Volume Ii Part 63 (2/2)

Item, John Beston and the sayd Robert Taillor, and other of the sayd riottes felows.h.i.+pp, toke on Thomas Byrden of Lyngewod and bete hym and prisoned hym till unto such tyme that he was delyvered by the mene of my Lord of Norwych; and for that sorow, distres, and grete payne and betyng, the sayd Thomas Byrden toke suche kynesse that he dyed.

Item, the sayd Robert Dallyng and Herry Bange, and other of the sayd felows.h.i.+ppe, toke and bete on Nicholas Chirche atte Strumpeshawe, beyng in the church of the same towne, that he was [in] dout of his lyff.

Item, the sayd Robert Dallyng lay on awayt uppon on Thomas Dallyng, and hym grevously bete.

Item, on Middleynt Sunday,[311.1] the x.x.x^ti yere of oure soveraigne Lorde the Kynge that now ys, Robert Dallyng, Robert Churche, Robert Taillor, Herry Bang, Adam atte More, with other unknowyn, be the comaundement and a.s.sent of the sayd Robert Ledham, made affray uppon Herry Smyth and Thomas Chambre atte Suthbirlyngham, the sayd Herry and Thomas and that tyme knelyng to see the usyng of the ma.s.se, and than and ther wold have kyllyd the sayd Herry and Thomas atte the prestys bakke, ne had they be lettyd.

Item, the sayd Robert Lethum, with his sayd ryottis felaws.h.i.+pp, the same yere dide and made so many ryottes in the hundred where he dwellyth that dyvers and many gentilmen, frankeleyns, and good men, durst not abyde in here mansyon place, ne ryde, nother walke aboute thaire occupacions without mo persons, arrayd in maner and forme of werre attendyng and waytyng uppon them than thayr lyvelode wold extende to fynde hem. And so, for savacion of thaire lyves, and in eschewyng of suche inordinat costys as never was seen in that countrey befor, many of them forsoke and leffte thaire owyn habitacion, wyff and childe, and drewe to fortresses and good townes as for that tyme.

_In primis_, Phillipp Berney, esquyer, Edmond Broom to Castre; Thomas Holler, John Wylton to Norwych; Oliver Kubyte to Seynt Benetts; Robert Spany to Aylesham; Thomas Baret, with many others, to Meche Yarmouth and to other placys of strenght.

Item, the sayd Robert Ledham, contynuyng in this wyse, callyd unto hym his sayd mysgoverned felows.h.i.+pp, consydryng the absence of many of the well-rewlyd people of the sayd hundred of affere cast malice, and congected, purposed and labored to the sheriff of the s.h.i.+re that the sayd Roger Chirche, on of the sayd riottous felaws.h.i.+pp, was made bailly of the hundred; and after causid the same Roger to be begynner of arysyng and to take oppon hym to be a captayn and to excite the peple of the countrey therto. And ther oppon, be covyne of the sayd Robert Ledhaum, to appeche all these sayd well rewlyd persones, and as well other divers substanciall men of good fame and good governaunce that were hated be the sayd Robert Ledhaum, and promittyng the sayd Roger harmeles and to sew his pardon be the mene of Danyell; to the which promyse the sayd Rogger aggreed, and was arested and take be the sayd Ledham be covyne betwixt hem, and appeched suche persons as they l.u.s.t, to the entente that the sayd substanciall men of the countre shuld be by that mene so trowblyd and indaungered that they shuld not be of power to lette and resist the mys rewle of the sayd Ledham and his mysgoverned felaws.h.i.+pp, the whiche mater ys confessid by the sayd Roger Chirch.

Item, William Breton and John Berton, and other of the sayd ryottes, come into the place of on Robert Spany of Poswyke and serched his housez, hous be hous, for to have bete hym yf they myght have founde hym.

Item, William Donmowe, servaunt of the sayd Robert Ledham, and by his comaundement, the same yere bete the parson of Hashyngham, and brake his hede in his owyn chauncell.

Item, the sayd Thomas Bery, Elys Dukworth, Thomas c.o.kowe, George of Chamer, the v. day of Novembre last past, with divers other onknowyn men, onto the nombre of xx. persons, and noman of reputacion among hem, comen, under color of huntyng, and brake uppe gatys and closys of Osburne Monford atte Brayston; and xij. persons of the same felows.h.i.+pp, with bowys bent and arowys redy in thair handys, abode alone betwixt the maner of Brayston and the chirche, and there kept hem from vij. of the clokke on the mornyng unto iij. of the clokk after none, lyyng in awayte oppon the servauntez of the sayd Osburne Monford, lorde of the sayd maner, so that nonne durst comen ouut for doute of thair lyves.

Item, viij. of the sayd felows.h.i.+pp, on the Wennesday next after, prevely in an hole layn in awayte oppon William Edworth and Robert Camplyon, servauntz to the sayd Osburn Montford, comyng from Okill[313.1] market, till that tyme that the said William Owell and Robert come uppon hem onwarre, and theruppon chasid hem so that yf they had not be well horssyd and well askapped, they had ben dede and slayne.

Item, vj. or vij. of the sayd Ledamys men dayly, boyth werkeday and haly day, use to goo aboute in the countrey with bowys and arowys, shotyng and playng in mennys closis among men catall, goyng from alhous to alhousez and mana.s.syng suche as they hated, and soght occasion and quarels and debate.

Item, notwithstandyng that all the lyvelod that the sayd Ledham hath pa.s.sith not xx_li._ [20], be sydes the reparacion and outcharges, and that he hath no connyng ne trew mene of getyng of any good in this countre, as for as any man may conceyve, and yette xypith in his house dayly xx. men, besydes women and gret mult.i.tude of such mysgoverned peple as ben resortyng to hym, as ys above sayd, to the whiche he yevith clothyng, and yitte bysyde that he yevith to other men that be not dwellyng in his household; and of the sayd xx. men ther pa.s.sith not viij. that use occupacion of husbondrye; and all they that use husbondrye, as well as other, be jakked and salettid redy for to werre, which yn this countrey ys thoght ryght straunge, and ys verely so conceyved that he may not kepe this countenance be no good menes.

Item, the sayd Ledham hath a _supersedias_ oute of the chauncerie for hym and divers of hys men, that no warant of justice of pees may be served agayn hem.

Item, please unto your Lords.h.i.+pp to remembre that the sayd Ledham and his sayd mysgoverned felous.h.i.+pp be endited of many of these articles and of many moo not comprehendit here, and in especiall of the sayd rysyng agayn the Kyng. Wherfore, though the sayd Ledham can prove the sayd enditement of treson voyde in the lawe for symplenesse of them that gaffe the verdit, that it lyke you, for the Kyngs availl, not redely to suffre the sayd Ledham to departe atte large unto the tyme that the mater of the sayd enditement be better enquered of for the Kyngs avayll, and that the sayd Ledham fynde surte of his good aberyng; and the inhabitauntz of the sayd hundred of Blofeld shall pray for you. And els they be lyke to be destruyd for ever.

[Footnote 307.1: [From Add. Charter 16,545, B.M.] This paper refers mainly to events of 1452 and 1453, but was probably drawn up in 1454, after the Duke of York had come into power.]

[Footnote 309.1: 3rd April 1452.]

[Footnote 309.2: Philip Berney died, as we have seen, on the 2nd July 1453, fifteen months after the date a.s.signed to the outrage.]

[Footnote 309.3: 6th April 1452.]

[Footnote 310.1: 10th April 1452.]

[Footnote 311.1: 19th March 1452.]

[Footnote 313.1: Acle.]

[[she beyng iiij^xx. ... yere of age _printed ”vere” (error or broken ”y”)_]]

[[toke suche kynesse that he dyed _text unchanged: error for ”sykynesse” or equivalent?_]]

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