puesident’s address. 
523 
to be found notably by Thetford, Lynn, Wolferton, Holt, Kelling, 
and many other places, whilst Household, which represents a mere 
fragment of its former extent, even now comes down to the very 
boundary of our old city, and a remnant of the primeval oaks of 
Thorpe still marks the site of the great wood, into which in 1474 
John Paston, whose Goshawk was so damaged in transit as to 
render it only fit to “eyer” (breed from), proposed to “cast hyr . . . 
and a tarsell with hyr, for” says he, “1 weit wher on is,” which 
very suggestive passage seems to indicate that this forest loving 
species, now one of the rarest visitors of its class to Norfolk, would 
at least find a suitable home in the wooded slopes of Thorpe. 
There is an amusing letter written by Sir John Paston (No. 911) 
Gardner Edition) to Lord Fitzwalter, about the year 1490, which 
I venture to reproduce, as it is not only very interesting from 
a Natural History point of view, but introduces us to the typical 
Norfolk gamekeeper and his gallows-tree, as well as to some of his 
victims ; it is couched in humorous language, and “ humbly 
besecbeth your good lordshepe, your dayly servaunt and beedman, 
John Paston, more Kayteff than Knyght, that it may please you 
of your specyall grace to dyrect ought your lettres, sygned with 
your hand and sealid with your seall, to the dreedfull man, 
Jamys Kadcliff of Byllingforth, iSqwyer, fermour of your wareyn 
ther, ought of wheys wareyn no maner of man nor vermyn dare 
take on hym, for douglit of your seyd dredfull [man], to take or 
carye awey eny of your game ther, for fere [of being] hangyd up 
among other mysdoers and forfaytours, as wesellis, lobsters [Stoats] 
polkattys, bosartys [Buzzards], and mayne currys, — that the seyd 
Jamys shall, upon the syght of your seyd wryghtyng, delyver, or cause 
to be delyverd, to your seyd besecher or to hys depute, delyverer 
of your seyd lettres, at hys fyrst syght of the same, vj. coupyll 
blake conycs or rennyng rabbettys, or some blake and some 
whyght to the seyd nombre, to store with a newe grownd of your 
seyd besechers at Oxenhed, more lyeke a pynnefold than a parke. 
And your seyd besecher shall daylye prey to God for the 
preservacyon of your noble estate longe t’endure.” 
This letter is interesting for the use of the name “Lobster” for 
