454 ^' ^* 1294. 



his navy into three fleets, and appointed three admirals, viz. John of Bote- 

 tourt admiral of the fleet of Yarmouth and the eaft coaft ; WiUiam of 

 Leyburn, -of the Portfmouth divifion ; and an ofhcer (not named) of 

 Irifli birth commanded the fhips of the weft coaft and Ireland. [Trivet, 

 p. 279.] This is beUeved to be the earHeft appearance in England of 

 the title of admiral^ which had been fome time before adopted, in imi- 

 tation of the Saracens, by the maritime ftates of Italy, for the command- 

 er of a fleet. ■ And the title appears to be quite new and unfettled ; for 

 on the 3'* of September William of Leyburn is ftiled captain of the fea- 

 men and mariners of the king's dominions *, and in the following year the 

 king calls John of Botetourt his warden of the coajl of Yarmouth. [Fcedera, 

 Kii,//*. 654, 688.] 



The great inconveniences produced by the circulation of bad money 

 in England, in fpite of all the laws and precautions againft the importa- 

 tion of it, induced King Edward to appoint Mafter John of Gloucefter, 

 and John of Lincoln merchant in Hull, to fuperintend the payments of 

 the merchants throughout the whole kingdom, and to compell all merchants 

 to bring their money to be examined by them. [Madox's Hifl. of the 

 excheq. c. 9, § 3.] Whether all the payments in England were made in 

 their office, or they had deputies in every trading town, we are not in- 

 formed : nor do we know how long their extraordinary commiflion con- 

 tinued in force. 



September 20''' — King Edward, being engaged in a war with France, 

 and at the fame time very eager to make a conqueft of Scotland and to 

 • fupprefs fome tumults in Wales, demanded of the clergy one half of their 

 incomes for the year, from the merchants living in walled cities and 

 market towns one iixth part, and from the reft of the people one tenth, 

 of all their pofi~e(Tions ; but, I fuppofe, rather of their incomes. Thefe 

 heavy taxes were rendered ftill more diftrefsfulby a very fcanty harveft, 

 occafioned probably by the men being drawn off from agriculture to 

 the army, whereby many of the poor adually perilhed for want. [Tri- 

 vet, p. 279 M. Weflm. p. 422.] 



1295 — King Edward, being at war with France, compelled the maf^ 

 ters of neutral velfels in the ports of England to give fecarity that they 

 ihould not fail to that kingdom, without drawing any line of diftindion 

 between contraband and lawful goods. Some citizens of Lubeck, not 

 being able to find fccurity in England, were obliged to have their cafe 

 reprefented to the emperor, who wrote to Ed^vard in their behalf, and 



• 



Tlie learned Spelmaii '\_GloJf. vo. Admlra!h:s'\ cailiell appearance of tlie tide in Enj;land. For 



li)- traiiflating the old French word ' isy/.t'Jix in- the derivation of the name, and nature of the office 



ilcad a'ijtxtcen, has dated the ordinance at Bruges of admiral, fee his Glo/Jliry, wherein he has given a 



(fee Fierlrra, V. ii, p. 75y) >n 1286 indead of feries of the admirals of England, which may now 



1296, and fuppofed the mention of William of be greatly anijmented from the /VrAra and other 



Leyburn in it as the king's admiral of the fea the records publifhed fiiice his time. 



