Godfrey Greene to Sir William Plumpton

10 Godfrey Greene to Sir William Plumpton, 14 June [1464]           (No. 28, p.
       174)

Reuerend and worshipfull master,^a after all due recomendacions had.
Sir, as for your suites against the minister and others, they shalbe called
vpon as effectually as I can, and, with the grace of God, shall take as
good speed as the law will suffer. Howbeit that Horbury sais that ye
and the minister stand in comprimise to abide the award of Sir John
Maliuera¹ and others, and that he hath in command to continue the
suite of the minister by reason of the same. Notwithstanding, your suit
shall proceed [p. 175] untill the time ye send otherwise in command.
And as for the byeing of the veluett, the mony vpon the obligation of
Mr Suthill is nott paid;² he sais Barnby wilbe here with it this tearme,
God send grace it be so, for Mr Byngham, Thomas Eyr and Chapman
of Stamford,³ each one of them attends after his part this tearme. And
as for the suits, I shall borow untill the time the other come.

     There is [a] young man, a mercer in the Chepe, the which a
Michaelmas purpose to sett vp a shop of his owne, the which mercer
makes great labor to my lady and to Jeffrey Dawne⁴ for my sister,
Isabell, to marry with her. Lyuelode he hase none; a Norfolk man, and
of birth no gentleman, as I can vnderstand. What he is worth in goods
I cannott wytt; mercers deals nott all together with their owne proper
goods. How be it, My Lady P. hath preferred him faire, that is to say
xl li in money of my Ladys & her frends, and my lady to find her thre
yeare if he will, & Jeffrey hath proferred to lend him for iij yeare a
hundreth merce, the which mony is ready in a bag [if]^b the[y] agre. I
moued vnto my lady & Jeffray, as far as I durst, for displease, that the
mony was much without she had some twentie of other of lyuelodes or
of goods, to the which my sister, as fare forth as she durst, abode
upon; by the which they brake & Jeffrey agreed well to the same,
notwithstanding my sister ne I cannot think it is for her to deny or
refuse my ladies labour nor agreement, but wholie to put her to my
ladies rule & ordinance, and so she did att all times; how be it, my
lady said to her it shold come of her selfe, and she answered þat of her
selfe she could nott, ne wold nothing do without the advise of you &
her freinds; but whatsoeuer my lady thought she shold do, she wold
do it, vnwitting you or any of her freinds. Whearfore I beseech you, as
hastely as it please you, [p. 176] to send me word of your entent, for
she & I wold faine do that at might be most to your pleasure & <her>
profitt.

     Also, Mr Byngham hath spoken to Mr Rocliff & me to witt what
day ye wold be in Nottinghamshire, & I could not answere thereto; ye
may send him word as it please you. Also I am not very certaine of [b]e
day and yeare that your milne dam was broken. I pray you send [b]e
certaintie this terme, and ye may, that it may be amended, if it be
wrong; & all your other matters shalbe called vpon with the grace of
God, who haue you euermore in proteccion. Written at London, ye
xiijth day of June.

     Also, as for pe mercer, I understand he profers now to find surety
that if he die, she to haue a c li besides her part of his goods, after þe
custome of the cittie.^c

                                    Your servant               Godfrey Grene

Endorsed (p. 174): Vnto my reuerend & worshipfull master Sir William
Plompton kt

     ^a Marginal note: 28 letter.

     ^b MS of.

     ^c Marginal note: Copied 1 of February 1612, Munday. Edward Bickerdick.

     ¹ Sir John Mauleverer, of Allerton Mauleverer (d. by 1483), 16.

     ² Henry Sotehill, whose first instalment of the balance of the purchase price of his
son’s marriage was now due, 8; App. I, 3.

     ³ See 11.

     ⁴ Geoffrey Downes (d.1494), who styled himself a ‘gentleman of London’, was Lady
Ingoldesthorpe’s steward, and co-founder with her of a chantry and lending library at
Pot Shrigley, Cheshire. It is therefore probable that Joan, Lady Ingoldesthorpe, is the
Lady P. referred to here, G. Ormerod, History of the County Palatine of Cheshire (3 vols,
Chester, 1882), ii, 325–37.

LETTER VIII.

Unto my reverend and worshipfull master, Sir William Plompton, kt.

    Reverend and worshipfull master, after all due recomendations
had; Sir, as for your suites against the ministera and others, they
shalbe called upon as effectually as I can, and with the grace of
God shall take as good speed as the law will suffer, howbeit that
Horbury sais that ye and the minister stand in comprimise to
abide the award of Sir John Malivera b and others, and that he
hath in comaund to continue the suite of the minister by reason
of the same; notwithstanding, your suit shall proceed untill the
time ye send otherwise in comaund. And as for the byeing of
the velvett, the mony upon the obligacion of Mr. Suthill c is nott
paid; he said Barnby wilbe here with it this tearme. God send
grace it be so, for Mr. Byngham,^d Tho. Eyr, and Chapman of
Stamford, everichone of them attends after his part this tearme.
And as for the suits I shall borow until the time the other come.
There is a young man, a mercer in the Chepe, the which a
Michaelmas purpose to sett up a shop of his owne, the which
mercer makes great labor to my lady and to Jeffrey Dawne for
my sister Isabell to marry with her; ^e, lyvlode he hase none,
a Norfolk man and of birth no gent. as I can understand; what
he is worth in goods I cannott wytt. Merces deals nott all
together with their owne proper goods. How be it my lady P.
hath proferred him faire, that is to say, xlli in mony of my lady
and her freinds and my lady to find her thre yeare if her will, and
Jeffrey hath proferred to lend him for iiij yeare a hundreth merce,
the which mony is ready in a bag if they agre. I moved unto my
lady and Jeffrey, as far as I durst for displease, that the money
was muche without she had some twentie of other of lyvelods or
of goods, to the which my sister, as fare forth as she durst, abode
upon; by the which they brake and nott concluded. And my
lady and Jeffrey agreed well to the same, notwithstanding my
sister ne I cannot think it is for her to refuse my ladies labour
nor agreement, but wholie to put her to my ladies rule and ordi-
nance, and so she did att all times. How be it my lady said to
her it shold come of herselfe, and she answerred that of her selfe
she could nott ne wold nothing do without the advise of you and
her freinds, but whatsoever my lady thought she shold do, she
wold do it unwitting you or any of her freinds. Whearfore I
beseech you as hastely as it please you, to send me word of your
intent, for she and I wold faine do that at might be most to your
pleasure and her profitt. Also Mr. Byngham hath spoken to
Mr. Rocliff and me to witt what day ye wold be in Nottingham-
shire, and I could not answere thereto; ye may send him word as
it please you. Also I am not very certaine of the day and yeare
that your milne dam was broken; I pray you send the certaintie
this terme and ye may, that it may be amended if it be wrong.
And all your other matters shalbe called upon with the grace of
God, who have you evermore in proteccion. Written at London
the xiiiith day of June.

    Also as for the mercer, I understand he profers now to find
surety that if he die, she to have a C^li besides her part of his goods
after the custome of the Cittie.

    (14 June 1464.)        Your servant GODFREY GRENE.

    ^a Robert Boulton, minister of the house of St. Robert near Knaresborough. See
Letter VII.

    ^b Sir John Mauleverer of Allerton, com. Ebor. kt.

    ^c Henry Suthill esq. was bound to pay for the marriage of the grand-daughter and
heir apparent of Sir William Plumpton a certain sum by instalments, the first of
which became due 24 June, 1464. Suthill was married to the only daughter of John
Boyvile of Stockfaston, or Stockerston, com. Leic. which property was inherited by
his issue; he was himself a younger son of Gerard Suthill of Redburne, com. Linc.
(a shoot from the ancient stock of Soothill in the parish of Dewsbury, com. Ebor.)
and was at this time following the profession of the law, from which he appears to have
derived considerable wealth, so as to enable him to contract for the heiress of
Plumpton.

    ^d Richard Bingham the younger.-See Letter III.

    ^e Geoffrey Dawne was probably of the family of Dawney of Cowick, com. Ebor. but
the connexion with the writer and the lady P. in whose service Isabel Grene was at
this time, has not been ascertained.