William Henry Blaauw

“ The poor necessarily staid at home, and generation after generation of the same humble families were gathered into the same churchyards, unless when their feudal duties summoned them to the perils of foreign war. Even to the rich baron a movement to or from his own estates and castle was a matter not lightly to be undertaken, nor without serious thoughts as to the furniture and bedding, the food and drink, the household menials, and the armed retinue, the animals and vehicles, which he must take with him on the road. ”

“ Spenser was naturally distrustful of the king's safety and his own, had they put themselves within reach of his malice, so that ultimately the meeting of the two kings was abandoned, and the fatal compromise was adopted of sending to France the young Prince of Wales with the queen, instead of the king, a measure which, two years after, led to his dethronement.
Edward II had been principally residing at his palace of Westminster from the middle of June till he commenced his journey into Sussex. ”

“ Walter Stapleton, bishop of Exeter, was watching the court of France for his master, as ambassador, and reported that King Edward II's conciliatory letter to the French king met with no response, and soon afterwards warned the king of his queen's plots, which he had detected. ”

“ In the dispute, however, with France concerning Guienne, the English king had been summoned to do homage to Charles the Fair for that fief of the French crown, and indeed previous to King Edward's approach to the south coast, he had appointed, on July 8, the bishop of Norwich and two knights to treat with the French king, and to arrange with him a day and place for a personal interview, to put an end to the disputes which had arisen about the castle of Mont Pessat: [2] it was probably with a view to this meeting, and his intended visit to Gascony, that the journey took place. ”

“ A parliament which had been summoned to meet on Oct. 20, sat twenty-one days, to Nov. 10, and it may illustrate the mode of travelling at this time to mention that the knights of Cornwall, when claiming their expenses of attending, state that they had been seven days going to it, and seven days on their return, spending 2s. 6d. a day.
The anxieties of the king soon increased. A parliament met in June 1325, and he had reason soon after to apprehend an invasion, in consequence of the dispute with France. ”

“ Phihbert, a French saint of the seventh century, abbot of Jumieges, and founder of Nermoutier on the small island of Heis, though many miracles are imputed to him, is not recorded to have swollen the size of nuts, and it is therefore probable that these filberts were imported from one of the many villages or towns in Normandy and Brittany, bearing the name of St. Philibert, where the climate may have been propitious to their growth. There was a family of the name in England. King John and Henry III frequently employed Hugh de St. ”

“ On Monday, August 27th, the king went to ("Begehamme") Bayham Abbey, where three pikes were offered him, one from the abbot, two from John de Grovehurst [3] (d) . A horse had been hired to bring down from London 600 pears, and 600 large nuts in one day to this abbey, and a lad was paid 8d. wages for accompanying it (c) . As only fish and fruit are mentioned, it must be supposed that the king went on for his more substantial meal to Robertsbridge Abbey (f) , where the abbot had provided two carcases of oxen (carcas' boum) , and 6 cheeses, from the court of Rudham (de curia Rudhami) . ”

“ A brief reference to some subsequent royal visits to Sussex may be here added:—
For an account of King Edward III's visit to Eye and Winchelsea in August, 1350, see Vol. IV, p. 118, Sussex Arch. Coll.
In August, 1355, King Edward and his sons Lionel and John (then in his 16th year) embarked in the Thames for Sandwich, where they remained till August 15, when they went to Winchelsea and Isle of Wight, after which they were again driven back to Winchelsea. (Rot. Parl. 2, 264.) ”

“ Edward II seems to have been especially fond of fruit, and while living with his mother at Langley in 1300, "Nicholas de Gocham, fruiterer, sent him from London pears, apples, nuts, and other fruits, at the price of 20s. ”

“ After leaving London, the king received some presents on his road at Otteford, and at Bromle (2 pikes and 60 pears) from his old friend Walter Reynolds, then Archbishop of Canterbury (d) ; and he was at Tunbridge from August 23d to Monday the 27th. ”

“ John also presented at Shepele —
"2 carcases oxen, 2 swans, 9 pikes, 13 bream, 1 tench, 6 large eels." (b)
On Tuesday, September 4th, the expenses of the royal household were £10. 19s. 31⁄2d, at Horsham. (g) In another MS. the king dates on this day at "Chesworth" a permission to Stephen de Power, who was employed in his service, to delay his compliance with a late proclamation which had ordered him and all persons who possessed £40 in land, or rent, or fief, worth £40 a year, to take up arms fit for knights before Michaelmas. ”

“ And from the prior of Wymondsle, 2 carcases oxen, 6 muttons, 25 flagons of wine, 4 score and 3 flagons beer." (d)
The Priory of Black Canons at Wymondesley, co. Herts, had been founded by Richard Argentin in the time of Henry III. It possessed 400 acres of land round it, of which the oxen and sheep thus presented were the produce. The expenses paid by the king's household officers at Bourne were:—
"For the kitchen 30s. ”

“ GDhe inscription records his gift of Leueshotte manor to Bayham Abbey. He died about 1330—40. ↑ In King John's expenses the charge of conveyance of goods in Sussex is frequently recorded. Hiring seven carts to carry weapons, &c. from Arundel to Lewes, one day, vs. xd. — one cart with 2 horses from Chichester to Arundel vid. — carts with 5 horses from Odiham to the Abbey of Battle in 6 days, for hay and oats viis. vii1⁄2d, — 6 carts with 2 horses each from Lewes to Battle in one day, vs. ”