Report of French prisoners

LETTER X.

M^d. this is the confessyon of xvj ffrenshemē w^t the Mastyr takyn
at She^’yng’m’ ye iij wek of lent.

   RIGHT Worshipfull S^r. I recomaund me to you and lete
     you wytte yt I have be at Shiryngh’m and examyned y^e
frenshmen to y^e nombre of xvj w^t y^e Maist. And y^ti telle
y^t y^e Duke of Som’ is in to Scotland and yei sey y^e Lord Hun-
gyrforthe was on monday last passed afore Sheryngh’m in to
Scotland ward in a kervyle of Depe, no gret power w^t hym ne
w^t y^e seid Duk neyther, And yei sey y^t y^e Duk of ¹ Burgoyn is
poysened and not like to recou’e and as for powers to be ga-
dered ageynst our weelfare yei sey y’ shulde come in to ² Seyne
CC gret ³ forstages owt of Spayne from y^{e 4} Kyng y^re and CCC
Shippes from y^e Duk of ⁵ Bretayne w^t y^e navy of ffraunce, but
yei be not yet assembled ne vitayll yere p’veyd as yei sey
ne men, And y^e Kyng of ⁶ ffraunce is in to Spayne on pil-
grymage w^t fewe hors as yei sey what y^e p’pose is yei can not
telle certeyn, &c. In hast at Norwich.

The Kyng of Fran’s hath comitted the rewle of Bordews on to
the manchaunds of the to, and the ⁷ browd tha be therin to be at
ther wages, and like as Caleys is a Stapole of wolle here in
England so is that made staple of wyne.

     John Fermer preson^r seyth on John Gylys a clerk y^t was w^t
the Erle of Oxforthe wych was some tym in Kyng Herrys hows
was a prevy Secretary w^t the Erle of Oxforthe, and if any
wryty’g wer mad’ by the seyd Erle the seyd Gylys knew ther of
in this gret maty’rs.

          8 ½ by 4 ½.

              Norwich,
              March 1461-2,
              2 E. IV.

     I have given this as the Contents of a paper, which accompanies the two foregoing
Letters, but how far they merit any regard I cannot pretend to say. The Writer seems
to doubt the truth of many of the assertions, as he adds to almost every one of them
“as they say.”

     It relates to the return of the Duke of Somerset, &c. from France into Scotland, to
join Queen Margaret, and must have been written in or about 1462.

¹ Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, was slain in 1477.

     ² A River in France.

     ³ Large Ships were Ships with forestages.

     ⁴ Henry IV. King of Spain, died in 1474.

     ⁵ Francis II. last Duke of Bretagne, died in 1488.

     ⁶ Lewis XI. King of France, died in 1483.

⁷ This word is imperfect in the Original Paper.

 LETTER X.

Memorandum. This is the confession of sixteen Frenchmen with the
Master, taken at Sharringham (in Norfolk,) the third week of Lent.

   RIGHT worshipful Sir, I recommend me to you, and let
     you weet, that I have been at Sharringham and examined
the Frenchmen, to the number of sixteen with the Master; and
they tell, that the Duke of Somerset is into Scotland, and they
say the Lord Hungerford was on Monday last past afore Shar-
ringham into Scotlandward in a Kervel of Diepe, no great
power with him, ne with the said Duke neither. And they
say that the Duke of ¹ Burgoyn is poisoned and not like to
recover.

     And as for powers to be gathered against our welfare; they
say, there should come into ² Seyne 200 great ³ forstages out of
Spain from the ⁴ King there; and 300 Ships from the Duke of
⁵ Bretagne with the Navy of France, but they be not yet assem-
bled, ne victual there purveyed, as they say, ne men. And
the ⁶ King of France is into Spain on Pilgrimage with few
horse as they say; what the purpose is, they cannot tell cer-
tain, &c.

     In haste at Norwich.

The King of France hath committed the rule of Bordeaux
unto the Merchants of the town and the ⁷ ................ that be therein
to be at their wages; and like as Calais is a staple of wool here
in England, so is that made a staple of wine.

     John Fermer prisoner faith, one John Giles a Clerk that was
with the Earl of Oxford, which was some time in King Harry’s
House, was a privy Secretary with the Earl of Oxford; and if
any writing were made by the said Earl, the said Giles knew
thereof in this great matter.

              8 ? by 4 ?.

              Norwich,
              March 1461-2,
              2 E. IV.

  I have given this as the Contents of a paper, which accompanies the two foregoing
Letters, but how far they merit any regard I cannot pretend to say. The Writer seems
to doubt the truth of many of the assertions, as he adds to almost every one of them
“as they say.”

     It relates to the return of the Duke of Somerset, &c. from France into Scotland, to
join Queen Margaret, and must have been written in or about 1462.

¹ Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, was slain in 1477.

     ² A River in France.

     ³ Large Ships were Ships with forestages.

     ⁴ Henry IV. King of Spain, died in 1474.

     ⁵ Francis II. last Duke of Bretagne, died in 1488.

     ⁶ Lewis XI. King of France, died in 1483.

⁷ This word is imperfect in the Original Paper.

512

REPORT OF FRENCH PRISONERS¹

Memorandum. This is the confessyon of xvj. Frenshemen with
the Mastyr, takyn at Sheryngam, the iij. wek of Lent.

RIGHT worshipfull sir, I recomaund me to you, and lete
     you wytte, that I have be at Shiryngham, and examyned
     the Frenshmen to the nombre of xvj. with the maister.
And thei telle that the Duke of Somerset is in to Scotland;
and thei sey the Lord Hungyrforthe was on Monday last
passed afore Sheryngham in to Scotland ward, in a kervyle
[carvel] of Depe, no gret power with hym, ne with the seid
Duk neyther. And thei sey that the Duk of Burgoyn² is
poysened, and not like to recovere. And as for powers to be
gadered ayenst our weelfare; thei sey, there shulde come in to
Seyne CC. gret forstages³ owt of Spayne, from the Kyng
there;⁴ and CCC. shippes from the Duk of Bretayne⁵ with
the navy of Fraunce, but thei be not yet assembled, ne vitayll
there purveyd, as thei sey, ne men. And the Kyng of Fraunce⁶
is in to Spayne on pilgrymage with fewe hors as thei sey;
what the purpose is thei can not telle certeyn, &c. In hast at
Norwich.

     The Kyng of Frauns hath comitted the rewle of Bordews
on to the marchaunds of the toun, and the browd⁷ tha[t] be
therin to be at ther wages; and like as Caleys is a Stapole of
wolle here in England, so is that made staple of wyne.

     John Fermer, presoner, seyth, on [one] John Gylys, a clerk
that was with the Erle of Oxforthe, wych was some tym in
Kyng Herrys hows, was a prevy secretary with the Erle of
Oxforthe; and if any wrytyng wer made by the seyd Erle, the
seyd Gylys knew ther of in this gret matyeres.

     ¹ [From Fenn, i. 250.] This letter evidently refers to the state of matters in the
beginning of the year 1462, when Henry VI. and Margaret of Anjou were in Scotland,
and when the Earl of Oxford had just been beheaded for conspiring against Edward IV.
The date of Oxford’s execution was the 20th of February. This confession of the
Frenchmen is dated in the third week of Lent, that is to say, between the 14th and
the 20th of March.                                  ² Philip the Good.

     ³ Large ships with forestages or forecastles.     ⁴ Henry IV., King of Castile.

     ⁵ Francis II., the last Duke.                                     ⁶ Lewis XI.

     ⁷ This word, says Fenn, is imperfect in the original.

1462
MARCH

1462
MARCH