Letter from John Kniveton, Shrewsbury Place, to Elizabeth Hardwick Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury

Has delivered the venison and round pies to Mr. Attorney and the others. The pies that were made "longewayes" were so little and moldy that they were not worth giving and in the future should be "newe baked," and "made of some reasonable bignes and well handled." Gives news of the trial held to try and settle a dispute about encroachments in the Duchy of Lancaster. Even though he had testified against the inhabitants, Mr. Sackford advised that she and her husband make sure that the "inhabitantes abowt the fforrest were well vsed," because he had heard some "very evill speaches of my Lord in the courte." (see R. Somerville, History of the Duchy of Lancaster (1953), p. 306-308.)