William Woodruffe to Mrs Isabel Plumpton

248 William Woodruffe¹ to Mrs Isabel Plumpton, 25 March [1548]    (No.
         10, p. 189)

With most harty commendations in Christ Jesus,^a good Mrs Plompton,
this is to advertis you of the dispatch of such matters as you did commit
vnto me at my last being with you, wheare that I haue traueled as I
might of, partly by the ade and help of Mr Bill,² your very frind, I
think, who hath him most hartily recommended <both> [. . .]^b to you
and Mr Dynes, and hath sent your lozengs³ for a token. Ye shall allso
receiue with this bearrer a letter to Mr Haymond,⁴ feodarry, for your
lease, procurred by Mr Bill, who shewed me that your charges in the
cheker is dispacht, and your cossin Girlington⁵ hath brought your
acquitance.

     And order is taken for you at the court of the wards, and all is well
stayd but yet not paid. Your request was moued to [. . .]^c <Sir> Arthur
Darcy⁶ first, who taketh the matter frindly, as ye shall know. The other
gentleman was then by chaunc from the court, which was the cause of
the first talke with Sir Arthur, but in such wise as we may, and shall
with honesty take the way which shalbe thought the best to you and
your frinds.

     Because ye may se the effect of my lord Treasurrers letters⁷ for your
lease, I haue sent it to you patent and open; and that knowing the
efect therof, then ye may send it to the feodary your [p. 190] selfe,^d
which wear good that ye did with spede conuenient. Thus I comit you
to the permishion, to Him that canne, to will iustice, [who] all your
lawfull <deedes> of honesty desires no dought, who I pray long to
preserve in health. From my lodge at Howell, the Palme Sunday.^e

                         Yours to my litle power       William Wodrif^f

     The cause þat I came not now to you is a broken shin, which hath
much vexed me.

Endorsed (p. 189): To the right worshipfull Mrs Plompton at Plompton
Hall

     ^a Marginal note: 10 letter by Will. Wodrif.

     ^b vn deleted.

     ^c and deleted.

     ^d Marginal note: 10 letter by Will. Wodrif.

     ^e Marginal note: Copied the 7 of June 1626.

     ^f Appended: From my lord at Howell.

     ¹ Younger son of Thomas Woodruffe, of Woolley, near Wakefield, William was a tenant
of James, Lord Mountjoy in Howell Grange, a property of the former Nostell Priory. He
may have sought his lord’s favour to promote Isabel Plumpton’s interests. In her will she
refers to him as her ‘lovinge frende and kynsman’, Test.Ebor., vi, 260–2; Flower’s Visitation,
350–1.

     ² Thomas Bill, physician to Edward VI, having purchased the wardship and custody
of Isabel’s young grandson William, 16 Nov. 1547, granted it to Isabel, 12 Nov. 1549,
App. II, 83, 84.

     ³ Lozenges. Possibly lozenge-shaped shields on which the arms of a widow were
emblazened, OED.

     ⁴ William Hammond, an officer of the court of wards, CSPD, 1566–69, 278; Kirby,
Documents, 269.

     ⁵ 250.

     ⁶ Second son of Thomas, Lord Darcy (exec. 1538).

     ⁷ Edw. Seymour, 1st duke of Somerset, deprived 10 Oct. 1549. Succeeded 3 Feb. 1550
by William Paulet, earl of Wiltshire.

                                    LETTER XXVIII.

       To the right worshipfull Mrs. Plompton, at Plomption Hall.

    With most harty commendations in Christ Jesus, good Mrs.
Plompton, this is to advertis you of the dispatch of such matters
as you did commit unto me at my last being with you, wheare
that I have traveled as I might of, partly by the ade and help of
Mr. Bill,^a your very frind I think, who hath him most hartily re-
commended both to you and Mr. Dynes, and hath sent your
lozengs for a token. You shall allso receive with this bearrer a
letter to Mr. Haymond, feodarry, for your lease, procurred by Mr.
Bill, who shewed me that your charges in the Cheker is dis-
pacht, and your Cussin Girlington ^b hath brought your acquit-
ance. And order is taken for you at the Court of the Wards, and
all is well stayd, but yet not paid. Your request was moved to
Sir Arthur Darcyc first, who taketh the matter frindly, as ye shall
know. The other gentleman was then by chaunc from the Court,
which was the cause of the first talke with Sir Arthur. But in such
wise as we may, and shall with honesty take the way which shal
be thought the best to you and your frinds. Because you may se
the effect of my Lord Treasurrers letter for your lease, I have sent
it to you patent and open ; and that knowing the effect therof,
then you may send it to the feodary yourselfe, which were good
that you did with spede convenient. Thus I comit you to the
permishion, to him that canne, to will justice, who all your lawful
dedes of honesty desires no dought, who I pray long to preserve
in health. From my lodge at Howell,^d this Palme Sunday.

                                                  Yours to my litle power
                                                                      WILLIAM WODRIF.^e

    The cause that I came not now to you is a broken shin, which
hath much vexed me.

           (Indorsed, From my lord at Howell.^f)

                                (25 Mar. 1548.)

    ^a Thomas Bill, esq. one of the King's physicians, had granted to him, by indenture
dated 16 Nov. 1 Edw. VI. 1547, the wardship and marriage of William Plumpton, cousin
and heir of William Plumpton, esq. deceased, which he by indenture of the 9th Feb.
2 Edw. VI. 1547-8, transferred to Isabel Plumpton, widow, late wife of William Plump-
ton, esq. deceased. (Towneley MSS. G. 24.)

    ^b Robert Girlington, see his letter postea.

    ^c Sir Arthur Darcy, kt. next brother of George, Lord Darcy of Aston.

    ^d Howell, or Holywell Grange, was the grange on the lands that had belonged to
Nostell Priory, in the parish of Thurnscoe, com. Ebor.

    ^e William Woodriff or Woodruffe, the writer of this letter, was apparently a
younger brother of the house of Wolley, and uncle of Francis Woodruff, of Wolley,
com. Ebor. esq. (See Pedigree in Hunter's South Yorkshire.)

    ^f Howell Grange was at this date the property of James Lord Montjoy, in right of
his wife Catharine, daughter and heir of Sir Thomas Leigh, kt. the original pur-
chaser of the possessions of Nostell Priory in the reign of Henry VIII. Mr. Wodriff
may have acted as his agent, and perhaps through him application had been made for
the interest of his master at Court by Mrs. Isabell Plumpton, to which this letter
was considered a reply ; hence the endorsement.