Biography of William Montagu 2nd Earl Salisbury 1328-1397

Chronicle of Geoffrey the Baker of Swynebroke. Finally, on the thirteenth day of the same month of July¹ [1346], they arrived at the desired port. Upon landing, the king knighted his eldest son and created him Prince of Wales. Immediately, the prince in turn knighted² the lords Mortimer (age 17), Montagu (age 18), and de Ros (age 17), and others were likewise promoted to the order of knighthood. For the rest of that day and the whole night, the king lodged in the town of Hogue, and the next day, Tuesday, the army burned the town and proceeded inland through the region of the Cotentin Peninsula. That night, the king lodged at Marcellins, where he remained for five days, during which the entire countryside, including the town of Barfleur, was burned and laid waste along the whole coastline.

Tandem die tertio decimo eiusdem mensis Iulii, ad portum desideratum applicuerunt, ubi, nacti terram, in littore suum primogenitum fecit militem et eum principem Wallie constituebat. Statim princeps fecit milites dominos de Mortimer, de Monte acuto, et de Ros; et cum illis eciam fuerunt alii consimiliter ad ordinem promoti militarem. Per residuum diei et totam noctem rex in villa de Hogges ospitabatur, et in crastino, die Tovis, per exercitum villa combusta, deinde per patriam Constantin profectus, nocte sequenti in Marcelins rex hospitabatur, ibi per quinque dies commoratus, in quibus tota patria cum villa de Barbeflete combusta fuerat, vastata cum tota illa costa marina.

Note 1. The route of Edward's march in the Crécy campaign, across the north of France, from La Hougue to Calais, is here traced with great fulness, and there is no difficulty in identifying almost every place that is named. There is, however, a lack of dates, so that, were there no other means of checking the daily advance of the army, it would be hard, if not impossible, to make out the successive stages with perfect accuracy. Fortunately there is extant the journal of the king's kitchen, kept during the expedition, in which are recorded the names of the places where the king lodged, generally with accompanying dates. This document is quoted in 'Proofs of the early use of Gunpowder in the English Army,' by Mr. Joseph Hunter, printed in Archaeologia, 32: "The king landed at 'Hok,' or 'Hogges,' in Normandy, meaning the port of La Hogue, on Wednesday, the 12th July, and the daily operations of his kitchen proceed at the same place till the Tuesday following, when they are transferred to Valognes. The day's stages of the King's march were now. Saint Come du Mount, Carenton, Pount Herbert, and Saint Lo. He then appears to have changed his purpose, and to have directed his march towards Caen, arriving there on Wednesday the 26th, the intermediate stages having been Sevance, Torteval, and Funtenay Paynel. He remained five days at Caen, and he left the place on the last day of July for Lisieux, at which place he arrived on the second of August, having passed through Treward and Leoperty. He was two days at Lisieux: on the 4th of August he was at Durenvile, on the 5th at Limburgh, the 7th at Oil de Boef, and the 8th at Pount Vadreel. The daily stages were now, Longvile, Frenose, Appone, Ferelaguillon, and Poissy, where he arrived on the 13th of August. He was then about 12 miles from Paris. He remained at Poissy till the 16th, on which day he had begun his march northward. The first day's march was to Grisy, the next to Anty, the next to Trussereux, then to Somerreux, Causeamyneux, and Asshen, where he arrived on the 21st of August. He spent the 22nd and 23rd at Asshen.

We then find him in this humble but authentic chronicle:

Thursday, August 24, 'sub foresta de Cressy.'

Friday, August 25, 'in foresta de Cressy.'

Saturday, August 26, 'adhuc sub foresta de Cressy.'

Sunday, August 27, 'in campis sub foresta de Cressy.'"

There is also a contemporary itinerary, copied in a hand of the 15th century, in the Cotton MS. Cleopatra D. vii. f. 179. From these two documents and Baker's route a perfect itinerary can be constructed.

There are extant also several letters written during the campaign, which enter more or less into details. These are the letters of Edward to sir Thomas Lucy (Coxe, The Black Prince, by Chandos Herald, Roxburghe Club, 1842, p. 351): "Edward, by the grace of God, King of England and of France and Lord of Ireland, to his dear and loyal knight, Thomas Lucy, greetings. Since we know well that you would gladly hear good news from us, we let you know that we arrived safely at La Hogue near Harfleur on the 12th day of July with all our people safe and sound, thanks be to God. There we stayed to disembark our men and horses and to supply our army with provisions until the following Tuesday. On that day we moved with our host toward Valognes, and we took both the castle and the town. Then, on our route, we had a bridge at the Ouve River rebuilt, as it had been broken by our enemies, and we crossed it and took the castle and town of Carentan. From there we continued directly toward the town of Saint-Lô and found the Pont-Hébert broken to hinder our passage. We immediately had it rebuilt and took the town the next day. We then went directly to Caen without stopping since we left La Hogue, and upon our arrival at Caen, our men began an assault on the town, which was very strong and well-stocked with around 1,600 men-at-arms and 30,000 armed and able townsfolk who defended it valiantly and fiercely. The battle was fierce and lasted long, but, praise be to God, we eventually took the city by force without losing any of our own men. Among the captured were the Count of Eu, Constable of France, and the Chamberlain of Tankerville, who had been appointed Marshal of France that very day, along with about 140 other bannerets and knights and many squires and wealthy burghers. Many noble knights and gentlemen, and a great number of commoners, were killed. Meanwhile, our fleet, which remained nearby, burned and destroyed the entire coastline from Harfleur to the fosse of Colleville near Caen. They burned the town of Cherbourg and the ships in its harbour, destroying around 100 great ships and other enemy vessels, either by us or by our people. We remained at Caen for four days to refresh and provision our host, and then, being informed that our adversary had come to Rouen, we set out directly toward him. Upon hearing of our approach, he had the bridge at Rouen broken so we could not pass. At that same time, two cardinals met us at the city of Lisieux and tried to detain us under the pretense of negotiating peace to delay our progress. But we quickly told them that we would not halt our journey for such a cause, though if reasonable terms were offered, we would give a fitting reply. Upon learning the bridge at Rouen was broken, we encamped on the Seine River toward Paris, very near the city, and continued to move along the river. We found every bridge either broken, fortified, or defended, so we could in no way cross toward our said adversary. Though it troubled us much, he would not approach us, even from day to day on the opposite side of the water. When we came to Poissy, near Paris, we found the bridge there also broken. At that time, our adversary was stationed with all his host and power in the city of Paris, and he even had the Saint-Cloud bridge destroyed so that we could not pass into Paris from our side of the river. So we remained at Poissy for three days, partly in hopes he would come to give us battle, and partly to repair the bridge. Meanwhile, a large enemy force came to the other side of the water to hinder the repairs, but before the bridge was even completed, some of our men crossed on a narrow plank and defeated them, killing a great number. When we saw that our enemy would not come to give battle, we burned and devastated the surrounding countryside. Our men skirmished daily with the enemy, and by God's grace, were always victorious. We passed the bridge with our host and, to draw our enemy further into battle, we turned toward Picardy, where our men had several fine encounters with the enemy. When we came to the River Somme, we found the bridges destroyed, so we headed toward Saint-Valery to cross at a ford, where the sea ebbs and flows. Upon our arrival there, a great number of armed men and local forces met us to defend the crossing. But we forced our way through and, by God's grace, a thousand men crossed at the ford, where before barely three or four at a time could pass. Our whole host crossed safely within one day, and our enemies were defeated. Many were captured, and a great number slain, while we lost none of our men. That same day, soon after we had crossed, our said adversary suddenly appeared on the far side of the water with a great host of men. It was so sudden that we were scarcely prepared. Therefore, we stayed where we were, took position, and waited all that day and the next until the evening. At last, when we saw he would not cross there, but turned toward Abbeville, we marched to Crécy to confront him on the other side of the forest. On Saturday, the 26th of August, when we reached Crécy, our enemy appeared very near us around the third hour, with a great number of men, more than 12,000 men-at-arms, including 8,000 knights and squires of noble birth. We formed our battle lines and waited on foot until just before vespers, when the armies engaged on open ground. The battle was fierce and long, lasting from just before vespers until nightfall. The enemy fought nobly and reformed many times. But, thanks be to God, they were defeated, and our adversary fled. Among the dead were: the King of Bohemia, the King of Majorca, the Duke of Lorraine, the Archbishop of Rouen, the Bishop of Noyon, the High Prior of the Hospital in France, the Abbot of Corbeil, the Count of Alençon, the Count of Flanders, the Count of Blois, the Count of Harcourt and his son, the Count of Sancerre, the Count of Montbéliard, the Count of Grandpré, the Viscount of Melun, the Viscount of Coucy, the Lord of Risenberg, the Lord of Morel, the Lord of Cayeux, the Lord of Savenay, and many other counts, barons, and great lords, too numerous to name. More than 1,500 knights and squires were killed in the initial clash alone, not to mention others killed throughout the field. After the battle, we remained there all night rejoicing, without food or drink. The next morning, the pursuit continued, during which around 4,000 more enemy troops were killed, including knights, nobles, and other men-at-arms. Our said adversary, after his defeat, withdrew to Amiens, where he had many of his own generals killed, saying they had betrayed him. It is said he is now gathering a new army to engage us again, but we firmly trust in God's grace, which has helped us thus far. We have now moved toward the sea to be refreshed with reinforcements from England, including men-at-arms, artillery, and other necessary things. For this campaign we have waged has been long and constant, yet we do not intend to depart from the kingdom of France until we have, with God's help, brought this war to a conclusion. Given under our privy seal before Calais, the 3rd day of September [1346], in the 20th year of our reign in England."

To the archbishop of Canterbury (Lettenhove's Froissart, xviii. 285): "Our lord the king, to the honour of God and of Our Lady Saint Mary, and for the encouragement of all his faithful and liege subjects of England, signifies to them the grace and prosperity of his undertakings, which God has granted him since the time that he arrived at Hogges near Barfleur in Normandy. First, how our said lord the king, with his host, set out from Hogges on the Tuesday before the feast of Saint Margaret, and took the castle and town of Valognes. Then, on his journey, he caused the bridge of Ouve, which had been broken by his enemies, to be rebuilt, and he crossed it, and took the castle and town of Carentan. From there, he took the direct road toward the town of Saint-Lô and found the Pont-Hébert near that town destroyed to hinder his passage, and had it immediately rebuilt, and the next day took the town. Then he went directly to Caen without delaying a single day from the time he departed from Hogges until his arrival there. And immediately upon his lodging at Caen, our men began to assault the town, which was very strongly fortified and garrisoned with around 1,600 men-at-arms and around thirty thousand armed and defensible commoners. They defended themselves very well and bravely, so that the melee was very fierce and lasted long; but, praised be God! the town was eventually taken by force without any loss of our men. Among those captured were the Count of Eu, Constable of France, the Chamberlain of Tankerville (who was at that time declared Marshal of France), and among others 140 bannerets and knights, and a great number of squires and wealthy burgesses. And many noble knights, gentlemen, and a great number of commoners were killed. The navy that remained on the king's side burned and destroyed the entire coastline from Barfleur to the estuary of Colleville, near Caen; they also burned the town of Cherbourg and the ships in the harbour, and they destroyed or burned more than a hundred large ships and other vessels belonging to the enemy, either by our said lord the king or by his men. Wherefore our said lord the king prays all his liege subjects of England that they devoutly give thanks to God for the success that He has thus granted, and that they pray earnestly to God that He may be willing to grant to our said lord good continuance [of success]. And he has commanded his chancellor to write, under his great seal, to the prelates and clergy of his kingdom of England that they do likewise; and that the said chancellor and the others of the council make this known to the city of London and to the people, for their encouragement. For he has already, by the assent of all his great lords, who show good and entire and united will, resolved to press forward toward his adversary, wherever he may be, day by day, as far as he is able; and he firmly hopes in God that He will grant him a good and honourable outcome to his enterprise. And upon this, our said lord the king has charged the Earl of Huntingdon, whom our said lord the king has caused to return to England, because of a very severe and perilous illness with which he is afflicted, although his return was very much against his will, to explain these matters more fully to the council of our said lord in England."

To the archbishop of York (Chronicle Lanercost, 342): "Edward, by the grace of God, King of England and of France, and Lord of Ireland, to the honourable father in God, William, by the same grace Archbishop of York, Primate of England, greetings. Because we well know that you would gladly hear good news from us, we inform you that we arrived at La Hogue near Barfleur on the 12th day of July last past, with all our people safe and sound, praised be God, and there we remained, unloading our men and horses and provisioning our people, until the following Tuesday. On that day, we set out with our army toward Valognes and took both the castle and the town. Then on our way, we had the bridge of Oue, which had been broken by our enemies, rebuilt and crossed it. We then took the castle and town of Carentan, and from there continued directly toward the town of Saint-Lô, where we found that the Pont-Herbert near that town had been broken to hinder our passage. We had it repaired at once, and the next day we took the town. Then we made our way straight to Caen without pausing a single day from the time we had left La Hogue until our arrival there. And immediately upon our lodging at Caen, our people began to assault the town, which was strongly fortified and filled with men-at-arms, around 1,500, and with armed and defensible commoners, estimated at 30,000, who defended themselves very well and bravely, so that the melee was very fierce and lasted a long time; but, praise be to God, the town was eventually taken by force without the loss of our men. There were taken the Count of Eu, Constable of France, the Chamberlain of Tankerville, who was on that day proclaimed Marshal of France, and about 140 other bannerets and knights, as well as a great number of squires and wealthy burghers. And many noble knights and gentlemen and a great number of commoners were killed. And our navy, which remained near us, burned and destroyed the entire coastline from Barfleur to the bay of Colleville near Caen, and they also burned the town of Cherbourg and the ships in the harbour, and over a hundred large ships and other vessels of the enemy were burned, either by us or by our men. Therefore we pray that you give devout thanks to God for the success He has granted us, and that you pray continually that He may give us a good continuation; and that you write to the prelates and clergy of your province that they do likewise; and that you inform the people in your region of this matter for their comfort, and that you diligently exert yourself to resist our Scottish enemies for the benefit of our people in your areas, in every way you can, as we fully trust in you. For we have already, with the assent of all our great lords, who show themselves of good accord and one will, made a firm decision to hasten toward our adversary, wherever he may be, day by day, as far as we are able, and we firmly hope in God that He will grant us a good and honourable end to our enterprise; and soon you will hear good and pleasing news from us. Given under our Privy Seal at Caen, the 30th day of July, in the twentieth year of our reign of England."

Bartholomew Burghersh to the archbishop of York (Murimuth, 200): "Most reverend father in God and my most honoured lord, Since I know well that you would gladly hear news of the king my lord and of the fleet, may it please you to know that, when he had fully organized and provisioned all the ships for a force of fifteen hundred, with the intention of going toward Gascony, and had taken his course intending to pass by the Needles at the end of the Isle of Wight and thus to hold his direct course toward La Rochelle, the wind became so contrary to him that he could not, by any means, keep that course, however long he waited in hope that God would grant him favourable weather to pass. And since it did not please God that he should go that way, he turned back to land wherever God would grant him grace to arrive, and he arrived safe and in good condition, with the whole fleet, in a country called Cotentin in Normandy, on the Wednesday before the feast of Saint Margaret, that is, on the 12th day of July. And upon landing, my lord the prince was made a knight, as were Montague, Mortimer, Roos, and many others. The town of Barfleur was taken. My lord of Warwick jousted in arms against the enemies and bore himself honourably and with good success; and my lord John de Beauchamp and many other knights and squires have had engagements with the enemies in chevauchées (raids) and by other means, so that, by all appearances, there was no delay. But the men-at-arms of the region had retreated to castles and fortified towns, while the common people of the land are all coming willingly into the obedience of our lord the king. Other news, sire, I do not know to send you at this time, except that the king with his host is advancing further into the land to assert his rightful claim, according as God shall give him His grace. Written at Hogues, the 12th day of July."

Bartholomew Burghersh to the archbishop of York (Murimuth, 202): "To the most reverend father in God and my most honoured lord, Because I well know that you are very eager to hear good news of my lord the king and of the achievements he has made since he came into the parts of Normandy, please be informed that, from the hour he began his march, he took his way from La Hogue, where he landed, directly toward Caen, passing through good towns, namely Valognes, Carentan, Saint-Lô, and through many other fine towns. But there was no man or woman of status who dared to remain in the towns, castles, or countryside through which the host passed, for they all fled, until the king came to Caen. There, the Constable of France, the Count of Eu, the Chamberlain of Tankerville, along with many knights and men-at-arms and commoners of the town, had prepared to hold the town against my lord the king and all his power. But when the king came with his host and presented himself before the town, the enemies retreated across a bridge in the middle of the town and held their position there. When we had come as close to the town as we could, our archers went straight to the bridge and began to attack them with arrows. Meanwhile, some of our men-at-arms came and gave them a fierce assault, such that, for fear of injury to our men since it was believed there were no men-at-arms with us except for the archers of my Lord of Warwick, the marshal, a message was sent from the king for them to withdraw. But when he came to the bridge, he found them fighting hand to hand at the barricades. He himself behaved very well and honourably, and at last, with the help of Our Lord, our men gained the bridge from them and thus entered the town and routed them. Soon after, the Constable of France surrendered to my lord Thomas de Holland, along with many knights and squires who were with him; and the Chamberlain of Tankerville was taken by a bachelor knight of my lord the prince and is now the prince's prisoner. Between 600 and 700 proven and valiant knights were taken or killed, of whom around 100 are still alive, and among the squires, burgesses, and common people, around 5,000 were taken or killed. Thus, praise be to Our Lord, events have gone up to now as graciously as they could. The king stayed there for two or three days to refresh his host with victuals, which were plentiful in the town, and he plans to draw himself straight toward his adversary to bring matters to such an end as God has ordained. The ships have come to the mouth of the river that flows to Caen, and they have burned and destroyed around 100 vessels along the coast and done great destruction to the land by fire and other means. Other news, sire, I do not presently have to send you. May the Holy Spirit preserve you in your honours, in good life and long. Written at Caen, the 29th day of July."

Letter of Thomas Bradwardin, chancellor of St. Paul's (Murimuth, 201): "Know that on the twelfth day of July, we landed successfully at a certain port in Normandy, called Le Hoghes, near Barfleur. There, the lord king, along with many armed men, immediately disembarked; and right away, he conferred the order of knighthood upon his son the lord prince, Lord Roger de Mortimer, Lord William de Montagu, and many others. The prince himself afterwards conferred the knightly belt upon many others. Then, on multiple occasions, our very few men won repeated victories over the overwhelming numbers of the enemy, killed many, captured many, and daily continue to take considerable plunder; so much so that in the surrounding countryside, within a distance of twenty miles or more, there is no one to be found who offers resistance. We remained in the same place where we landed until the following Monday, namely the feast of Saint Kenelm. On that day, it was decided in the council of the lord king that we should set out the next day, and direct our march, with the Lord as our guide, toward the greater cities of Normandy and ultimately into France. Written at Le Hoghes, on the feast of Saint Kenelm [17th July 1346]."

Letter of Michael Northburgh (Murimuth, 212, 367), Avesbury, 358): "Be it remembored that our lord the king and his host took land at St. Vaast dela Hougue the 12th day of July, and in order to unship his horses and to rest him and his people and to bake bread he tarried there until the Tuesday next following. And he found at La Hongue eleven ships, whereof eight had castles fore and aft: the which wero burnt. And on the Friday, while the king tarried, certain men went to Barfleur, and thought to have found much people, and found none to speak of; and they found there nine ships with castles fore and aft, two good craiers, and other smaller vessels, which were also burnt. And the town was as good and aa large as the town of Sandwich. And after that the said people were gone, the seamen burned the town. And there are burnt many of the good towns and manors in the country roundabout. And on the Tuesday when the king marched, he went to Valognes, and lay there all night and found food in plenty. And on the next day he marched a long march up to the bridge over the Douve, which they of Carentan had broken down. And the king made repair it the same night, and passed on the morrow even to the said town of Carentan, which is distant but about an English league from the said bridge. The which town is as large as Leicester; and in it they found wine and food in great plenty, and much of the town was burnt, for all that the king could do. And on the Friday the king went and lay in country towns, on a river which was hard to pass. And they of the city of St. Lo brake down the bridge; and the king made mend it, and passed on the morrow, he and his host, and encamped close by the city. And all they of the city had begun to strengthen the same, and had drawn to them many men of arms, to have held the same city; but they fled before the coming of the king. And they found in the said city full a thousand tuns of wine and of other goods great plenty. And the city is greater than Lincoln. And on the morrow the king marched on and lay at an abbey, and his host in the country towns round abont him. And they of the host rode pillaging and laying waste five or six leagues round about each day, and they fired many places. And on the Monday the king marched and quartered in the country towns, and on the Tuesday also. And on the Wednesday betimes he came before the city of Caen at the hour of nones, and had news that great plenty of men of arms were within the city. And the king made array his battles, fair and great, and sent certain men to the city to spy it out. And they found the castle fair and strong; and within was the bishop of Bayeux, knights, and men of arms, who held it. And on that side the water in the city very fair and large; and at one end of the city is an abbey, as noble as can be, where William the Conqueror lieth; and it is closed in with walls and embattled towers, great and strong. In the which abbey there was no man found. And at the other end of the city is another noble abbey 'des Dames.' And no man was found abiding in the said abbeys nor in the town on that side of the water, save only in the castle. And the men of the city were drawn into the city on the other side of the water, where was the constable of France, and the chamberlain of Tancarville, who is a very great lord, and much people, to the number of five or six hundred, and the commons of the city. And the men of our host without accord and without array assailed the bridge, which was much strengthened with a stockade and portcullis, and they had hard fighting; and the French defended the said bridge bravely, and bore up against them right well, before it could be taken. And then were taken the said constable and chamberlain, and to the number of one hundred knights, and six or seven score squires, and knights and squires slain and other people of the city very many, in the streets and houses and gardens; one cannot know what number of men of substance, for that they were presently stripped, so that they could not be known. And no gentleman was slain on our side, save one squire who was wounded and two days after died. And there were found in the city wines and victuals and other goods and chattels without number. Aud the city is greater than any town of England, save London. And when the king marched from la Hougue, about two hundred ships remained, which went to Roche Massé, and they went and fired the country two leagues or three inland, and they took much goods and carried them to their ships. And so they went next to Cherbourg, where there is a goodly town and a strong castle and a fair and noble abbey; and they burned the same town and abbey. And they have fired everything all along the coast of the sea from Roche Massé even to Ouistreham upon the haven of Caen, which is a space of six score English leagues. And the number of the ships which they have burnt is sixty-one ships of war with castles fore and aft, and threo and twenty craiers, without reckoning other smaller vessels more than one and twenty, as of thirty wine tuns burthen. And on the Thursday after that the king was come before Caen, the men of the city of Bayeux prayed of our lord the king that they should yield to him them and their city and do homage unto him; but he would not receive them for certain reasons and until he should be able to save them from injury."

Letter of Michael Northburgh (Avesbury, 367): "Greeting. Please you to know that our lord the king came to the town of Poissy on the eve of the Assumption of our Lady, and there was a bridge over the river Seine, which was broken. But the king tarried there until the bridge was made again. And in the re-making of the bridge there came men of arms in great numbers with the commons of the country and of Amiens, well armed. And the earl of Northampton and his men went out against them, so that there were slain more than five hundred of our enemies, thanks be to God; and the others were horsemen. And other times our people passed the water and slew great numbers of the commons of France and of the city of Paris and others of the country, well armed, of the host of the king of France; so that our people have made other bridges and good ones, thanks be to God, against our enemies, without loss or great injury of our men. And on the morrow of the Assumption of our Lady our lord the king passed over the river Seine and marched towards Poissy, which isa strong town and fenced with walls, and a castle very strong is therein; and it was held by the enemy. And when the vanguard and the mainguard were passed by tho town, the rearguard sssailed the town and took it; and there were slain there more than three hundred men of arms of our enemies. And on the next day following the earl of Suffolk and lord Hugh le Despenser went out against the commons of the land, which were gathered together and well armed, and they discomfited them and slew two hundred and more, and took more than sixty prisoners of the gentlemen. And then the king drew towards Grandvilliers; and, when they were quartered there, the vanguard was cried out against by the men of arms of the household of the king of Bohemia. And our men went out quickly and jousted with them, and were overthrown; but my lord of Northampton went forth and rescued the knights and the other people, so that none of them was taken nor slain, save Thomas Talbot; and he chased the enemy even to two leagues from Amiens, and took of them eight men of arms and slew twelve; and the rest were well mounted and fled away to Amiens. And then the king of England, whom God save, drew towards Ponthieu on the day of St. Bartholomew, and came to the water of the Somme, which cometh to the sea from Abbeville in Ponthieu. And the king of Frarce had appointed five hundred men of arms and three thousand of the commons armed, to hold the passage; and, thanks be to God, the king of England and his host took that water of the Somme, where never man passed before, without loss, and fought their enemies and slew more than two thousand armed men, and chased the rest right up to the gate of Abbeville, and took of knights and squires in great number. And the same day my lord Hugh le Despenser took the town cf Crotoy, and he and his men slew there four hundred men of arms and beld the town and found great plenty of victuals. And that night the king of England encamped in the forest of Crécy, upon the same water, for that the host of France came on the other side of the town after our passage; but it would not take the water against us, but returned towards Abbeville. And on the Friday next after the king of England encamped in the same forest of Crécy. And on the Saturday, in the morning, he moved towards Crécy; and the scouts of our lord the king spied out the king of France, who was coming against us in foar great battles, and they perceived there their enemy. And, by the will of God, a little before the hour of vespers his power gathered against ours in open field; and the battle was very stubborn, and endured a long while, for the enemy bore themselves right nobly. But, praised be God, there were our enemies discomfited, the king our adversary took to flight; and there were slain the king of Bohemia, the duke of Lorraine, the count of Alengon, the count of Flanders, the count of Blois, the count of Harcourt and his two sons, the count of Aumarle, the count of Nauvers and his brother the lord of Trouard, the archbishop of Nimes, the archbishop of Sens, the grand prior of the Hospital of France, the count of Savoy, the lord of Moreuil, the lord of Guyes, the lord of Saint Venant, the lord of Rosenberg, six counts of Germany, and great numbers of other counts and barons and other men and lords whose names cannot yet be known. And Philip of Valois and the marquis who is called the elect of the Romans escaped wounded, as they say. The full number of the good men of arms which were slain in the field on that day, without reckoning the commons and foot soldiers, smounteth to fifteen hundred and forty and two, all told. And the same night the king of England with all his host abode in arms on the field where was the discomfiture. And on the morrow, in the morning, before sun-rise, there came against us another battle, great and strong. And my lord the earl of Northampton and the earls of Norfolk [Suffolk>] and Warwick went out and discomfited them, and took of knights and squires great number, and slew two thousand and more,and chased them three leagues of the land. And the same night the king quartered at Crécy, and on the morrow he drew towards Boulogne, and on his march he took the town of Estaples, and from thence he drew towards Calais. From what I have heard, his purpose is to besiege the city of Calais. And therefore my lord the king hath sent to yoa for victuals, and that too a8 quickly as you can send; for, from the time that we departed from Caen, we have lived on the country, to the great travail and harm of our people, but, thanks be to God, we have no loss. Bat now we are in such plight that we must in part be refreshed by victuals. Written before Calais, the fourth day of September."

Letter of Richard Wynkeley, the king's confessor (Murimuth, 215) TBC; Avesbury, 362): "We ought to bless the God of heaven and rightly confess before all living that He has shown His mercy to us. For after the battle that took place at Caen, in which very many were killed, the town was taken and stripped down to bare walls. The city of Bayeux then surrendered voluntarily, fearing it might suffer a similar fate. Our lord the king directed his march toward Rouen. There, the lord cardinals met him and urged peace strongly in the city of Lisieux. They were received with great courtesy out of reverence for the Apostolic See and the Holy Church. In response, it was said that our lord the king, always desiring peace, had sought it by all reasonable means he knew and had offered many paths to achieve it, even to the considerable detriment of his own cause, because of his desire to attain peace. And that he was still prepared to accept peace, provided it were reasonably offered to him. The said cardinals, after speaking with the king's adversary, returned and offered the duchy of Aquitaine as his father had held it, and gave hope that more might be gained through a marriage alliance if peaceful negotiations were pursued. But since that path was not agreeable, and the cardinals found the adversary of our lord the king entirely unyielding, they left simply, having despaired of a good outcome. Meanwhile, the lord king advanced and made continual progress, gaining all the major towns through which he passed without resistance, every man fled. For God so terrified them all that they seemed to have completely lost heart. Even castles and fortresses, though very strong, were taken by only a few attackers with little effort. The king's adversary, however, gathered a large army in Rouen, and though he had great numbers, he broke the bridge over the Seine and, from one side of the river, followed our lord the king every day, destroying and fortifying all bridges to prevent us from crossing. And although looting and burning continued throughout the entire land, up to twenty miles in breadth and within a mile of him, he still did not wish, nor dared, despite his power, to cross the Seine and defend his people and kingdom. Thus our lord the king came to Poissy, where he found the bridge destroyed; and his adversary did not rest even this side of Poissy."

I here give the stages as they appear in the Kitchen Journal (see also Brit. Mus., Add. MS. 25461, f. II); and also print the itinerary from the Cotton MS:

Kitchen Journal

12 July (Wednesday). Hok.

18 July (Tuesday). Valognes.

19 July (Wednesday). Saint Comb du Mont.

20 July (Thursday). Carentan.

21 July (Friday). Pount [Hébert].

22 July (Saturday). Saint Lo.

23 July (Sunday). Sevaunce.

24 July (Monday). Torteval.

25 July (7uesday). Funtenay Paynel.

26 July (Wednesday). Caen.

31 July (Monday). Treward.

1 August (Zuesday). Leoperty.

2 August (Wednesday). Lisieux.

4 August (Friday). Durenvile.

5 August (Saturday). Limburgh.

7 August (Monday). Oil de Boef.

8 August (Tuesday). Pount Vadreel.

9 August (Wednesday). Longville.

10 August (Thursday). Frenose.

11 August (Friday). Appone.

12 August (Saturday). Ferelaguillon.

13 August (Sunday). Poissy.

16 August (Wednesday). Grisy.

17 (Thursday). Auty.

18 August (Friday). Trussereux.

19 August (Saturday). Somerreux.

20 August (Sunday). Canseamyneux.

21 August (Monday). Assheu.

24 August (Thursday). Sub foresta de Cressy.

25 August (Friday). In foresta de Cressy.

26 August (Saturday). Adhuc sub foresta de Cressy.

27 August (Sunday). Incampissub foresta de Cressy.

28 August (Monday). Valoles.

29 August (Twuesday). Mauntenay.

30 August (Wednesday). Saint Joce in Pountif.

31 August (Thursday). Chastelnoef.

2 September (Saturday). Vintevill.

3 September (Sunday). Vintevill.

4 September (Monday). Coram Calais.

Cotton MS. Cleopatra D. vii., f. 179: "These are the campaigns and victories that our lord the King accomplished throughout the kingdom of France. That is to say: On 12 July, he arrived at Hogges, near Barfleur in Normandy, and on that day the Prince received the order of knighthood, along with many others. A large number of people gathered on the shore to defend the land, but they were defeated, with many killed. The King remained there for five days, until his men and supplies had arrived. On the following Tuesday [18 July], the King set out and lodged that night at Valognes, which town was burned and destroyed, along with all the surrounding countryside. On Wednesday [19 July], he lodged at Coigny. On Thursday, the Feast of St. Margaret [20 July], he camped before the town of Carentan, burning and laying waste to the surrounding countryside. On Friday [21 July], he lodged at Pont Hébert, where he found that the Normans had destroyed the bridge to block passage, but the King rebuilt it and crossed the next day. On Saturday, the Feast of Mary Magdalene [22 July], he lodged at Saint-Lô, a town well fortified and filled with men-at-arms. When the defenders saw the English pressing them, they fled by another gate, and the town and the entire countryside were captured and burned. On Sunday [23 July], he lodged at Cormolain. On Monday [24 July], he lodged at Torteval. On Tuesday [25 July], at Mauperthuis, on the Feast of St. James. From Wednesday to Sunday [26–30 July], he stayed at Caen, where he encountered a great number of men-at-arms and foot soldiers. The town was taken by battle, many were killed, and captured were the Count of Eu, Constable of France, the Chamberlain of Tankerville, and 107 knights, besides others whose number was too great to count. The citizens of Bayeux came in peace, to avoid being burned or destroyed. On Monday [31 July], he lodged at Troarn. On Tuesday [1 August], at Saint-Pierre-sur-Dives, on the Feast of St. Peter in August. On Wednesday and Thursday [2–3 August], at the city of Lisieux, where two cardinals came to treat for peace, but were quickly dismissed. On Friday and Saturday [4–5 August], he stayed at Le Teil-Nollent, near Le Neubourg. On Sunday [6 August], at Elbeuf on the Seine, where the cardinals came again with an archbishop, but were again quickly dismissed. On Monday [7 August], he lodged at Léry, and on that day took the castles of La Roche and Gaillon, which were burned and destroyed along with the surrounding countryside. On Tuesday [8 August], at Longeville, near Vernon, having passed the Pont-de-l'Arche. The castle of Longeville, full of men-at-arms, resisted fiercely, but was finally taken by force, and all defenders were killed. The garrison in the town of Longeville, seeing this, fled, and many were killed, the town was burned, and the countryside devastated. On Wednesday [9 August], he lodged at Freneuse, in France proper. On Thursday, the Feast of St. Lawrence [10 August], at Épône on the Seine. On Friday and Saturday [11–12 August], at Fresnes. On Sunday to Tuesday [13–15 August], at Poissy, where the bridge had been destroyed, so the King had a temporary one erected until the bridge was rebuilt. A great number of people came to defend the bridge, but were defeated and killed in large numbers, the area burned and destroyed up to Saint-Germain near Paris. On Wednesday [16 August], he lodged at Grisy in Vexin. On Thursday [17 August], at Auteuil. On Friday [18 August], at Troissereux in Picardy. On Saturday [19 August], at Sommereux. On Sunday [20 August], at Camps-en-Amienois. On Monday and Tuesday [21–22 August], at Airaines, and captured the castle of Poissy, which was burned and destroyed. On Wednesday [23 August, St. Bartholomew's Eve], at Acheux. On Thursday [24 August, St. Bartholomew's Day], he came to cross the River Somme near Saint-Valery and Crotoy, where he found the far bank heavily fortified by cavalry and footmen. The defenders were defeated and many killed, and that night the King camped near the Forest of Crécy. On Friday [25 August], he camped on the far side of the forest. On Saturday [26 August], near Crécy, he encountered the King of France and his full power arrayed for battle. The armies met and fought from evening through the night until the next morning, and praise be to God, the French were defeated, and the chase lasted over five miles. Among the dead in this great defeat were: the King of Bohemia, the Duke of Lorraine, the Archbishop of Sens, the Bishop of Noyon, the Grand Prior of the Hospitallers in France, the Count of Alençon, brother of the King of France, the Count of Blois, the Count of Flanders, the Count of Namur and his brother, the Count of Harcourt, the Counts of Montbéliard, Sancerre, Aumale, Meurs, Grandpré, Martain, Bar, the Lord of Rosingburgh, said to be the richest man in the kingdom after the king, the Viscount of Thouars, Sir Jacques de Bourbon, brother of the Duke of Bourbon, the Lord of Cayeux, the Lord of Saint-Venant, and many more unnamed. On Sunday [27 August], the King remained in the same field near the forest. On Monday [28 August], he lodged at Abbeville, near Valloire Abbey. On Tuesday [29 August], at Maintenay. On Wednesday [30 August], at Saint-Josse in Ponthieu. On Thursday and Friday [31 August, 1 September], at Neufchâtel. On Saturday and Sunday [2–3 September], between Wissant. On Monday [4 September], he came and laid siege to the town of Calais, where he remained until the town would be taken, with God's help, or relieved by Sir Philip of Valois. After the King came to Calais, the Earls of Warwick, Arundel, and Suffolk, with the King's elite knights, made a raid toward Thérouanne, defeated the enemy, burned and destroyed the city, and devastated thirty leagues of countryside, killing many and capturing the archdeacon of the city, knights, and many others."

On comparing these two itineraries with that given in the text, it will be seen that there are certain discrepancies. In some instances these are no doubt due to mere blundering; but others may be accounted for as varivalourations of three different statements written independently by persons marching with different battles of the army. Putting the three itineraries together, we can lay down the following route:

12 July, Wednesday. Landing at Saint-Vaast-de-la-Hougue. Baker has inadvertently dated this event the 13th July; but, as he speaks of the next day as Thursday, he is only wrong in the day of the month.

13 July, Thursday. Headquarters at Morsalines, only two or three miles from St. Vaast. The Kitchen Journal does not notice the removal. Halt of five days. The country wasted, and Barfleur burnt [on Friday, 14th July].

18 July, Tuesday. To Valognes, 9 miles S.W.

19 July, Wednesday. To Saint-Côme-du-Mont, just north of the river Douve, 14 miles S. by E. Cott. MS. fixes the halt at 'Caueny,' no doubt Coigny, 5 miles W. of Saint-Côme-du-Mont. Probably one of the battles lay there.

20 July, Thursday. Across the Douve to Carentan, only two or three miles.

21 July, Friday. The K. J. and Cott. MS. name Pont-Hébert, a town lying 11 miles S.E. of Carentan and about 4 miles N.W. of Saint-Lo, as the halting place for this day. Baker records the march to 'Serins,' Saint-Lo, and Torigni, and their destruction, and then gives Cormolain as the king's headquarters for the night. He has clearly compressed the events of two days into one. 'Serins' is probably a clerical error for Sevins, Sept-Vents or Sevans, the place which K. J. calls 'Sevance.' If 'Serins' were the correct reading, it might mean Ceérisy-la-Forêt or Cérisy-l'Abbaye, which however lies too much off the route.

22 July, Saturday. To Saint-Lo (K. J. and Cott. MS.)

23 July, Sunday. To Sept-Vents (K. J.) about 12 miles S.E. of Saint-Lo. Cormolain, mentioned by Baker and Cott MS., is not far from Sept-Vents, and may be reckoned as the halting-place of some part of the army.

24 July, Monday. To Torteval (K. J. and Cott. MS.), only about 5 miles E. of Cormolain. Baker makes this day's halt at 'Gerin,' a monastic cell, which may be identical with Cairon or le Quéron, a little S. of Fontenay-le-Pesnel.

25 July, Tuesday. To Fontenay-le-Pesnel (K. J.), 7 or 8 miles E. According to Cott. MS., only to Mauperthuis, just past Torteval.

26 July, Wednesday. To Caen; taken by assault. Halt of five days. Baker dates the capture of Caen on the day before, and makes the halt to last six days.

31 July, Monday. To 'Troward ' (Troarn), 8 miles E.; and Argences, 4 miles S. of Troarn.

I August, Tuesday. To Rumesnil, 9 miles E. K.J. fixes the stage at Leaupartie, which is quite close to Rumesnil; Cott MS. on the other hand, at Saint-Pierredu-Jonque on the left of the Dives, only about 5 miles E. by S. of Troarn.

2, 3 August, Wednesday and Thursday. To Lisieux, 9 miles E. by S. Halt of two days. Baker makes it three days.

4 August, Friday. To 'Lestintnoland' (Le Teil-Nollent), 14 miles E., or to Duranville (K. J.) adjoining Le Teil-Nollent.

5 August, Saturday. Through Brionne, 9 miles, to Le Neubourg, 9 miles further E. The latter place appears as 'Limburgh' in K.J. Cott. MS. makes a halt on both the 4th and 5th at Le Teil-Nollent.

6 August, Sunday. Apparently a halt.

7 August, Monday. To Elbeuf on the Seine, 11 miles N.E. 'Celebeef,' in Baker; 'Oil de Boef," in K. J. Cott. MS. makes the march to Elbeuf fall on Sunday, and continues a day in advance down to the 11th.

8 August, Tuesday. Passing Pont-de-l'Arche, to Léry, said to be on the Seine, but really on the Eure, 9 miles E. K. J. makes this stage halt at 'Pount Vadreel,' no doubt St-Cyr-de-Vaudreuil, a little S. of Léry.

9 August, Wednesday. Through Gaillon to Longueville, near Vernon. Longueville does not appear in the maps. Perhaps it was a suburb of Vernon; 17 miles S.E.

10 August, Thursday? Capture of the castle of Roche-blanche (not in the maps). This seems to be the 'chastel de la Roche,' of Cott. MS., there stated to have been captured on the 7th. Advance to Freneuse, 9 miles up the Seine, incorrectly called 'Frevile' by Baker.

11 August, Friday. Through Mantes, to Epone, 12 miles S.E.

12 August, Saturday. To Fresnes, 5 or 6 miles E. K. J. has 'Ferelaguillon,' which is no doubt a corruption of Fresnes-Ecquevilly.

13 August, Sunday. To Poissy, 6 miles E. According to Baker, the march to Fresnes was on Friday, and the arrival at Poissy on Saturday. Skirmish with a detachment from Amiens.

14, 15 August, Monday and Tuesday. Halt.

16 August, Wednesday. To Grisy, 14 miles N. Baker calls this place 'Gersile.'

17 August, Thursday. To Auteuil, 15 miles N.

18 August, Friday. To Troissereux, 10 miles N.W.

19 August, Saturday. To Sommereux, 15 miles N. In these last marches Baker still continues a day in advance, making the stage of Auteuil on Wednesday, and from thence to Sommereux on Thursday and Friday.

20 August, Sunday. Poissy taken. Then to Camps-en-Amienois (K. J. and Cott. MS.), 8 miles N. Baker refers the capture of Poissy alone to Sunday.

21, 22 August, Monday and Tuesday. To Airaines, 6 miles N. of Camps-enAmienois. Halt. K. J. has 'Assheu ' (Acheux) under date of the 21st; the king's kitchen must have been sent on far in advance.

23 August, Wednesday. To Acheux, 13 miles N.W.

24 August, Thursday. Passage of the Somme. Skirmish at Noyelle-sur-Mer, 8 miles N. Le Crotoy taken. Camp 'sub foresta de Cressy ' (K. J.).

25 August, Friday. Pass through the forest (Cott. MS.). 'In foresta' (K. J.). Attempt by the French to cross the river.

26 August, Saturday. In the open field before Crécy (Cott. MS.), about 8 miles N.E. of Noyelle. 'Adhuc sub foresta' (K. J.). The battle fought.

27 August, Sunday. On the field of battle. 'In campis sub foresta' (K. J.).

28 August, Monday. To 'Abbeville' (Cott. MS.) or 'Valoles' (K. J.), evidently Valloire-Abbaye, on the road to Maintenay.

29 August, Tuesday. To Maintenay, 8 or 9 miles N. of Crécy.

30 August, Wednesday. To Saint-Josse, 10. miles N.W.

31 August, 1 September, Thursday and Friday. To Neufchatel, 10 miles N. Halt. 2, 3 September (Saturday and Sunday). To Wissant (Cott. MS.), 18 miles N. K. J. says 'Vintevill,' i.e. Wimille, 10 miles N. Halt,

4 September (Monday). To Calais.

Note 2. Of the three here mentioned, Roger Mortimer was born about the year 1327, was restored to the earldom of March in April 1354, and died in 1360; William de Montacute, the young earl of Salisbury, was born in 1328, and died in 1397; and William de Roos was summoned to parliament in 1350, and died in the Holy Land in 1352.

Parliament Rolls Richard II. 26. William Montague, Earl of Salisbury, submitted a petition in parliament, the tenor of which follows:

To our lord the king his liege William Montague, Earl of Salisbury, prays: whereas the most noble King Edward [III], your grandfather, by his letters patent gave and granted to [his father] William Montague, Earl of Salisbury and father of the said supplicant, whose heir he is, and to the heirs issuing from his body, with the clause of warranty of the said very noble King Edward [III] and his heirs, the castle, town and honour of Denbigh, and the cantreds of Rhos, Rhufiniog, and Cymeirch and the commote of Dinmael with their appurtenances in Wales, as plainly appears from the said letters patent: which castle, town, and honour, cantreds and commote, with their appurtenances, Roger Mortimer, late Earl of March, by the name of the land of Denbigh, in Trinity term, in the twenty-eighth year of the reign of the said most noble King Edward [III] [18 June 1354-9 July 1354], before William Shareshull and his fellow justices assigned to hold the pleas before the said very noble King Edward [III], against the aforesaid supplicant, by erroneous judgment, recovered by a writ of scire facias, founded on a judgment given in the parliament held at Westminster on the Monday after the feast of St Mark the Evangelist in the twenty-eighth year of the reign of the said very noble King Edward [III], for the aforesaid Roger, on a petition showed by him to the said very noble King Edward [III] then, in the name of Roger Mortimer of Wigmore, son and heir of Edmund Mortimer, son and heir of Roger Mortimer; in which record and judgment on the said writ of scire facias there are patent errors.

May it please you of your gracious lordship to cause the full record to be brought before you, with all attachments to the same concerning the said writ of scire facias, in the present parliament, that they may be inspected and examined for error, and to forewarn Roger Mortimer, Earl of March, cousin and heir of the aforesaid Roger son of Edmund, and others who are to be forewarned in the matter, to be before you at the next parliament to hear the said errors; and if they know of anything to say wherefor the aforesaid judgment on the said writ of scire facias should not be reversed, and the aforesaid supplicant restored to his said possession with the issues and profits in the meantime since the said loss, and also to do right and justice to the parties in the aforesaid manner. Whereupon, the said petition having been read before the king and lords of parliament, the king ordered Sir Walter Clopton, his chief justice, to bring before the king and lords in parliament the record of which the said petition made mention above. Which record, on the king's command, was later brought to parliament before the king and lords, and there it was read in part, and certain errors therein were pointed out and alleged by the said Earl of Salisbury. Whereupon the king, by the assent and advice of the lords of parliament, the justices of the king there present, granted and ordered that the said earl have a writ of scire facias on the matter of the said petition, returnable at the next parliament, as the same petition mentions.