galleys,[1] Englishmen being apparently insufficiently acquainted with the tactics suited to those essentially Mediterranean craft; and on June 6th. Manny, who had been summoned to Parliament as a baron in the previous year. was, for some unknown reason, superseded by Robert, Lord Morley, who then took command of the Northern fleet for the fourth time.[2] Among the ships ordered for service in July were the Katherine, the Welfare, the John, and the St. Mary, together with the large French prizes.[3] In October the king went down to Sandwich, intending to sail as soon as possible; but on November 18th the truce with France was renewed, and all idea of the expedition was for the time given up.
The year 1349 saw little naval activity. In August, Sir John Beauchamp[4] was appointed admiral of a special squadron to repress piracy in the North Sea, where, between Newcastle and Berwick. Walter atte Park and other Scots rovers, had captured a trader of Scarborough;[5] and in November, Don Carlos de la Cerda, son of Don Luis, in defiance of the truce, captured several English ships laden with wine, off Bordeaux, and savagely murdered their crews.[6] This latter action gave rise, as will he seen, to serious results. In the last month of the year, the king and Prince of Wales, with Sir Walter Manny and nine hundred men, sailed rather suddenly to Calais in order to checkmate an apprehended surprise of the town by the French. Edward appears to have returned immediately after having repressed the treacherous attempt, which was duly made on January 2nd.
In 1350 came the day of reckoning with De la Cerda. That freebooter, having pillaged a number of English vessels, went to Sluis to load up with merchandise preparatory to returning to Spain. He seems to have known that Edward did not intend to allow him to escape unopposed; for he armed his ships with every kind of
- ↑ 'Fœdera,' iii. 159.
- ↑ Ib., iii. 162.
- ↑ Ib., iii. 165.
- ↑ Sir John Beauchamp, one of the original Knights of the Garter, and the first sole Admiral of the English fleets, was second son of Guy, Earl of Warwick, and was born about 1315. He was present at Sluis, Crécy, and Calais. He had an admiral's command for the first time in 1349, and was summoned to Parliament as a baron in 1350. In 1355 he was again admiral; and in 1360 was made Admiral of the Fleet, but died in the same year.
- ↑ 'Fœdera,' iii. 187, 188; Scots Rolls, 1. 728.
- ↑ Avesbury, 185. A somewhat different account is given by Knighton, who places the scene of the outrage off Sluis.
