Biography of William Ros 3rd Baron Ros Helmsley 1329-1351

Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke. 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 [aged 17], Montagu [aged 18], and de Ros [aged 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 fullness, 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 1346, 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. 7. 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).

To the archbishop of Canterbury Lettenhove's Froissart 18.285.

To the archbishop of York Chronicle of Lanercost 342.

Bartholomew Burghersh to the archbishop of York; Adam Murimuth Continuation.

Bartholomew Burghersh to the archbishop of York; Adam Murimuth Continuation.

Letter of Thomas Bradwardine, chancellor of St. Paul's; Adam Murimuth Continuation.

Letter of Michael Northburgh; Murimuth 212, 367, Deeds of King Edward III by Robert of Avesbury.

Letter of Michael Northburgh; Deeds of King Edward III by Robert of Avesbury.

Letter of Richard Wynkeley, the king's confessor; Murimuth 215; Deeds of King Edward III by Robert of Avesbury.

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 August (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. 7, f. 179

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 variations 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 Prussia in 1351 - see Chronicle of Henry Knighton.