Dorothy Plumpton to Sir Robert Plumpton

201 Dorothy Plumpton¹ to Sir Robert Plumpton 18 May [?1506]   (No. 93,
        p. 52)

[p. 53] Ryght worshipfull father, in the most humble manner ?at I can,
I recommend me vnto you, & to my lady my mother, & to all my
brethren & sistren, whom I besech almyghtyie God to maytayne &
preserve in prosperus health & encrese of worship, entyerly requiering
you of your daly blessing. Letting you wyt ?at I sent to you mesuage
by Whyghame of Knaresbrough of my mynd, & how ?at he should
desire you in my name to send for me to come home to you, & as yet
I had no answere againe, ?e which desire my lady² hath gotten
knowledg. Wherfor she is to me more better lady than ever she was
before, in somuch ?at she hath promysed me hir good ladyship as long
as ever she shall lyue; & if she or ye can fynd athing meyter for me in
this parties, or any other, she will helpe to promoote me to the ultermost
of hir puyssuance.

     Wherfore I humbly besech you to be so good & kind father vnto me
as to let me know your pleasure, how ?at ye will haue me ordred, as
shortly as it shall like you; & wryt to my lady, thanking hir good
ladyship of hir so loving & tender kyndness shewed vnto me, beseching
hir ladyship of good contynewance therof. And therfore I besech you
to send a servant of yours to my lady & to me, & shew now, by your
fatherly kyndnesse, ?at I am your child, for I have sent you dyverse
messuages & wryttings, & I had never answere againe. Wherfore yt is
thought in this parties, by those persones ?at list better to say ill than
good, ?at ye have litle favor vnto me, the which error ye may now
quench, if yt will like you to be so good & kynd father unto me. Also,
I besech you to send me a fine hatt & some good cloth to make me
some keuercheffes. And thus I besech Jesu to haue you in his blessed
keeping, to his pleasure & your harts desire & comforth. Wryten at the
Hirst, the xviij day of May.

By your loving daughter     Dorythie Plompton

Endorsed (p. 52): To the [right deleted] worshipfull & my most entyerly
beloved good, kind father Sir Robart Plompton knight lying at Plompton
in Yorkshire be thes deliuered in hast

     ¹ Daughter of Sir Robert and Dame Agnes. She subsequently married Henry Arthing-
ton.

     ² Dorothy?s step-grandmother, 189n, 200 &n.

LETTER CLXV.

To the right worshipfull and my most entyerly beloved, good, kind
    father, Sir Robart Plompton, knyght, lying at Plompton in York-
    shire, be thes delivered in hast.

    Ryght worshipfull father, in the most humble manner that I can
I recommend me to you, and to my lady my mother, and to all
my brethren and sistren, whom I besech almyghtie God to mayn-
tayne and preserve in prosperus health and encrese of worship,
entyerly requiering you of your daly blessings; letting you wyt
that I send to you mesuage, be Wryghame of Knarsbrugh, of my
mynd, and how that he should desire you in my name to send
for me to come home to you, and as yet I had no answere agane,
the which desire my lady hath gotten knowledg. Wherfore, she is
to me more better lady then ever she was before, insomuch that
she hath promysed me hir good ladyship as long as ever she
shall lyve; and if she or ye can fynd athing meyter for me in this
parties or any other, she will helpe to promoote me to the utter-
most of her puyssaunce. Wherfore, I humbly besech you to be
so good and kind father unto me as to let me know your pleasure,
how that ye will have me ordred, as shortly as it shall like you.
And wryt to my lady, thanking hir good ladyship of hir so loving
and tender kyndnesse shewed unto me, beseching hir ladyship of
good contynewance therof. And therfore, I besech you to send a
a servant of yours to my lady and to me, and shew now by your
fatherly kyndnesse that I am your child; for I have sent you
dyverse messuages and wryttings, and I had never answere againe.
Wherfore, yt is thought in this parties, by those persones that list
better to say ill than good, that ye have litle favor unto me; the
which error ye may not quench, yf yt will like you to be so
good and kynd father unto me. Aslo I besech you to send me a
find hatt and some good cloth to make me some kevercheffes.
 

And thus I besech Jesu to have you in his blessed keeping to his
pleasure, and your harts desire and comforth. Wryten at the
Hirste,^a the xviii day of Maye.

                                                               By your loving daughter,

                                                                                      DORYTHE PLOMPTON.^b

    ^a Temple Hirst in the parish of Birkin, com. Ebor. the seat of Lord Darcy.

    ^b Dorothy Plumpton had, it may be presumed from the context of this letter, been
placed in some menial situation in the household of Lady Darcy, which the young lady
did not think meet for her rank. The Lady Darcy was mother of Sir Robert Plump-
ton's then wife, and hence perhaps the motive for her step-daughter being so bestowed.
(See Letter LIX, note a.) I may here remark that among the usual authorities for
the genealogies of the extinct Baronage of the kingdom great discrepancy is apparent
respecting this lady and her connexions. Dugdale writes the name Elizabeth, citing
as his authority MS. J.3 in Offic. Arm. fol. 71 b, and affirms she died 22 Aug. 1529.
and was buried at the Friars Minors in Greenwich. Collins copies Dugdale, but
makes her the first wife, ex stemmate. It is, however, certain that both George Darcy
and Arthur Darcy, sons of her husband by a former wife, daughter of Sir Richard
Tempest, of Giggleswick, in Ribblesdale, com. Ebor. kt. had reached manhood be-
fore 6 Hen. VIII. 1514, when they were co-feoffees with others for the uses of the mar-
riage settlement of Sir Marmaduke Constable, the younger, and Elizabeth, the daugh-
ter of Thomas Lord Darcy; which marriage had been contracted for in the preceding
year by Sir Marmaduke Constable, the elder, of Flamborough, kt. and Sir Robert Con-
stable, his eldest son, father of the younger Sir Marmaduke, in consideration of the
sum of 800 marks, given with her by her father. (Petition of Sir Robert Constable,
5 Eliz. Archer's MS. p. 168, penes W. Constable Maxwell, de Everingham, com. Ebor.
Ar.) Banks and Edmondson recite the wives in their proper order, but, as well as
Dugdale, whom they follow, take no notice of her having been first married to the
Lord Nevill, and upon his authority adopt the name of Elizabeth. But in a MS.
Baronagium Angli? by Wm. Smith, Rouge Dragon, anno 1597, now in the possession
of Lord Stourton, under the title of Sandes, she is rightly named Editha, and her two
husbands, Ralph Nevill and Thomas Lord Darcy of Templehurst, are both mentioned,
the only error being the addition of the title of Earl of Westmoreland to the name of
her first husband. It was, moreover, no doubt in compliment to her that one of the
daughters of George Lord Darcy was named Edith, afterwards the wife of Sir Thomas
Dawney of Cowick, com. Ebor. kt. The proof of this second marriage of Edith
Lady Nevill is otherwise interesting, as establishing the near degree of kindred which
existed between the last unfortunate Earl of Westmoreland and the infamous Sir Ro-
bert Constable, who sought to betray him to Queen Elizabeth. (See Sadler's State
Papers.) Her daughter, Dame Isabel Plumpton, survived her husband Sir Robert
Plumpton, and was 10 Mar. 20 Hen. VIII. 1528-9, the wife of Lawrence Kighley of
New Hall, near Otley, esq. (See Memoirs.)