John Paston and Lord Moleyns

135

JOHN PASTON AND LORD MOLEYNS²

Un to the right reverent fadir in God and my right gracioux Lord,
     the Cardinal Archebisshop of York, Prymat and Chaunceller
     of Inglond.

BESECHETH mekely John Paston that where Robert
     Hungerford, Knyght, Lord Molens, and Alianore, his
     wyff, late with force and strength, and grete multitude
of riottous peple, to the noumbre of a thousand persones and
mo, gadered by th?excitacion and procuryng of John Heydon³
a yenst the Kynggs pees, in riotous maner entred up on your
seid besecher and othir enfeoffed to his use in the manoir of
Gresham with th?appurtenaunces in the shire of Norffolk;
whiche riotous peple brake, dispoiled, and drew doun the place
of your seid besecher in the seid toun, and drafe out his wiff
and servauntes there beyng, and ryfled, took, and bare awey
alle the goodes and catalx that your seid besecher and his
servauntes hadde there to the value of ccli. [?200] and more;
and the seid manoir, after the seid riottous entre, kept with
strong hande in manere of werre, as weel ayenst your seid
besecher and his feffees, as ayenst oon of the Kyngges justicez
of the pees in the seid shire, that come thedir to execute the
statutes ordeigned and provyded ayenst suche forcible entrees
and kepyng of possessions with force, as it appiereth by recorde
of the seid justice certifyed in to the Chauncerie; and yet the
seid Lord Molens the same manoir kepith with force and
strengthe ayenst the fourme of the seid statutes: Please it
your reverent Faderhood and gracioux Lordship, these pre-
misses considered, to graunte on to your seid besecher for his
feffees by hym to be named a special assise¹ ayenst the seid
Lord Molens, Alianore, and John Heidon, and othir to be
named by your seid besecher, and also an oyer and determyner²
ayenst the seid Lord Molens, John Heidon, and othir of the
seid riotous peple in like fourme to be named, to enquere,
here and determyn all trespaces, extorcions, riottes, forcible
entrees, mayntenaunces,³ champerties,⁴ embraceries,⁵ offenses,
and mesprisions⁶ by hem or ony of hem doen, als weel atte
sute of our sovereign Lord the Kyng, as of your seid besecher
and his seid feffees, and every of hem, or of ony othir of
the Kyngges lieges: atte reverence of God, and in weye of
charite.

          ² [Add. Charter 17,239, B.M.] This is a bill addressed to Cardinal Kemp as
Lord Chancellor, to which reference will be found to be made in the succeeding letter.
Kemp was appointed Lord Chancellor on the 31st January 1450. The acts here
complained of were therefore those connected with Paston?s second expulsion from
Gresham.

     ³ John Heydon, Esq. of Baconsthorpe, a lawyer, who was recorder of Norwich
from 1431 to 1433, and sheriff in 1431-2.

     ¹ See p. 161, Note 2.

     ² See p. 161, Note 3.

     ³ Unlawful support given to a disputant by one not concerned in the cause.

     ⁴ Bargains made with litigants for a share in what may be gained by the suit.

     ⁵ Attempts to corrupt juries.

     ⁶ Treason or felony committed by oversight or wilful neglect of a duty.

1450(?)

1450(?)