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; notwithstondyng 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 sertyfye for trouthe that we war present whan the seid Sir
Thomas Howys and William Wyssetyr, in parcell of recompens of suche
forseid lawbours and costes as the seid William Paston had had, as wele
in the lyfe of the seid Sir John as after his dyssese, graunted and yaf
to the seid William Paston a peyer of basons coveryd of sylver of Parysh
towche and over gylt, powncyd and imbossyd with rooses, and with grete
large amellys [_enamels_] in the botome of bothe basons, with serteyn
bestys inbossyd stondyng with inn an hegge of sylver and gylt upon the
seid amellys, which bothe basons ded way of Troy weyt ix^xx. unces, and
also a gredeyren of sylver of Parysse towche, not gylt, weying of Troy
weyth ----[63-1] unces, and also a gret chargeour of sylver of Parysse
towche, not gylt, weying of Troy weyth ----[63-1] unces, to have and to
hold to the seid William, his eyres, excecutores, and assignes, as his
own godes for ever. And also we wytnesse that we ware also present whan,
for a serteyn som of mony to be payd be the seid William Paston, whereof
a parte be comenawnt was payd be the seid William Paston to the seid Sir
Thomas Howys, and a parte to on Edmond Holkham, and the remenaunt was
payd to one Margret Holkham, syster to the seid Edmond; and so the seid
William Paston had clerly payed all the seid mony. The seid Thomas Howse
and William Wyssetyr bargayned, sold, and graunted to the seid William
Paston, his eyres, exsecutores, and assignes, in fee sympille for ever,
a tenement called Methis, otherwyse called Holkham, with alle the londes
and tenementes, rentes and servyces, free or bond, and with all the
apportenaunces ther to belongyng, in the town of Cayster ond oder
townnys adjoynyng with inne the seid cownte of Norffolk, and delyvered
to the seid [William] Paston and to his assignes a state of all the seid
tenementes, londes, rentes, and servyces, with all the seid
aportenaunces . . . . . . . sold and bargayned to the seid William
Paston alle suche londes, rente, and servyces as the seid Sir John
Fastolf . . . . . . . . or be the ryght of ony manere that he or ony man
to his use had in possession, or that the seid Thoma[s] . . . . . . .
ony other be 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, tenementes, 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 ----[64-1] day of the ----[64-1] yer of the reyn of
Kyng.[64-2]
(L. S.)
(L. S.)
[Footnote 61-1: [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 parchment 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.’]
[Footnote 63-1: Blank in original.]
[Footnote 64-1: Blanks in MS.]
[Footnote 64-2: So in MS.]
986