William Paston and Sir John Fastolf

985

WILLIAM PASTON AND SIR JOHN FASTOLF¹

      TO alle maner of pepill to whome this present wrytyng
           shall come unto, se, or here, we, William Barker, late
           of Blofeld, in the cownte of Norffolk, clark, and
Margret Wyssetour, wedow, late the wyf of William Wyssetyr,
late of Pokethorp, be Norwich, gentylman, dyssesid, send
gretyng in our Lord God Everlastyng.

     For as meche as it is merytory to wytnesse and testyfy the
treuth in materes dowtabill or beyng in varyaunce, whan ony
persons is lefully ther to requyred, It is so that I, the seid
William Barker, was late howshold servaunte be the space of
xxj. yere with Sir John Fastolf, Knyght, dyssesid, and had
wedded Annes, late dyssesid, that was the hoole syster, bothe
on to Sir Thomas Howes, clerk, dyssesid, and also hoole syster
to Isabell, modyr to the seid Margret Wyssetyr, which forseid
Thomas Howys and William Wyssetyr were bothe howshold

servauntes many yerys to the seid Sir John Fastolf, and were
with hym in such syngler trust that he made them bothe his
feoffes in alle his landes with in the reame of Ynglond, and
also his exsecutores: Be it knowen to alle maner persons that
we, the seid William Barker and Margret Wyssetyr, testyfy,
depose, and wytnesse for trouthe that we have full serteyn
prof and knowlache that William Paston, of the seid counte of
Norffolk, jentylman, was kynnysman unto the seid Sir John
Fastolf, and was with hym in ryght syngler gode favour and
trust; wherupon the seid Sir John Fastolf made the seid
William Paston one of his seid feoffes in all his seyd maneres,
londes, and tenementes, rentes, and servyces with in this seid
reame of Ynglond, and made this seid William prevy to many
of his materys of gret charge, and putt the seid William Paston
to many lawbores in his lyf, which the seid William Paston
ded of gode love and kynd dysposycion, for he never had of
the seid Sir John Fastolf fee ne reward in hys lyf; notwith-
stondyng he had for the seid Syr John Fastolf and for his
materes many grete lawboures, costes, jornays, and besynesse
in the lyf of the seid Sir John Fastolf, and ded for hym many
kynd dedes at his owne charge, for the which the seid Sir
John, and he had contenuyd lyff, wold have largely have
recompensed. And also the seid William Paston had, aftir
the desesse of the seid Sir John Fastolf, at the desyr and
instans of the exsecutores of the seid Syr John, had many gret
lawboures, costes, and jurnays to his gret peyne, as well in
rydyng to London many and sundry tymes, contenuyng many
yeres to help suche materes as were devysyd ayens the seid
exsecutors, and also to answer to suche accions and sutys and
byll putt into the Kynges Chauncery, wherupon wryttes of
subpena dyvers and many tymes made upon gret peynys were
delyvered to the seid William to appere in the Kynges
Chauncery, which were taken be gret astates and be suche
myghty persons as wold have recoveryd the lond wrongfully,
and thus trobelyd the seid William Paston, be cause he was
a feffee, and taryd hym there and his councell to his gret
inportunabill charges. Wherupon we, the seid William Barker
and Margret Wyssetyr depose, wytnesse, and be this present
servauntes many yerys to the seid Sir John Fastolf, and were
with hym in such syngler trust that he made them bothe his
feoffes in alle his landes with in the reame of Ynglond, and
also his exsecutores: Be it knowen to alle maner persons that
we, the seid William Barker and Margret Wyssetyr, testyfy,
depose, and wytnesse for trouthe that we have full serteyn
prof and knowlache that William Paston, of the seid counte of
Norffolk, jentylman, was kynnysman unto the seid Sir John
Fastolf, and was with hym in ryght syngler gode favour and
trust; wherupon the seid Sir John Fastolf made the seid
William Paston one of his seid feoffes in all his seyd maneres,
londes, and tenementes, rentes, and servyces with in this seid
reame of Ynglond, and made this seid William prevy to many
of his materys of gret charge, and putt the seid William Paston
to many lawbores in his lyf, which the seid William Paston
ded of gode love and kynd dysposycion, for he never had of
the seid Sir John Fastolf fee ne reward in hys lyf; notwith-
stondyng he had for the seid Syr John Fastolf and for his
materes many grete lawboures, costes, jornays, and besynesse
in the lyf of the seid Sir John Fastolf, and ded for hym many
kynd dedes at his owne charge, for the which the seid Sir
John, and he had contenuyd lyff, wold have largely have
recompensed. And also the seid William Paston had, aftir
the desesse of the seid Sir John Fastolf, at the desyr and
instans of the exsecutores of the seid Syr John, had many gret
lawboures, costes, and jurnays to his gret peyne, as well in
rydyng to London many and sundry tymes, contenuyng many
yeres to help suche materes as were devysyd ayens the seid
exsecutors, and also to answer to suche accions and sutys and
byll putt into the Kynges Chauncery, wherupon wryttes of
subpena dyvers and many tymes made upon gret peynys were
delyvered to the seid William to appere in the Kynges
Chauncery, which were taken be gret astates and be suche
myghty persons as wold have recoveryd the lond wrongfully,
and thus trobelyd the seid William Paston, be cause he was
a feffee, and taryd hym there and his councell to his gret
inportunabill charges. Wherupon we, the seid William Barker
and Margret Wyssetyr depose, wytnesse, and be this present
the reson that they were feffes of trust of the seid John Fastolf
had or claymed to have ...................... or claymed to
have to be yssant or chargeabill oute or upon the seid tenement
called Methe[s] ...................... londes, tene-
mentes, rentes, servyces at ony tyme afore or than longyng to
the seid tenement or owt ...................... a manere
called Hornynghall, with the apportenaunces, late Clerys, in
the seid town of Castyr, to have [and to hold to the said
William] Paston, his eyres and assygnes, the seid lond, rent,
and servyce for ever mor. And utterly be ther dede and
...................... and dyscharged the
seid William Paston, his eyres and his assygnes for yeldyng of
payment of ony ...................... servyce; and
also dyscharged all the seid tenement and the seid manere, and
alle oder the premysses, with alle the ......................
...................... as now have or shalle here aftir be possessoneres of the
seid tenement or manere with the aportenaunces ......................
...................... more. Alle whiche mater afore rehersid,
and every parte therof, we, the seid William Barker and
Margre[t Wyssetyr ......................] trew, and we,
and iche one of us, will at alle tyme be redy to wytnesse and
depose the same be ony suche ......................
persones outh to do or may do afore ony Juge Spyrytualle or
Temperall as we will answer a fore God [at the dreadful] day
of Dome. In wytnesse wherof we, the seid William Barker
and Margret Wyssetyr, to this present have sett to our
[sealles].

     Wretyn the ———¹ day of the ———¹ yer of the reyn
of Kyng.²

       (L. S.)                                                                                      (L. S.)

     ¹ [Add. Charter 17,256, B.M.] This declaration was drawn up after the death
of William Worcester, and perhaps after that of William Paston also. The exact
date of Worcester’s death is uncertain. We only know that he was alive as late as
1480, when he visited Oxford on his travels and measured some of the churches there
(see his Itinerarium, 296), and that he was dead in Richard III.’s time. The
document, however, may be conveniently placed at the end of the reign of Edward IV.
The original MS. is a sheet of paper mutilated on the right-hand side towards the end.
The seals of William Barker and Margaret Worcester are attached by tails of parch-
ment to a parchment binding at the bottom. On the back is written in a more
modern hand:—’ A Testymonyall that William Paston, Gent., was kinsman to Sir
Jo. Fastolf, and other matters within concernyng the landes somtyme Holhams in
Caster, afterwardes the sayd William Paston.’

¹ Blank in original.

               ¹ Blanks in MS.                                            ² So in MS.