William Barnard to William Paston

1055

WILLIAM BARNARD TO WILLIAM PASTON²

To his right wurchipfull master, William Paston, and Mr. Deryk
     dwellyng with my Lord of Oxinford, this lettir be delyvered
     in hast.

RIGHT wurchipfull Maister William Paston, with myn
     good Lord of Oxinford, and myn welbelovyd Mr.
     Deryk, I recomaund me on to you. And it is soo
that I kepe a prisoner of my lordis to answer to William
Greve, maryner of Gret Yermouth, the wiche he brought
hym to me by my lordis auctorite of a warand from Bell
Key; and the seid William Greve chargid me with his
prisoner, named Phillyp Barbour, and chargid me with hym
for xli., and so I kepe hym, and have kept hym this ij. yer
and an half. And I have aftyr and many tymes askyd and
requyred of the seid William Greve of mony for his bord, for
he promysid and appoynted with me for every weke ijs., and I
to take charge for to answer hym of hys prysoner aforseid;
and so I have be chargith with hym ij. yeris and an half to my
gret cost and charge, and nowh the seid William Greve in-
tendith to pay me noon mony, butt he is a bowght to remeve
the prysoner by a pryvy seall to abarre me from myn mony.
Wher I am enformyd that noon prysoner of my lordis shuld
nat be remevyd out of my lordis pryson, nor crafftid so out
of pryson till he had answerd ther to seche causes as he lyth
fore, and specially for alle suche costis and chargis as his kepar
is charged for hym for his costis of exspensis; and that doon,
I woll be redy to delyver hym to the seid William Greve [to]
pay me for his costis as it shalbe demyd with reason. Be-
sechynd and prayeng you bothen too to be so good ma[istris
unto] me that ye woll shewe this mater on to my lord, and
to knowe my lordis meend whedyr it shall please hym that I
shall delyver hym by a pryvy seall in this causis or nay, for
the bryngar herof is the prysoner. And if it be my lordis
mend that the prysoner shall appere to that pryvy seall, that
it woll plese my lord to be so good and gracyous lord on
to the prysoner to send hym to his councell to London, to
tendyr this mater for the pore prysoner, and to consydre the
gret losse that the seid William Greve intendith to putto his
servaunt William Barnard, marchall and kepar of [my] lordis
gayle in Yermouth, and servaunt [to?] Robert Crowmer,
depute for my lord in the partyes of Norffolk and Suffolk.
I shuld a browte up my silf, but we be now in gret besynes
in kepyng of my lordis honorabyll courtis in Norffolk and
Suffolk.

     Wretyn the last day of Aprill.

                By your,                                       WILLIAM BARNARD,
                                                                   that I can or may.

     ² [From Paston MSS., B.M.] The date of this letter is very uncertain, but it is
probably about the year 1492, as William Paston does not seem to have been in the
Earl of Oxford’s service many years before or after that date.   

About
1492

About
1492