A HISTORY OF SUSSEX 



fees ' paid only, approximately, two-thirds of the sum paid by the fees 

 of other honors). William de Braose owed the service of ten knights 

 only for his barony,' but over forty fees were held of him, and that 

 number of knights would be available when the barony was in the 

 King's hands. Finally there were the Bishop of Exeter, who was 

 responsible for seven and a half knights for the chapelry of Bosham, 

 the Bishop of Chichester, who held his barony by the service of four 

 knights, and possibly another dozen knights not accounted for in the 

 above-mentioned honors. Altogether, therefore, Sussex at the beginning 

 of the thirteenth century had to furnish about two hundred and eighty, 

 or, under the enactment of 1 205, rather over three hundred fully equipped 

 mounted men. An idea of the armament of the county forces may be 

 obtained from an order sent in 1230 to Earl Warenne, Simon de Eching- 

 ham, Amfrey de Feringes and the Sheriff of Sussex, to see that the 

 ' array of arms ' was kept within the county as ordained in King John's 

 time,^ namely, that every man having a knight's fee, or fifteen marks in 

 property, should keep a corselet ; for half a fee or ten marks of property, 

 a hauberk ; for forty shillings, an iron headpiece, a quilted jerkin {j)er- 

 punctum) and a lance ; for twenty shillings, a bow and arrows — unless he 

 dwelt within the bounds of a forest, in which case (to preserve him 

 from the temptation to poach) he should have a bill (hachiam) or a 

 lance. 



Besides the personal military service thus due from all, those who 

 held certain property had to contribute towards the upkeep of the 

 county defences ; thus in 1205 the King ordered the citizens of Chich- 

 ester and all who owed the service of enclosing part of the town to 

 perform their duty by repairing the walls of the town.^ In the same 

 way many tenants of the honor of Bramber were bound to enclose a 

 portion of the walls of Bramber castle,* and a similar custom existed, 

 under the title ' heccage,' in connection with Pevensey castle." To 

 Pevensey castle also and to Hastings many manors contributed the 

 service of 'castle ward.' There were also a few military serjeanties of 

 no great importance, land near Eastbourne being held by the service of 

 guarding the outer gate of Pevensey castle, and the tenant of an estate 

 in Woolbeding being bound to attend the King as standard-bearer of the 

 infantry in the county." The naval forces of Sussex will be dealt with 

 in another place,' so no more than note of their existence need be made 

 here. 



The warlike preparations of 1205 came to nothing, but about 

 Easter 121 3 there was again an alarm of invasion, and John hastened 

 from Portsmouth by Arundel, Lewes and Battle to Dover, and thence 

 back to Rye and Winchelsea,^ where he stayed some three days and 

 received the ambassadors of the French King, who appear to have landed 

 at Seaford, as they were accompanied by the mayor and certain bur- 



» Testa de Nevill (Rec. Com.), 126. a Close, 14 Henry III. m. 5d. 



3 Pat. 6 John m. 5. « Feet of Fines, Sussex, 50 Henry HI. 



» Salzmann, Hist, of Hailsham, 175. « Testa de Nevill (Rec. Com.), 226. 



' See section on ' Maritime Hist.' » Itinerary. 



492 



