POLITICAL HISTORY 



went through the host giving absolution and encouraging all to fight for 

 their just cause, while the Earl himself saw that all the commanders had 

 full instruction for the morrow's march.' The frequency with which 

 members of the same family were fighting in both armies rendered 

 heraldic devices a source of confusion rather than an aid to identification, 

 and it was therefore considered advisable for all the baronial troops to 

 adopt a uniform badge, that chosen being the white cross, which had in 

 other fields distinguished the English crusaders.' 



Throughout Montfort's camp military alertness and discipline 

 reigned, but a very different aspect was presented by the royalist forces 

 lying at Lewes. Here drunkenness and dissolute licence were rife, and 

 the priory courts and even the holy altars were desecrated by vicious 

 profanity/ 



Everything points to a total lack of discipline — military and moral — 

 even the one picket posted on the hill, afterwards known as Mount Harry, 

 commanding the barons' line of approach, was so ill-disciplined that the 

 men composing it returned to Lewes, leaving only one of their number on 

 duty.* Consequently when Montfort's forces, starting from Fletching 

 before sunrise on Wednesday, 14 May, ascended the Downs about two 

 miles north-west of Lewes the solitary outpost was captured asleep and 

 made to give much useful information as to the royal army.^ Pressing 

 on in splendid order they bid fair to have surprised the royalists in their 

 beds had it not been that scarcity of hay and corn had compelled certain 

 foragers to start out early in the morning to obtain fresh supplies, who, 

 returning hastily to the town, gave the alarm." Before any of the King's 

 troops could form up their enemies had come in sight of the priory 

 tower. Here Earl Simon halted his army and after a brief address and 

 prayer for victory set his lines in order and awaited the attack. He had 

 the advantage of the ground, his flanks being defended by steep slopes, 

 while along his front the enemy had to advance up a hill, not 

 indeed steep but sufficient to handicap them in charging. On the left, 

 upon the slope descending to the Wallands, were the Londoners under 

 Nicholas de Segrave with Harvey de Boreham and Henry de Hastings, 

 the latter of whom had been knighted with the Earl of Gloucester by 

 Simon de Montfort on the way to the battle. The centre was under the 

 Earl of Gloucester with John Fitz-John and William de Monchesney, 

 and the right wing under Earl Simon's sons Henry and Guy, with whom 

 were the younger Humphrey de Bohun and John de Burgh. The Earl 

 of Leicester himself took command of the reserves, which were 

 stationed on the higher ground commanding the whole field of battle." 

 With the barons were several Sussex men, as, for instance. Sir Henry 

 Hussey of Harting and Jordan de Sackville, and we may be sure that 

 there were present a large number of the local gentry, who can be shown 

 by the evidence of records to have favoured the popular side, including 

 such representative names as Ralph de Camoys, Richard de Amundeville, 



» Blaauw, The Barons' War (ed. 1871), 163. » Ibid. 164. 3 Ibid. 166. 



* Ibid. 171. Ibid. » Ibid. 175-85. 



I 497 63 



