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An interpreted transcription
To the right reverent and worshipful father in God
my lord and patron, the prior of Canterbury
With all lowliness beseeches your poor priest and chaplain, sir John Bowde, vicar of your church of Deopham in the county of Norfolk, beseeching your lordship by way of pity and conscience to consider and alleviate my poverty, as I carry out the cure and charge I have in your above said poor parish. My benefice is so poorly endowed and decayed that I may not live to keep my mandate according to the law – which I report mainly to God and to my parishioners, your true tenants – without your gracious favour and aid to relieve and augment my poor livelihood. For in truth, very necessity causes me to complain asking your great wisdom to consider two things. The first one is the great poverty that now reigns among the common people, for they may not live to pay their dues. The second one is the cost of repairing my poor household and keeping up hospitality, which may not be denied without great payments to the Bishop’s officers. Considering your great goodness, I must either make my cure void and leave your tenants unserved, or seek the remedy of the law, which by no means I intend to do. But I have great trust in your lordship, as conscience and charity require, that there will be some augmentation from you to relieve my poor living, which will give me great peace in body and soul, and I will pray for you and all of yours as I am bound to do. And so that your lordship will the more favourably attend to this simple petition, all your true tenants and my parishioners have each by name added their seals to the present writing. That is to say:
– Thomas Bayle your farmer,
– Thomas Robard,
– John Walter,
– John Seman,
– William Seman,
– William Davy,
– William Roger,
– Steve Cryour,
– Richard Colyour, [Cullyer?]
– John Surnay,
– William Thomson,
– Thomas Stacy,
– Richard Humphrey,
– John Brown, junior,
– John Brown, senior,
– John Suker,
– Robard Davy,
– Thomas Marge,
– Thomas Davy,
– John Bedwell,
– William Estan,
– John Nebour and
– Nick Cuttes.
Written at your aforesaid town of Deopham, 22 March the fifth year of the reign of our
sovereign lord King Edward IV.
From a thesis by Ursula Anderson1 with some reformatting
A literal transcription
Code: D4464
To the right Reuerent And wurschipfulle Fadir in god
my lorde And patronn the Priour of Caunterbury
Withe Alle lowlynesse besechithe . youre pore Prest And Chapeleynn . Sir John Bowde . Vicour of your chirche of Depham . in the Counte of Norff . besechyng̕ your lordschip . in weye of pite and conscience . to considir and tender my pouerte . stondyng̕ the Cure and charge . the whiche J hafe in your pore paryssche forseid . And my benefice so exile and decayed . that J may not leve to kepe my charges . nothyng̕ acordyng̕ to the lawe . And that J reporte me prinspally to god . And to my parysschouns your trewe tenauntes . Withowt your gracious fauour and comfort . to be considerd in relef and augmentyng̕ of my poer lyfelode . for in trowth very necessite causithe me to complayne . for . ij . thynges to be considerd by your grete wysdome . oon is the grete pouerte that now regnythe amonges the comyn peple . for they may not leve . and paye there dueetes A-n othir is . the charge of repayre of my pore howsold . and kepyng̕ of hospitalite . the whiche may not be left . wt-owt grevous rewardes to the Bysschoppis Officers . Consideryng̕ your grete godenesse . that ethur . J must a-voyde my Cure . and leve your tenauntes on-served . or elle to seke the remedy of the lawe . the whiche in no wyse . J intende not to do . but fully trust in your lordschip . as conscience and charite requirithe . that sum augmentacionn by you assigned to the relef of my pore levyng̕ . the ∧ whiche schalle cause me grete quietnesse bothe in sowle and body . and to praye for you and alle yowris . as J am bounde to do . And that your lordschip may the more fauorably tendir this Symple peticionn . alle youre trewe tenauntes and my parysschouns . to this present wrytyng̕ generally be name han set to there Seales ; That is to saye .
Thomas Bayle your Fermour . Thomas Robardes . John walter . John Semann . wille Semann . wille Davy . wille Roger̕ . Stephe Cryour . Richard Colyour . John Surnay .
wille Thomson̕ . Thom̕ Stacy . Ric̕ vmfray . John Browun̕ Jun̕ . John Browun̕ sen̕ . John Suker̕ . Robard Davy . Thom̕ Marȝe . Thom̕ Davy . John
Bedwelle . wille Estan . John Nebour and Niche Cuttes . writonn at your towne of Depham . forsaid the xxije . daye of Marche the Reyngne of
oure Souerayne lorde kyng̕ Edward þe iiije . the ve . yere ⸫
Lincolnshire Archives; their ref: Cragg/4/8
Comments
- This document has ended up at the Lincolnshire Archives who acquired it from a dealer. Why it is located there rather than Canterbury is not known. There is nothing to suggest it is not genuine.
- The Lincolnshire Archives have requested an unreasonable sum to permit the document to be displayed on this site. There is an imperfect photograph of this document with its 22 seals on page 82 of the thesis mentioned in the footnotes by Ursula Anderson.
Footnotes
- Patterns of Polite Discourse in Middle English Letters: A Study of Petitions and
Requests, Ursula Anderson, pg 128. This thesis is available here.
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| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| 17/9/25 | Published |
Deopham History 