"To the lady Ada, wife of Saracen, the minstrel, by the king's gift, because she played on the psaltry (salteria) before the king, 20s."—EB. 2668, 27º Ed. I.
"To Thomasina Vithal, and Janett, trumpeters (trompar') of the prince, performing their minstrelsy in presence of the Lords Thomas and Edmund, sons of the king, by their gift, to each of them 5s.
"To Richard and John, being boys and trumpeters with the Countess of Hereford, in presence of the same two princes, iiis."—W.N. 1955, 33º Ed. I.
"In 1306, 'To little William, the organist of the Countess of Hereford, 5s.' Other payments to the harper—le Taborer—le croudere—trompours—'Guillaume sans maniere.'
"To Gillot, fidler (vidulator) of the Earl of Arundel, half a mark.
"To Geoffry, the harper of the Earl de Warenne, 11s.—to Matilda Makejoye, xiid."—Roll of Exec. Q, Elean., p. 144.
So little has been mentioned by English genealogists concerning the family of Bar, with which King Edward I accepted an alliance for the second time on this occasion of the Countess de Warenne's marriage, that a few words on the subject may be here allowed. Their territory formed le Barrois, a country between Champagne and Lorraine, with which it was ultimately united in 1418. King John, in 1212, had corresponded with Thibaut I, then Count de Bar, and his son Henry, urging them to come over to England for permanent service under him. (Rymers Fœd. i, 106.) The grandson of this Henry was the husband of the princess Eleanor, who with his brother John was frequently employed by Edward I. On the marriage of the princess, the castle of Bar among other places was settled upon her in dower, and the king instructed his commissioners to take seizin of it, April 15, 1294, the king giving her 1000 marks (£666. 6s. 8d.) "pur son atir" payable in seven years. This payment not being completed at the time of his son-in-law's death, in 1302, the king again bound himself and his heirs in 1306 to fulfil the engagement.(Rymers Fœd. i, 798, 944, 998.)
From this marriage, promising so much honour and happiness, there ensued calamity to all the parties and their children. The Count de Bar was induced by his high alliance to adopt the quarrel of the English king against the French,[1] and, in 1297, he fell a prisoner into their hands at Comines. After being carried to Paris in chains, he was detained at
- ↑ The king wrote to Adolphus, king of the Romans, urging him to defend Bar against the French, and he interested himself also with the pope in favour of Theobald de Bar, brother of his son-in-law, for the bishopric of Metz. Rym. 863-867.
