Sir Thomas Hoby's Letter to Sir Robert Cecil with Enclosure

Hatfield House: Cecil Papers 88

f [1] (5 September)

My duty vnto your Lordships most humbly remembred;

May yt please your honors to give me leave to informe you of a very fowle & greate misdemeanor; offerd vnto my selfe within myne owne howse at Haknes: by mr wylliam Ewre, sone of the Lord Ewre; sir wylliam Ewre, brother to the Lord Ewre & some others, whose names & facts are expressed in this inclosed. Which, my humble swte vnto your honors, is <...> may be reade; & the matter may be Iudicially heard before your honors: And to yat ende, my humble swte is farther: yat the partys may be bownde before her maiesties Counsell at yorke by direction from your Lordships to approve at a day & tyme before your Lordships to make answer to my Complaynte, for yat yt is not for me to serve any process vpon them in thes parts, in respect of my Lord Ewres greatnes; whoe besyds, at this instante is owre uycepresident; & hath sent sommons for me to appeare at yorke before hymselfe ‸⸢& Consyll⸣ vpon Monday next which wyll be the 8th of septembr: ther to exhybyte my reasons of Complaynte, wherby he woold drawe the matter to his owne orderynge; notwithstandynge he is Father, Brother, & Cosyn to the offendors, & hath (as yt may appeare hereafter) shewn somme naturall affectione in ye Course already. And yf your Lordships shall please ‸⸢to⸣ sende Comyssione unto the Byshope of Lymeryke mr Heskett, & mr Doctor Bennett or to any two of them to examyne such wytnesses as I shall produce for the Queen upon such interrogatorys as I shall delyver in for the better provynge of my Complayntes, your Lordships shall fynde somewhate more then I can deliver at this Instante. But I wyll referr my humble swte to be ordered by your Lordships only I muste be an humble swter yat ye ‸⸢Cawse⸣ may receyv a Iudycyall heerynge before your Lordships leaste this dysgrace of myne, lordy couradge trweharted, & faythfull servants, & subiects of her maiestes: For yat I shall easyly deryve this owtrage from envy, & mallyce, Conceyved agaynst me for wante of partiallyty ‸⸢in me⸣ in ye executinge of my place & Callinges And for my servyce, I doe desyre to be systed by the governours of thes partes the Lord Ewre ‸⸢not⸣ excepted. And soe fearynge to be overtedyous, I wyll moste humbly Cease to troble your Lordships any farther. From my howse at Lynton in ye Easte Rydynge of Yorkeshyer the 5th day of septembr 1600

your Lordships moste humbly in all

dutyfull servyce (signed) PosthsHoby

  • Footnotes
    • <...>: letters erased, space filled with a line
    • lordy: for lordly
  • Document Description

    Record title: Sir Thomas Hoby's Letter to Sir Robert Cecil with Enclosure
    Repository: Hatfield House
    Shelfmark: Cecil Papers 88
    Repository location: Hertfordshire

    On 26 August 1600 a group of young North Riding gentry led by William Eure (1579–1646), son of Ralph Eure (1558–1617), third Baron Eure, and Ralph's brother, Sir William, arrived at Hackness and demanded hospitality of Sir Thomas on the pretext of being on a hunting expedition. Sir Thomas received them with what may have been perceived as ill grace. The company spent the evening drinking and dicing, to Sir Thomas' disgust, to the extent that he eventually locked the wine cellar. When the family sat down to evening prayers the interlopers attempted to disrupt the service by stamping of feet and singing. Upon departure in the morning, some damage was done, including several broken windows. Hoby wrote a letter of complaint to the privy council (see Sir Thomas Hoby's Letter to Sir Robert Cecil) and the case eventually went to Star Chamber where Eure was fined £100 annually (see YNNA05, YNNA06, YNNA07, and YNNA08).

    1600; English; paper; 2 bifolia, folded thrice horizontally and once vertically, bound together with other single sheets and booklets of miscellaneous sizes; 350 x 250 mm; originally unnumbered (ff [1v–2] blank), now foliated 17–18 (enclosure) and 19 (letter); letter (f [1]) addressed on f [2v]: 'To the Ryght honorable ye | Lords of her Maiesties pryvy | Cownsell./' and endorsed in a different hand: '5. September 1600 | Sir Thomas Posthumus Hobby | to the Lords./ | a Riottous assualt committed vpon him in his house, by Mr Evres./,' enclosure (ff [3–4]) endorsed in the same hand (f [4v])'ye Manner of the Riott.'

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