MARITIME HISTORY 



bitterly by her neighbours on the east coast as she hated the Ports. Edward's award not only settled 

 nothing, but probably intensified, indirectly, the enmity existing, so that in 1289 and 1290 both 

 parties were directed to send deputies to argue out their grievances before king and Parliament. 1 

 For all we can tell the meetings may have been considered a success, since the Portsmen were only 

 accused, formally, of attacking nine Yarmouth ships between 1290 and 1297 >* three of the 

 offenders were Winchelsea crews. 3 The quarrel, as has already been noted, reached its height in 

 1297, in which year while Laurence Quakehand of Winchelsea with a crew of 27 men was 

 lying off Orford watching for pirates from Calais, three armed barges put out from Yarmouth by 

 night and attacked the Sussex men, killing them all. The same year boats of Hastings and 

 Winchelsea were destroyed, with their crews, in Yarmouth Harbour, and when the whole fleet 

 assembled at Winchelsea for the passage to Flanders the sailors of the eastern squadron killed five 

 of the townsmen. 1 It was only when exceptionally large fleets were collected that the Cinque 

 Ports and Yarmouth levies were required to work together, for usually the employment of the latter 

 was confined to the east coast and North Sea. In this case both appear to have sailed to Sluys 

 (five days), peaceably, but then a street brawl occurred which kindled latent passion into flame. 

 The Cinque Ports squadron fell upon that of Yarmouth and nearly annihilated it ; 32 vessels, 

 of which 1 6 were burnt, were destroyed or plundered, and nearly 200 men were killed in 

 2O of them. 8 



Whether the Sussex ports took a large or a small share in this deed we do not know, but it 

 is distinctly stated that all the Cinque Ports were involved in it. The king required letters of 

 submission from both Yarmouth and the Ports concerning ' the disputes that have lately arisen . . . 

 after the king's arrival in Flanders,' and insisted that both sides should observe a truce to last until 

 three months after his return to England. 6 The task of inquiry into the circumstances devolved 

 upon Prince Edward, and the two adversaries were called upon to send deputies to London to state 

 their case. 7 It may have been in consequence of this inquiry that the king took into his hands the 

 liberties enjoyed by the Cinque Ports at Yarmouth and, no doubt to prevent more bloodshed, they 

 were not restored until I 299.' Edward issued an award in 1298' which the master and two of the 

 superior officers of each Cinque Ports and Yarmouth ship were, before going to sea, to swear to observe 

 and to keep the peace. It is evident that the political and military importance of the maritime levies 

 of the two contending powers made it impossible for Edward to deal with them as he would have 

 dealt with ordinary law-breakers. His attempt to enforce peace clearly had little result, for in 

 1300 there was another conference and in 1301 another award. At this time the contending 

 parties put in records of their losses in men and money ; the men of Yarmouth returned losses to 

 the extent of ^6,257 an< ^ J 35 men > which must have been exclusive of the affair at Sluys. 10 

 Against this the Cinque Ports of Kent showed 180 men killed and ^12,953 IOJ. 8d. damages ; u 

 those of Sussex put their killed at IOO men, and their monetary losses at ^12,485 1 8*. jd., of 

 which ^1,130 was set down as the cost of their preparations for fishing at Yarmouth during the 

 last five seasons, which had been profitless owing to their not being allowed to sell their fish. 12 

 The Ports carried on another quarrel to the southward with Bayonne, of which evidence often 

 shows in the records; in 1277 an ^ I2 94 tne king negotiated a peace between the combatants. 13 

 The feud must have been of old standing, for in 1242, when the Portsmen were given a free hand 

 against France, they were especially warned to act discreetly in regard to the Bayonnais, with whom 

 they seem to have been at open war five years previously. 14 



In the same year as the fight at Sluys certain persons were appointed to take up ' and 

 maintain' 12 ships at the cost of the inhabitants of Sussex and the adjoining counties, and of such 

 merchants as should be trading in those counties, apparently to form a cruising squadron during the 

 summer. 15 A body of Londoners, horsed and armed, marched into Kent and Sussex to defend the 

 coast during Edward's absence, and obtained in 1299 a promise that their action should not 

 prejudice them as a precedent. 16 Edward and his troops returned to England in March, 1298, and 

 from the Thames to Southampton there was a general arrest of ships for his passage. 17 Both this 

 and the levy of the 12 ships are examples of the application to the privileged districts of the system 

 in use throughout the rest of the country ; in the later instance Winchelsea and Portsmouth were 

 excepted ; but the fact that it is coupled with Portsmouth shows that the exception of Winchelsea 

 was for reasons other than its position as a Cinque Port. We see that after the events at Sluys 

 Edward issued more regulations intended to keep the peace, but, so far from the Cinque Ports being 

 punished, they were granted further privileges in 1298, including that of being quit of all tallages and 



1 Pat. 17 Edw. I, m. 8 ; 1 8 Edw. I, m. 42. ' Exch. Misc. . * Ibid. {{. 



4 Assize R. 945. 6 Exch. Misc. |. ' Close, 25 Edw. I, m. 5 ; 26 Edw. I, m. 17. 



7 Ibid. 25 Edw. I, m. 6. " Ibid. 27 Edw. I, m. 9 d. ' Ibid. 26 Edw. I, m. 1 1 d. 



10 Assize R. 945. " Ibid. 395. " Ibid. 945. 



" Rymer, Foedera (ed. 1816), ii, 82, 632. " Ibid, i, 406. 



15 Pat. 25 Edw. I, pt. ii, m. 14. " Ibid. 27 Edw. I, m. 29. " Ibid. 26 Edw. I, m. 26. 



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