POLITICAL HISTORY 



gesses of that port/ While at Winchelsea John, who was posing at this 

 time as the friend and protege of the Pope, did not neglect the obser- 

 vances of religion and caused alms to be distributed and a hundred poor 

 to be fed/ He then went on into Kent and collected an army which 

 remained on the coast until news of King Philip's defeat in Flanders dis- 

 pelled all fear of a French invasion. The next occasion on which John 

 passed with his forces through the county his fortunes and his direction 

 were alike changed. In May 1216 while he was in Kent he heard that 

 Louis the Dauphin was landing in England ; resistance with the forces 

 at his disposal was, for the time being, useless, so the King retired to 

 Winchester, halting on the way at Seaford and Bramber and passing 

 through Woolavington.^ Sussex, as a whole, was a strong centre of 

 loyalty ; the castle of Chichester was in the King's hands, and those of 

 Arundel and Lewes were held by the Earl of Arundel and the Earl of 

 Warenne, two of the greatest and most staunch of John's supporters. 

 The lords of Pevensey and Hastings had each been in arms against the 

 King, who had for a while put the latter castle into the hands of his 

 faithful barons of the Cinque Ports,* but had subsequently given it back 

 to the Count of Eu^ ; Pevensey castle had also, apparently, been restored 

 to Gilbert of Laigle." John, however, took the precaution of dismantling 

 the castle of Hastings, and probably also that of Pevensey.' The castles 

 of Bramber and Knepp were, as we have already seen, also in the King's 

 hands, and in May I2i5,when the barons had secured possession of the 

 city ot London and John's fortunes were at their lowest, he wrote to 

 Roland Bloet to take what forces he had at Knepp or could collect else- 

 where and garrison the castle of Bramber with them, at the same time 

 ordering the complete destruction of the dwellings (domos) of Knepp.^ 

 Either this last order was revoked or it did not apply to the castle, as 

 four days later the King wrote to Bloet that if Earl Warenne or any of 

 his men should come to him he should receive them into the castles of 

 Knepp and Bramber.^ In the following October these two castles 

 were restored to Giles de Braose, bishop of Hereford," who however 

 died within a month, when the King restored Roland Bloet as constable 

 of Knepp and appointed Wilkin Bloet to Bramber." But when Louis 

 began his victorious progress through the southern counties John sent 

 orders for the castle of Knepp to be burnt without delay ,'^ and it was 

 apparently also his intention to destroy the castle at Chichester." This 

 latter, however, with all the other defences of Sussex, fell into the hands of 

 his enemies, while, as a probable result, the Earl Warenne and the Earl of 

 Arundel went over to the side of Louis. The men of the Cinque Ports 



» Rot. Misae, 14 John {Docts. Illustrative of Eng. Hist.). ^ Ibid. 



3 Itinerary. * Pat. 15 John, m. 6. = Pat. 16 John, m. 17. 



s Pat. 18 John, m. 3. In October 1215 it was under care of the Earl of Arundel, and received a 

 reinforcement from the King (Pat. 17 John, m. 14). 



' Ann. Mon. (Rolls Ser.), iii. 46, ' destru.xit castrum de " Eunesheye " et castrum de Hastinges.' 



a Pat. 16 John, m. I. s Ibid. 



•0 Pat. 17 John, m. 14. " Pat. 17 John, m. 12. 



" Pat. 18 John, m. 7. " Pat. I Hen. III. m. 8. 



493 



