1. Le Roi a son cher et foial Robert Bendyn, admiral de nostre flote devers le West, saluz. Por ceo qe ascuns noz foialx demoraunz es parties de Gascoigne nous ount fait entendaunz qe de bledz qi furent nadgaires carie en vostre compaignie, es niefs de la dite flote as dites parties de Gascoigne, furent eschaufez, purriz et perduz, a la mountaunce de trois centz quarters de bledz et plus, par defaute qe les dites niefs ne furent point eschaffaldez covenablement, tot eussiez vous resceu noz deniers a ceo faire, a graunt perde et damage de nous et de noz bones gentz qi devient vivre des dites vitailles en nostre service, dount nous sumes tresdurement ennoiez. Vous mandoms et chargeoms fermement enjoignantz qe les niefs devers vous, qi desore carirunt bledz et autres vitailles devers les dites parties, facez bien et sufficiament eschaffalder et apparailler pour salvete des dites vitailles, si qe mes tieu damage ne perde ne aviegne, sicome vous ent voudriez respoundre a vostre peril. Donne a Westm’., le xiiij jour de Mars. Per ipsum Regem.
1. The king to his dear and faithful Robert Bendyn, admiral of our Western fleet, greetings. 1 Certain of our faithful subjects, presently residing in Gascony, have given us to understand that some cargoes of grain, which were recently transported, accompanied by you, in ships of the said fleet, to Gascony, had heated up, rotted and were lost, to the tune of 300 quarters of grain and more. This was because the said ships were not properly fitted out with scaffolds or racks (eschaffaldez), 2 although you had received money from us to do so, to the great loss and damage of our good people in our service over there whose lives depend upon the said victuals, which greatly distresses us. We order, charge and strictly enjoin you that the ships, which you have and which will in future carry grain and other victuals to the said region, must be well and properly scaffolded (eschaffalder) and fitted out for the safe-keeping of the said victuals, so that such damage and waste shall not happen again, and for which you will have to answer at your peril. Given at Westminster, the fourteenth day of March. By the king himself.
2. Le Roi a son cher et foial Johan Sturmy, admiraille del navie de nostre flote vers le Northt’, saluz... Order follows in very similar terms.
2. The king to his dear and faithful John Sturmy, admiral of our Northern fleet, greetings. 3 ... Order follows in very similar terms.
Footnotes
- 1.
- Handbook of British Chronology, ed. E.B. Fryde, D.E. Greenway, S. Porter, and I. Roy, Third Edition (London, 1986), p. 137, Bendyn appears to have been admiral for a very short time, as Stephen Alard was admiral by September 1324. [Context]
- 2.
- See Old French eschaufauder, eschaufaudeeur: ‘put on a scaffold’, ‘constructer of scaffolds’ in F. Godefroy, Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue francaise, 10 vols (Paris, 1881-1902), 3, p. 378. No match is currently found in the Anglo-Norman Dictionary, http://www.anglo-norman.net/ [ex inf: Dr H. Skoda]. [Context]
- 3.
- Handbook of British Chronology, ed. E.B. Fryde, D.E. Greenway, S. Porter, and I. Roy, Third Edition (London, 1986), p. 137, Sturmy was admiral until 1326. [Context]