham (now Staplefarm) was a vill or tithing
in the Hundred of South Damerham, Wilts. I have not discovered what
Place is meant by Sylverton. From A.C., xlvi, 54.¹⁸

    Rytht wurschypfull and my tender welbelovyd Cosyn, I recommaunde
me to yow: letyng yow wyte ?at my Suster Swete recommaundyth her
to yow, and hertyly thankyth yow for her chylderyn, and so do I as well
for owr venyson. Syr, sche prayth yow specyally to make your effectuell
labor un[to] the parson of Sylverton ?at he wull in weye of Crystes
charyte loke up all suche evydens as in eny wyse may make eny proffe
Thomas to be ?e son of Syr Water and Jahne his ffurst wyff. Of
Margete and Isabell: Margete was weddyd un[to] John Hunteley:
Isabell was weddyd unto John Popham. That Þese persons, all or some
of Þeyse wer Þe chyldryn of Þe seyde syr Water and Jahne: lete hym
schewe hit in the wey of good and of concyens. Þe parson, Þe Kynges
Chapeleyn, when he was with hym sye a full fayre Dede and Sealle of
Armys: and when Þe parson of Sylverton sende his ffolke to London,
Þey wulde in nowyse schew Þat dede. And Þyff my Suster Swete mochte
hafe had mony at here wyll, the parson schulde haf com over to yow;
hit wulde nat be. Moreover, syr, we haf a ffyn reryd unto Syr Water
and Jahne terme of Þer lyvys, Þe rem. Þerof unto Thomas, Þe son of
Jahne, and thit [sic] he was be son of Þem boÞe, of Domerz and Morton:¹
but Wykes wuld haf Þe ffyn servyd in Stapulham, because hit ys in Þe
same parische, surmyttyng Þat Jahne schulde furst hafe ben weddyd
unto Amaryke Northlode, and he to be ffader to Þe sayde Thomas.
And for certeyne Stapulham came nevyr by Þe ffyn, Þe wyche was reryd
A^o xxiiij Regis E. iij: but by a latter tytull. Lete hym geder all ?e
dedys of Stapulham to geder, Þat hit may be provyd pat hit ys no parcell
of Þe ffyn: and lete Þem be schewyd, and by here trouth to haf all Þe
dedes ?at consernyth here enherytaunse ?at he hath in his kepyng: sche
wull Þat he haf Stapulham as sure &c., as we all can make it.

    Moreover, Syr, I wryte aparte Þat hit may be kette away, Þyff ye lust
to schew Þis above unto ?e parson of Sylverton. The case was soo
when my Suster Swete man schulde go sche kowth haf no money as for
Þe ffyndyng of Þe Offyces, unneth to make hym bryng yow Þis my
sympyl byll. Nevyrthelese here we praye yow that ye make some redy
apoyntement with the Eschetor, Þat he wull not fayle yow, but be redy at
suche tyme as ye and we schall sende unto hym both to haf hit fond
yn Þe Com. of Suth. as well as in Wylschere: and what he wull haf to
ffynde hit in on, and what in the toÞer Schyre: for per case Þe on schall
suffyse. AnoÞer poynte, Þat ys we kepte not sende¹⁹ Þe Dede aboute
into Þe tyme hit were enrowlyd, for drede of losyng &c., Syr, we haf
ffonde a gentylmanly thynge, a copy of ?e Kynges Recordes Þat Thomas,
ffader to Syr Th., was seysyd and dyde seasyd A^o regis H. iiij^ti ij^o, the
wyche schall make owr ffyn gode. And so thys fondyn, he most breff
Margete, Suster to Th., bastard, wych was ffader to Syr Th. Nomore
to yow at Þis tyme: but almythty Godd haf yow in kepyng. Amen.

                            By your owne Thomas Hampton.

   To my ryght wurschypfull Thomas Stonor, be Þis delyvered.

¹ I.e. Domerham and Merton, now Damerham and Marten.

65. THOMAS HAMPTON TO THOMAS
STONOR

[1462]

     The history of Mistress Swete’s case is too complicated for treatment here
and has therefore been given at length in an Appendix to the Introduction—
see pp. xlviii-lvi above. This and No. 67 were clearly written whilst the litiga-
tion was pending, and since No. 67 is dated 31st August both letters must be
ascribed to 1462; after July, 1463, Mistress Swete’s friends could no longer
have believed that Thomas Romesey was son of Sir Walter and his first wife
Joan. The writer was Hampton of Kimble—see Nos. 68 and 76. It is diffi-
cult to tell why he calls Mistress Swete his sister, unless Hampton’s wife was
a sister of Thomas Swete. Stapulham (now Staplefarm) was a vill or tithing
in the Hundred of South Damerham, Wilts. I have not discovered what
place is meant by Sylverton. From A.C., xlvi, 54.

     Rytht wurschypfull and my tender welbelovyd Cosyn, I recommaunde
me to yow: letyng yow wyte þat my Suster Swete recommaundyth her
to yow, and hertyly thankyth yow for her chylderyn, and so do I as well
for owr venyson. Syr, sche prayth yow specyally to make your effectuell
labor un[to] the parson of Sylverton þat he wull in weye of Crystes
charyte loke up all suche evydens as in eny wyse may make eny proffe
Thomas to be þe son of Syr Water and Jahne his ffurst wyff. Of
Margete and Isabell: Margete was weddyd un[to] John Hunteley:
Isabell was weddyd unto John Popham. That þese persons, all or some
of þeyse wer þe chyldryn of þe seyde syr Water and Jahne: lete hym
schewe hit in the wey of good and of concyens. þe parson, þe Kynges
Chapeleyn, when he was with hym sye a full fayre Dede and Sealle of
Armys: and when þe parson of Sylverton sende his ffolke to London,
þey wulde in nowyse schew þat dede. And þyff my Suster Swete mochte
hafe had mony at here wyll, the parson schulde haf com over to yow;
hit wulde nat be. Moreover, syr, we haf a ffyn reryd unto Syr Water
and Jahne terme of þer lyvys, þe rem. þerof unto Thomas, þe son of
Jahne, and thit [sic] he was þe son of þem boþe, of Domerz and Morton:¹
but Wykes wuld haf þe ffyn servyd in Stapulham, because hit ys in þe
same parische, surmyttyng þat Jahne schulde furst hafe ben weddyd
unto Amaryke Northlode, and he to be ffader to þe sayde Thomas.
And for certeyne Stapulham came nevyr by þe ffyn, þe wyche was reryd
A^o xxiiij Regis E. iij: but by a latter tytull. Lete hym geder all þe
dedys of Stapulham to geder, þat hit may be provyd þat hit ys no parcell
of þe ffyn: and lete þem be schewyd, and by here trouth to haf all þe
dedes þat consernyth here enherytaunse þat he hath in his kepyng: sche
wull þat he haf Stapulham as sure &c., as we all can make it.

     Moreover, Syr, I wryte aparte þat hit may be kette away, þyff ye lust
to schew þis above unto þe parson of Sylverton. The case was soo
when my Suster Swete man schulde go sche kowth haf no money as for
þe ffyndyng of þe Offyces, unneth to make hym bryng yow þis my
sympyl byll. Nevyrthelese here we praye yow that ye make some redy
apoyntement with the Eschetor, þat he wull not fayle yow, but be redy at
suche tyme as ye and we schall sende unto hym both to haf hit fond
yn þe Com. of Suth. as well as in Wylschere: and what he wull haf to
ffynde hit in on, and what in the toþer Schyre: for per case þe on schall
suffyse. Anoþer poynte, þat ys we kepte not sende þe Dede aboute

into þe tyme hit were enrowlyd, for drede of losyng &c., Syr, we haf
ffonde a gentylmanly thynge, a copy of þe Kynges Recordes þat Thomas,
ffader to Syr Th., was seysyd and dyde seasyd A^o regis H. iiij^ti ij^o, the
wyche schall make owr ffyn gode. And so thys fondyn, he most breff
Margete, Suster to Th., bastard, wych was ffader to Syr Th. Nomore
to yow at þis tyme: but almythty Godd haf yow in kepyng. Amen.

                                                        By your owne Thomas Hampton.

     To my ryght wurschypfull Thomas Stonor, be þis delyvered.

¹ I.e. Domerham and Merton, now Damerham and Marten.