During the reign of Henry VII. there was a prolonged dispute between Sir Roger Hastings of Roxby and Sir Richard Cholmley concerning the alleged riotous and unlawful conduct with which each side accused the other.  The pleadings on either side are by no means easy to follow, but the beginning of the trouble seems to date from Sir Roger Hastings’ succession to the estate of Roxby.  Mr Turton, who has transcribed all the documents relating to the quarrel, thinks that Sir Roger attempted to shift the death duties from himself to one of his tenants named Ralph Joyner, who refused to pay.  “After an abortive attempt to recover the sum by distrain” says Mr Turton, it “resulted in an appeal to the Earl of Surrey, and Sir Roger was compelled to pay it himself.”  The records tell us that this Ralph Joyner was often “in Jeopardy of his liff; And how he was at diverse tymez chased by diverse of the menyall servantes of the said Sir Roger Hastynges, wheruppon the said Roger Cholmley sent to the said Sir Roger Hastynges in curteyse waise desyring hym to kepe the kynges peax, whiche he effectuelly promysed to doo, uppon truste wherof upon Christmas day now Laste paste the said Rauff Jenore cam to his parisshe chirche, called Elborne [Ellerburne] chirche, as belonged to a christenman to doo, in peassible maner, not fearing the said Sir Roger Hastynges, because of his said promyse, Howbeit soon after that comme thedir the said Sir Roger accompenyed with the numbre of xx [twenty] persons diffencible arrayed with bowes, billes and other weponz, And then as sone as the said Roger came nyghe unto the Chircheyerd of the foresaid Chirche, And had undirstandyng that the said Rauff was within the said chirche, he manassed [menaced] and threted the said Rauff and said that he wolde slee hym.  And in a great fury wolde have entred the said chirche to have complisshed the same.”  This bloodthirsty desire was checked for a time by the vicar, who “knellyng upon his knees before the said Sir Roger,” and with other “well dissposed personez,” induced him to delay his purpose.

“Theruppon the wif of the said Sir Roger Hastynges cam into the said chirche & said unto the said Rauff, ’Woo worthe man this day! the chirche wolbe susspended and thou slayn, withoute thou flee awey and gette the oute of his sighte’ wheruppon the said Rauff Jenore flede oute of the said chirche by a bakke doore and cam to Pykeryng, and petyously desired of the said Roger Chalmley that in so muche as he was the Stewardes deputie there and hadde rewle of the Countre, that he myght be in suertie of his liff.”  The records then describe how Ralph Joyner induced Roger Cholmley, “beyng there Bailly,” with “Sir Rauff Evers & other jointly & severally” to bind Sir Roger Hastings to “Maister Bray” for the sum of a hundred pounds to keep the king’s peace within the liberty of Pickering.  The aggrieved side did not dare to deliver the deed with only their usual personal servants, but had to call upon a number of others