B.--And after that the ---- day of the monethe my seyd husbond lyyng
seke on hys bede sent for me, John Paston, Bakton, and John a Dame, to
here hiis wyll rede; and in owr presens all he began to reede hiis
wylle, and spak fyst of me, and assynyid to me the maners of Paston,
Latymer, and Schypden and Ropers, in Crowmer, for terme of my lyffe, and
the manerys of Merlyngforthe, Stonsted, and Horwelbury, whyche wasse myn
owne enheritans, and Oxned, whyche wasse my jontor, and [prayd me to
hold me contente so, for][251.3] hadde do to lityll to ony it wasse to
me, for somme he faryd the better, and so devedede (?) he ded for not of
hem all, but he hadde more to care for, wyche myn as well as hys. And
than he red John parte, and assynyd to hym and to hys wyffe the maner of
Gressam, and after my desesse the maner of Oxned; and he, thynkyng by
John Pastons demenyng that he wasse not plesyd because . . . .
C.--Swynne of slowyth that hiis wyll wasse not made up, but wot swm ever
cwm of me, Dame, I wyll ze know my wyll, and seyd that swyche lond as he
hadde not wrytyn in hiis wyll wott xwlde he do with all, he wold his ij.
yongest sonnys, Wyllam and Clement, xwlde have, and owte of Sweynthorpe
to have hiis perpetuell masse. And of thys prayd me to reporte recorde
and berre wyttnesse; in qwyche disposicion and intent he continuyd in on
to the day of hiis dethe, and I darre rytgh largely deposse that that
same wasse hiis last wyll the tyme of hiis dethe; qwyche wyll immediatly
after my husbondes decesse I hopynd and declaryd to John Paston and al
the other executores of my husbond, desyeryng hem to have performyd it.
And the seyd John Paston wold in no wysse agree ther to, seyying that by
the lawe the seyd manerys xulde be hiis, in as moche as my husbonde made
no wyll of hem in wrytyn, and gatte the dedis owte of my possession and
estat of the feffees in the seyde manerys, myn unknowyng.
And after that swyche tresowre of my husbons as wasse leyde in the Abbey
of Norwyche by the seyd John Paston, John Bakton, John Dam, and me, to
delyvere azen to us all, the seyde John Paston owte of the seyde Abbey
unknowyn to the priour or ony oder person of the seyde Abbey, and
withowte my wetyn[g] and assente, or ony of owre felawys, toke and bare
awey all, and kepyng it styll azens my wyll and all the tother
executores wyllys, nothere restoryng the seid Wyllam and Clement to the
forseyd land, nother recompensyng them of my husbonds tresor, and
ordeynyng for my husbonds sowle in havyng of hiis perpetuell masse
acordyng to his wyll. Werfor, in as moche as I know and understonde
verrely that it wasse my husbonds wyll the tyme of hys dethe, that the
seyd Wyllam and Clement xwlde have the seyd manerys of Sporle,
Sweynsthorp, and Bekham, and the annuyte for hys perpetuell masse to be
going owte of the seyde maner of Sweynthorp, and that the possessioners
of the seyd manerys at thys day wyll in no wysse by any fayer menez or
spekyng tender my seyd husbonds sowle and myn, ner perform the wyll of
my seyd husbond, I wyll have and xall by the gras[e] of swyche lyvelode
as I have in my possession, that is for to sey, the maners of Stonsted,
Marlyngforthe, and Horwellbury, that swm tym wasse my faders and my
moders, and cwm on to me by them as myn enheritance. And after my
decesse if I wolde soffer it to desend, xwld goo to the wronge
possessioners of the seyd manerys of Sporle, Sweynsthorp, and Bekham,
qwyche xall not be lettyd for me, but if it be thorow her owne defaute,
make, sta[b]lesse and ordeyn myn husbonds perpetuell masse and myn, and
of the remenaunt, as swerly as can be made by the lawe, I wyll the seyd
Wyllam and Clement be recompensyd to the valew of the seyde manerys of
Sporle, Sweynthorpe, and Bekkam, zerly [_yearly_], on to the tyme that
they be restoryd to the forseyd manerys of Sporle, Sweynthorp, and
Bekkam, in lik forme, and lyke astat as xall be afterwards lymytyd in
thys my last[253.1] [will; chargyng and requiryng the seyd Wyllam and
Clement that after that they be restoryd to the manerys of Sporle,
Sweynsthorp, and Bekam, they restore myn heyres to Marlyngforthe,
Stons[ted], and Orwelbury.]
[Footnote 251.2: [From Paston MSS.] The following appear to be
three separate fragments of an original draft of Agnes Paston’s
will, written on two sides of a small scrap of paper. Two of these
fragments have the letters B and D prefixed to them, showing that
they were intended as insertions in a part of the text now lost.]
[Footnote 251.3: These words are struck through with the pen.]
[Footnote 253.1: The word ‘will’ is omitted in the MS., and the
words ‘my last’ repeated. What follows is crossed out.]
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