"Sir John Dudley to Lord Lisle [Hol. p. 1]. "I have received your letter by Hushey, your servant. I am glad to find that you are better lord and father unto my sisters than it was informed me. I hope you will continue this favour as they will then set forward to good marriages. "I will do my part as a brother: but, if you should not be as good father unto her as to the rest of your daughters, few will hearken unto her. "Of late one broke off communication of marriage with her because it was bruited that you had given your land wholly to my sister Frances." Addressed to "father at Calais." Dated "Westminster, 23rd February, 1538." 1 Sir Arthur Plantagenet, a natural son of Edward IV., married, firstly, Elizabeth Grey, sister and eventually heir to her brother, John Grey, Viscount Lisle: she being at the time of this marriage the widow of Edmund Dudley (notorious in the reign of Henry VII.) and the mother of the writer of this letter. On the death of her niece Elizabeth, Viscountess Lisle, who was to have married Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, Elizabeth, wife of Sir Arthur Plantagenet, became (as heir to her brother) Viscountess Lisle. Sir Arthur Plantagenet, in 1523, was created, in right of his wife, Viscount Lisle." He was Vice-Admiral of England, Deputy of Calais, and a K.G. Sir John Dudley was, therefore, his step-son; afterwards Lord High Admiral, Viscount Lisle, Earl of Warwick, and Duke of Northumberland. Sir Arthur Plantagenet, on the death of his first wife, married Honor, widow of Sir John Basset, who left, among other children, a son and heir-John Basset. By Elizabeth, his first wife, Lord Lisle had three daughters-Frances, Elizabeth, and Bridget,-of whom 1 Calendar of Letters and Papers, etc., during the reign of Henry VIII., vol. xiii., pt. i., p. 116, No. 337. the eldest, Frances (alluded to in the above letter), married this same year, 1538, her step-mother's son, John Basset. Elizabeth, the second, is spoken of by John Hushey (or Hussey)-apparently the tutor left in charge during the absence of Lord Lisle in Calais-as a "goodly young gentlewoman"; but in spite of her goodliness, I gather from the above letter, the marriage settlement, as proposed by Lord Lisle, was not on a sufficiently generous scale to satisfy Sir Francis Lovell. III. With regard to the parentage of Elizabeth, Lady Lovell, said by Blomefield to be, and registered in the Visitation as, the daughter of Sir Philip Paris of Linton in the County of Cambridge-when the above was written I had not verified this. Since then, however, I have examined the will of "Sir Phelipp Parrys of Littell Lynton in the Countie of Cambridge, Knight, of the diocese of Elye,"-made 10th January, 1557; proved 30th January, 1558 [26 Welles]. He appears to have been twice married, but both of his wives had predeceased him. By his first wife he appears to have had a son, "Ferdinando," who is to take charge of "my heir Robert until he accomplish the age of 21 years"; by this I conclude his second wife, Dame Agnes, was a lady of property, which was to descend to her son, Robert Parrys. He has a son-in-law "Audeley," a daughter "Bulleyne," a cosynne "Cotton," and a nevewe "Thomas Cotton." It is only at the end of the will that we find he has a daughter "Lovell," and that he appoints her, fferdynando Parrys, his son, and Thomas Cotton of Connyngton, his nevewe, his executors. IV. With regard to the imprisonment of Lady Lovellto which she alludes in her will-I find the following Order of Release, in 1585 "25 August, 1585. "The Queen to the Justices of Assize in the County of Norfolk, and others. "Order for the release of Lady Lovell, and Robert Lovell her son, from their imprisonment for cause of conscience." It seems to me that Lady Lovell must have been summoned before the Privy Council, together with her brother, Ferdinand Paris, her sons, Thomas, Robert, and Henry Lovell, her son-in-law, "Robert de Grey," and several other well-known people of the same neighbourhood, to "show cause why they did not appear at Church at the tymes of praier, etc."; and failing to give a satisfactory explanation, it was ordered, 22nd August, 1578, "that for their obstinacie they be committed to remayne in severall houses in the Cittie of Norwiche, and to be conferred withall by the Bishop or such as he shall appoint untill Michaelmas nexte." At Michaelmas we find Thomas Lovell has had quite enough of it; he promises to conform, or do anything else they require of him, if they will only let him out. So 'their lordshippes were very well contented that the Bishop of Norwiche should soe release him, having notwithstanding an eye unto him that he performe his said promise." The rest appear to have been detained for a considerable time-and, as I say, possibly Lady Lovell was one of them. 1 Calendar of State Papers, Domestic Series, 1581-1590. A List of the Clergy of Norfolk and their Status : 35° Elizabeth, 1592-3. COMMUNICATED BY H. W. SAUNDERS, M.A., Lecturer on Modern History, Goldsmiths' College, London University. The document, of which the following is a copy, was recently given to me, with other papers, by Dr. Jessopp, and serves as a supplement to his contribution upon the Clergy of the Diocese of Norwich in the Society's collections, vol. x., pp. 1, &c. (1884). The interval of ten years between the two and the larger scope of the following are my reasons for offering it for insertion here. The manuscript is in book form (fourteen leaves 12 ins., by 8 ins.) and, excepting the first leaf and last page which are blank, the writing is on both sides of the paper throughout. The last leaf is slightly eaten away, but apart from that the whole is in excellent condition and the writing is good. The circumstances accompanying the separation of the English Church from Rome imposed a severe strain |