Writing and Reading in the Circle of Sir John Fastolf (d. 1459) [PhD thesis]

391 Pages·2011·6.724 MB·English

by  Deborah Ellen Thorpe

Writing and Reading in the Circle of Sir John Fastolf (d. 1459)

In 2 Volumes: Volume 1

Deborah Ellen Thorpe

Thesis submitted for the degree of PhD

University of York
Medieval Studies

December 2011
ii

Abstract

This thesis is a study of all aspects of writing and reading connected with Sir John
Fastolf, a military captain and steward of the household of John Duke of Bedford,
who returned to England from the later battles of the Hundred Years War in 1438.
Using the circumstantial, palaeographical, and codicological evidence contained in
the letters, documents, and literary texts associated with Fastolf, the thesis performs a
survey of the men who wrote for Fastolf, their interactions with him and with each
other, and their positions in what might be deemed a ‘readership community’. The
thesis takes a detailed look at letter and document composition, delivery, and storage,
then relates this administrative writing to the production and reception of texts in
manuscript books. It argues that there was a close relationship between these two
types of work, finding that the administrators of the Fastolf circle were also the
scribes of literary texts. The thesis consistently reinforces the importance of oral
communication within this circle, emphasising that though there is a substantial
amount of surviving written material associated with this circle, the written word was
not the sole form of communication within it.

The first section of the thesis is an introduction to the circle of Sir John Fastolf,
since it is necessary to comprehend this complex and multitudinous group before
considering reading and writing within it. Chapter One gives biographical
information about Fastolf and the associates who were most involved with writing
and reading. It then reconsiders the highly-contended issue of Fastolf's relations with
these men: was Fastolf a harsh master, or badly-served by his men? Chapter Two
explains the choice of the word ‘circle’ to describe this group, and considers potential
subdivisions within it according to responsibilities or linguistic descriptions. It
emphasises the individuality within the master-servant relationship, as is indicated by
the evidence that Fastolf’s servants maintained various levels of proximity and
permanence of service.

In the second section, Chapter Three is a detailed examination of the writing of
letters and administrative documents. It opens with a discussion of the interplay
between oral conversation and written correspondence. It then looks at the evidence
for the way in which Fastolf’s letters (none of which were autograph) were
composed, and argues that they were not dictated. It progresses to examine the
practicalities of correspondence and administration: drafting, copying, letter delivery,
and storage. Finally, there is a look at the watermarks of paper associated with
Fastolf. This leads into Chapter Four, which is a study of interactions between the
men who wrote for Fastolf. It shows that there was consistent co-operation between
Fastolf’s scribes, and suggests that collaboration had an effect upon the linguistic
features of their work. Finally, Chapter Five looks at Fastolf’s collection of literary
manuscript books, and considers the evidence about who read literary texts, as
indicated by circumstantial evidence, as well codicological evidence such as
annotations within the books themselves. It provides case studies of the men who can
be shown to have written these books, and a focused study of one of these books in
particular, the hitherto under-studied manuscript, College of Arms, MS. Arundel 48.
Finally, there is an overview of the formation of a sub-section of Fastolf’s readership
community in the west country, especially in Bristol, Glastonbury and Wells, which
was facilitated by Fastolf’s Bristol-born secretary William Worcester.
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List of Contents
Volume 1
List of illustrations and tables v
Accompanying Materials:
Text formatting principals vi
Timeline of Events vii
Acknowledgements viii
Author’s Declaration ix

SECTION ONE: The Circle of Sir John Fastolf

Chapter One: Introduction 1

Chapter Two: A case study of the Fastolf circle 81

Volume 2
SECTION TWO: Writing in the Circle of Sir John Fastolf

Chapter Three: The writing and transmission of letters
and documents for Sir John Fastolf. 125

Chapter Four: Interactions between writers in the Fastolf circle 219

Chapter Five: Fastolf’s circle as the readers and writers of texts in
manuscript books. 260

CONCLUSION 338

APPENDICES
Appendix A: A table of the property acquisitions of Sir John Fastolf. 343
Appendix B: William Worcester’s scribal hand in Manuscript books 345
Appendix C: A diagram of the Paston network, and a diagram of
their external links. 346

Appendix D: Evidence of a hired messenger being employed
to carry letters by Mercers 347

Appendix E: The hand of Luket Nantron in Basset’s Chronicle.
London, College Arms, Ms. M.9, folio 35 recto. 348
iv

Appendix F: A draft petition by Sir John Fastolf, in hand of
Luket Nantron. 349

Appendix G: A draft petition by Sir John Fastolf
in hands of Luket Nantron and William Barker. 350

Appendix H: The hand of William Barker in a letter from
Sir John Fastolf. 351

Appendix I: Excerpt from the inventory of Caister Castle, FP 43. 352

Definitions 353

Bibliography 354
v

List of Illustrations and Tables

Figure 1. A drawing of Sir John Fastolf
Figure 2. A map of East Anglia, showing the distribution of Sir John Fastolf’s
major property acquisitions
Figure 3. A table of the associates of Sir John Fastolf.
Figure 4. A sample of William Barker’s hand from his early career
Figure 5. A sample of William Barker’s hand from his later career
Figure 6. A sample of John Bokkying’s hand from his early career
Figure 7. A sample of John Bokkying’s hand from his later career
Figure 8. A sample of Geoffrey Spirleng’s hand from his early career
Figure 9. A sample of Geoffrey Spirleng’s hand from his later career
Figure 10. Fastolf Paper 43, page 15, describing ‘Inglose Chamber’ (the chamber of
Henry Inglose) and its contents.
Figure 11. C. M. Woolgar’s floorplan of Caister Castle.
Figure 12. A Venn diagram of the location of Fastolf’s associates in the period
before 1454.
Figure 13. A Venn diagram of the location of Fastolf’s associates in the period after
1454.
Figure 14. The Signature of Sir John Fastolf (Oxford, Magdalen College, Hickling
130).
Figure 15. Four examples of Fastolf’s signature in Oxford, Magdalen College,
Fastolf Paper 19. Items 4, 5, 6, and 8.
Figure 16. A scribal signature on the behalf of Sir John Fastolf.
Figure 17. An example of a strip of previously-used paper being used to seal another
letter.
Figure 18. Watermark of a bull in profile, with added annotation to define the shape,
FP 26.
Figure 19. Watermark of a bull’s head with star protruding from forehead, with
added annotation to define the shape, FP 77.
vi

Accompanying Materials

Text formatting principles:

Expansions of Contracted words:
Where a word from a medieval source has been expanded, the letters that have been
added are indicated by underlining. For example: ‘accomptis’. Norman Davis,
Richard Beadle, and Colin Richmond used italics to signify expansions of contracted
words, and this principle has been preserved when the thesis refers to their edition.
For example: ‘bokes of Frensche, Latin, and Englyssh’
vii

Timeline of Events
The following timeline lists each event that is mentioned in the course of this thesis,
especially events that had an impact upon Sir John Fastolf and his associates.

1409- Marriage of Sir John Fastolf and Millicent Scrope
1415- Battle of Harfleur
1416- Battle of Valmont
- Fastolf granted the lordship of Frileuse, north of Harfleur
1418- 1419 Sieges of Caen and Rouen
1421- Battle of Baugé
1422- Fastolf appointed lieutenant in Normandy for a year
- Fastolf appointed steward of the household of John, duke of Bedford
1424- Battle of Verneuil
- Fastolf made knight banneret in 1424
1425- English capture Le Mans
1429- Battle of the Herrings at Rouvray, Battle of Patay (Lord Talbot taken
prisoner)
1435- Death of John, Duke of Bedford
- Fastolf sent a report to Henry VI’s Great Council, about the English failures
since 1433
1436- Capture of Paris by the Valois army
1439- Fastolf returned to England
1444- Fastolf entered Hickling Priory’s manor at Palling, claiming for rent
arrears. Began a dispute between Fastolf and the priory that lasted until
1447.
1446- Death of Millicent Fastolf
1448- Construction of Caister Castle completed
- compilation of the only exant inventory of Caister Castle, Fastolf Paper 43.
1450- Imprisonment of William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk, in the tower of
London, and murdered in May 1450.
Jack Cade’s Rebellion.
1454- Fastolf retired to Norfolk from London
1455- additions made to the inventory of Caister Castle, Fastolf Paper 43.
1459- Death of Sir John Fastolf
viii

Acknowledgements

The real credit for this PhD should go to three people who have been my constant
emotional, practical, and financial, support throughout this Ph.D. Without my
Theresa Thorpe (‘mum’), David Thorpe (‘dad’) and Thomas Thorpe, this would all
have been a dream for me. They stumped up the cash when times were hard, taxied
me around when I forgot my train tickets, and were there for me whenever I needed
to hear a friendly voice.
My friends have been equally as important. I’d like to thank Victoria Van Hyning
for being my hostess when I needed a place to stay in Oxford. I’ve had many an
intellectual (and not-so-intellectual) chat with her and Zoe Hopkins over coffee, and
that's when some of my best ideas were born. Thanks go to all the ‘Walmgaters’ of
the first year of my Ph.D: Rose Leithall, Chelsea Shields-Mas, Emma Borg, Jessica
Taylor, Melanie Rousseau, Ward van Laatum, Lindsey Smith, Ian Little, and
Sathaporn Thiangtham (‘Tha’) for all our historical trips – with you, my Ph.D. got off
to a great start. I’d like to thank Marijana Cerovic for our study sessions together, and
for being a sympathetic ear whenever I needed one. Kate Thomas and Ellie Bird were
my housemates during the ‘no-mans-land’ of the second year of my Ph.D., we
enjoyed many a dinner party and that kept me somewhat in the real world. Finally,
Katharine Bilous gave me a place to live when my research crept over the three-year
mark. My friends in the Get Your Boots On walking group always had a friendly
word of encouragement, and I am ever grateful for that. Last but absolutely not least,
thanks to David Stather, for always making me laugh.
Robin Darwall-Smith, the archivist of Magdalen College in Oxford, has been ever-
helpful in the frequent times that I’ve needed to look at a manuscript there. He
organised microfilm copies of the Fastolf Papers, so I could consult them from my
abode in the North of England. For this I am very grateful. On the topic of Oxford, I
would not have had the ideas or motivation to begin this PhD if it were not for my
brilliant supervisors during my Master’s year at Oxford. Dr. Simon Horobin guided
me in deciding to research Fastolf, and Dr. Sally Mapstone gave me the confidence in
my academic abilities whilst she supervised my masters dissertation.
Most importantly, I’d like to thank Professor Linne Mooney and Dr. Craig Taylor,
my inspiring supervisors at the Centre for Medieval Studies. I found supervision
meetings with Linne and Craig to be always a challenge and a pleasure, and always
the source of new momentum and supportive advice.
Financial support for this PhD was provided by a scholarship from the Centre for
Medieval Studies, as well as grants from the Baylies Educational Foundation in my
hometown of Dudley, and the Sir Richard Stapley Educational Trust. I would like to
thank them for their trust in me.
ix

Author’s Declaration

I confirm that this thesis is my own work, except where it contains work based on
collaborative research, or input from other scholars, in which case this is clearly
indicated by special reference in the text. Any material that I have had published is
also labelled clearly in the footnotes of the text.
Section One, Chapter One: Introduction 1

Section One: The Circle of Sir John Fastolf
Chapter One: Introduction.
Sir John Fastolf:1
Sir John Fastolf was born in 1380.2 On 13th January 1409 he married Millicent
Scrope, who was born in 1368. Millicent was the daughter of Robert, Lord Tiptoft3
and the widow of Sir Stephen Scrope of Bolton in Yorkshire.4 Fastolf greatly
improved his fortunes by marrying Millicent, since she brought to the marriage the
estates that she had inherited from her father.5

Figure 1. A drawing of Sir John Fastolf.
Clamp, Oxford Almanack for the Year 1731.

1 Many studies have been made of the life of Sir John Fastolf. The research of this thesis has
rediscovered the earliest account of his life, which has been cited relatively infrequently in scholarship
about him: The Life of Sir John Fastolf, published in 1731. One copy of this biography is pasted into
the back of BL, MS. Additional 39848, which otherwise consists of miscellaneous letters concerning
the Paston Family and Sir John Fastolf. The Life of Sir John Fastolf contains the only portrait of
Fastolf to be found in any primary or secondary material concerning him. This was subsequently
reproduced in the Oxford Almanack for the Year 1731. See R. Clamp, Oxford Almanack for the Year
1731 (London: S. E. Harding, 1798). For an overview of the life of Sir John Fastolf see G. L. Harriss,
‘Fastolf, Sir John (1380-1459),’ ODNB, online edn. 2004, http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/9199
[accessed October, 2009]. Anthony Smith gave a detailed account of his life in his thesis, ‘Aspects of
the Career of Sir John Fastolf,’ (D.Phil diss., Oxford University, 1982).
2 See FP 65 (the will of Sir John Fastolf).
3 Robert Tiptoft died in 1372, without male issue, leaving three daughters. G. Poulett Scrope, History
of the Manor and Ancient Barony of Castle Combe in the County of Wilts (London: 1852), 78. See BL,
Additional MS. 28206, folio 6b for Robert Tiptoft’s division of his estates between Millicent and his
two other daughters.
4 For information about Sir Stephen Scrope see Hughes, ‘Stephen Scrope and the Circle of Sir John
Fastolf: Moral and Intellectual Outlooks,’ in Medieval Knighthood IV. Papers from the Fifth
Strawberry Holl Conference, 1990, ed. C. Harper-Bill and R. Harvey (Woodbridge: Boydell Press,
1992), 109-115. See BL, MS. Additional 38692 for an epitaph of Millicent Fastolf by William
Worcester, which included an account of her betrothal to Sir John Fastolf on folios 139-141.
5 Millicent’s lands were in Yorkshire (Bentley and Wighton), Wiltshire (Castle Combe and
Bathampton) and Gloucestershire (Oxenton) (FP 69).