1. Soit Sire William de Oterhampton’ charge par le seneschal et sil ne voet mie faire per la charge du seneschal eit bref du grant seal ou littere du prive seal qil par la vewe et la tesmoignance Sire Robert de Wodehous oie les accomptes de touz les viscontz et purveours de totes maneres des vitailles auxibien pur chivaux come pur gentz et tut manere de attill’ et tut manere dautre chose que dement passer oue ceste flote et auxint des gages des gentz a pie envenant vers Portesmuth’ la ou les gages sont paiez des deners le Roi des gages et costages des niefs et des mariners des cleyes, pontz et bordz et toneaux venduz et de tut manere dautre appareil des niefs pur passer gentz ou vitaill’ a ceste foiz et tut maneres des carriages auxibien par mer com par terre et ent face due allowaunce par endenture par la quele les viscontz et autres purveours puissent avoir allowaunce a lescheker sur lour acompte et le dit William demoerge charge come il eust tant recue des deners le Roi et soit discharge per meisme lendenture sur son acompte.
1. Let William de Otterhampton be charged by the seneschal, and if he is not prepared to act by the seneschal’s charge he is to have a writ of the great seal or letters of the privy seal, that by the view and witness of Robert de Woodhouse he should hear the accounts of all sheriffs and purveyors of all manner of victuals for both horses and men; and all manner of equipment and other things that are due to go with the fleet; and also of the wages of the foot soldiers coming to Portsmouth where the wages are to be paid out of the king’s money; and of the wages and costs of ships and mariners, of hurdles, gangways and planks, and casks bought; 1 and of all other sorts of equipment for ships that will carry the men and the victuals at this time, and also all costs of carriage by sea and land. He should make them have due allowance by indenture, through which the sheriffs and other purveyors may have allowance at the exchequer on their accounts. William should remain charged as he has received the king’s money, and he is to have discharge on his account by the same indentures.
2. Item la ou les viscontes ou les purveours ne veignent mie pur acompter au dit Sire William certifie le dit Sire William par sa littere le tresorer et barons combien il avera receu de chescuny purveance singulerment issint que les ditz tresorer et barons puissent plus seurement aler a lacompte des purveours.
2. Item, should the sheriffs or purveyors not come to account with the said William, he should certify by his letter to the treasurer and barons how much he has received from each purveyance individually so that the said treasurer and barons are able to proceed more surely to the accounts of the said purveyors.
3. Item si ceux qi passent voillent avoir du feyn, busche ou carbon le Roi qest venus ou vendra a Portesmuth’ pur cest passage eient sur lour gages a pris qil cousta au Roi quant il est venu a Portesmuth’ a tut maneres des coustages.
3. Item, if those who have taken passage should want the king's hay, brushwood, or charcoal which has come, or will come to Portsmouth for this passage, they may have them as part of their wages at the prices the king paid when he came to Portsmouth, at all their various prices.
4. Item pur ce que les vitailles que sont purveuz en Dors’, Wilt’, Sutht’, Sussex’, Surr’ et Kent come de char, fleur, furment, fenes, pois et aveynes ne passent mie a cest foiz mes sont retenuz pur le passage le Roi si ces qi passent volent rien avoir de teles purveyances sur lour gages a coustages qils costent au roi la ou il serront liverez parlent sur ceo au seneschal et soit acorde combien ils dement avoir en tiel manere et par 2 la bille le seneschal et Sire William de Oterhampton’ eient bref’ as purveours du grant seal ou littere du prive seal qeux lour facent liverer vitailles tiels come ils voudreient aver sicome eux costent au roi en totes choses a la summe des deners que la dite bille purporta et ceo par littere daquitance de ceux que les vitailles reteinent par quele acquitance oue le bref’ que lour serra venuz afaire la livere eient les purveours allouance sur lour acompte et le dit Sire William demoerge charge et ceste chose soit graunte et faite auxibien as mariners come as gentz darmes et de pie que la flote ne se targe pur defaute des purveances. Et en meisme ceste manere soit fait des plus febles vins le Roi que demorent a Porcestre que ne sont mie covenables pur retenir et ceo par certeyn pris acorde et par acquitance fait a celui qad les vins agarder par la quele il avera allouance et le dit William demura charge come avant.
4. Item, because the victuals that have been purveyed in Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire, Sussex, Surrey and Kent - that is, meat, flour, wheat, beans, peas and oats – are not to be shipped yet, but are kept for the king's passage, and if those who will be transported do not wish to have any of these goods as part of their wages at the prices the king paid where they shall be delivered, they shall speak with the seneschal about this and agree about how much they ought to have in this matter; and by the bill of the seneschal and William de Otterhampton they should have a writ of the great seal to the purveyors, or letters of privy seal, to cause them to deliver such victuals as they want to have at the prices the king paid in all cases according to the sum of money that is indicated in the said bill. Do this by letter of acquittance of those who have the victuals in their keeping, by which they may have allowance upon their account, together with the writ which caused them to make delivery. William should remain charged as this is an important matter concerning the mariners, men-at arms and footmen, so that the fleet be not delayed for lack of purveyances. It shall be likewise with the most inferior wine of the king which remains at Porchester, and is not appropriate to keep, by a fixed price to be agreed, and by acquittance of the man who has the wine in his keeping, by which he will have allowance. William will remain charged, as above.
5. Item seient les gages des mariners paiez pur le temps passé sicome il serra acorde par le seneschal et autre du consail le Roi qe la sont et pur le temps avenir pur un mois enterement après le jour de Pasch’ et ceo en vitailles en la forme susdite ou en deners qeux ne se puissent mie escuser de haster le passage pur defaute de paiement ou des vitailles.
5. Item, let the mariners’ wages be paid for the time elapsed, as agreed by the seneschal and others of the king's council there, and after that for a whole month from Easter. It is to be in victuals in the abovementioned manner, or in money, so that for lack of payment (of money) or of victuals the swift passage is not hindered.
6. Item les gentz de pie que entrent en niefs et demorent illoeqs’ entendant le passage soient paiez de lour gages pur le temps passé avant lour entree en la forme acustome et avant ordene et du jour qils sont entre pur un mois entierment issint que ceux que sont armes de double garnement, bacinet, gantz de plate, preignent pur la iorne pur le temps passé et avenir iijd. Et ceux que ne sont armez forque dun garnement, bacinet, gantz de plate preignent 3 pur la iornee pur le temps passe et avener 4 ijd. ob. Et les archers et le autres que ne sont mie armez ijd. Et outre ce voet le Roi de sa bone grace que ceux que entrent en niefs et bonement fount ce qils sont commandez soient regardez en deners ou en vitailles outré les ditz gages en summe que amount pur un mois entier un maille plus le iour et toux les autes un dener plus le iour et quant eux vendront en la duchee soient regardez outré les gages avant ordeinez sicome ceux qi sont illoqs’ du consaill’ le Roi verront que ceo soit afaire et selonc ceo que le seche se taille la issint que les centeners ne preignent forsque xijd. Le iour et les vinteners forsque iiijd. decea et dela.
6. Item, the foot soldiers who embark on the ships with the intention of taking passage, should be paid for the period before they came on board, in the accustomed form, and previously ordered, and from the day they embarked for a whole month. All those who are armed with a double garment, basinet, and gauntlets of plate are to be paid 3d. a day. Those who are armed only with a single garment, basinet and gauntlets of plate are paid 2½ d. a day. And the archers and the others who are not armed - 2d. Moreover, the king grants of his grace that those who embark on the ships, and behave well under their leaders, be rewarded in money or in victuals on top of their wages, at the rate of one halfpenny a day more, and the others one penny. When they come into the duchy they shall be rewarded over and above their wages, ordained before, as the king's council there decides it should be done (as far as the money will stretch) so that the centenars take no more than 12d. a day, the vintenars 4d. on both sides of the sea.
7. Item pur ce que les Galeis demaundent un prestre que conust lour langage et un surigean et un pur porter lour estantard’ voet le Roi qils eient a ses gages resonables selonc lour estat par lavisement du seneschal et autres du consail quant ils averont les persones regardez et voet le Roi que homme safforce que touz les Galeys se teignent paiez dun prestre dun surigean et dun pur porter lour estantard’ ou de deux de chescun manere pur les Galeys sils puissent a ceo estre mesnez en bone manere et si noun que chescun ceynteyn eit un prestre un surigean et un pur lestantard’ et ne mie plus qar ceo serroit trop a liverer a chescune compaignie un prestre un surigean et un pur 5 lestandard desicome[...] 6 il a ascune compaignie que nest forsque de 7 x hommes et plusours que ne sont forsque de xx hommes.
7. Item, since the Welsh request a priest who knows their language, a surgeon, and a standard-bearer, the king desires that they be employed at his reasonable wages in accordance with their status by the advice of the seneschal and others of the council after inspection of each of them, and it is the king’s will that it be ensured that all the Welsh shall have at least one priest, surgeon and standard bearer, or two of each kind if they can be provided in a well-ordered manner. If not, then every hundred men will have one priest, one surgeon and one standard-bearer, and no more, because it would be excessive to provide each company with a priest, surgeon and standard-bearer, as the companies consist of no more than ten or twenty men.
8. Item le roi voet qe le seneschal 8 et les autres de son consail qe sont a Portesmuth’ ordenent des gages des enginours, charpentiers et attillors par lour descrecion selonc ceo qeux seuent et valent pur le roi server en lour mestiers issint qe nul ne preigne fors iiijd. a plus haut le iour et les autres meins si meins valent. Et bien voet le roi qui j ou iij de plus sachanz et plus grantz mestres soient regardez outré ses gages si le seneschal et les autres du consail le roi qe la sont veent qe ceo soit afaire.
8. Item, the king wishes that the seneschal and the others of his council who are at Portsmouth set the wages of engineers, carpenters and keepers of artillery at their discretion, in accordance with their claims and the value of their service to the king in their trades, so that none shall receive more than 4d., at the most, a day and the others less if they are of less worth. And it is the king’s firm wish that two or three of the most skilled and best qualified of the master-craftsmen be rewarded with higher wages if it seems to the seneschal and others of the king’s council that it should be done.
9. Item le roi voet qe vous Sire William de Oterhampton’ facez les paiementz et receivez les acomptes et totes les autres choses facez susescrites si avan come a vous appent sauntz attendre autre garaunt.
9. Item, it is the king’s will that you, William de Otterhampton, make the payments and receive the accounts, and do all the other things above written as actively as you can without the necessity of a further warrant.
Footnotes
- 1.
- The French seems to require the meaning ‘sold’, which does not appear to make sense. [Context]
- 2.
- Interlined [Context]
- 3.
- The word is followed by another word that has been largely erased and a line drawn through it. [Context]
- 4.
- et avener, interlined. [Context]
- 5.
- The word is followed by another word or words that have been largely erased and a line drawn through them. [Context]
- 6.
- The majority of the remainder of the line has been erased and a line drawn through. [Context]
- 7.
- Interlined. [Context]
- 8.
- qe le seneschal, interlined. [Context]