THE FRENCH WARS 

 Henry VI and the Navy. 



The reign of the weakling son of the conqueror of France was a 

 very sad period for the Navy, for he had absolutely no conception of its 

 uses, and the faction fights which occurred during his minority had 

 rendered England impotent at sea long before the Wars of the Roses 

 completed the work. While the Duke of Bedford was operating in 

 France the sea was used for transport purposes only, and the expedition 

 that went to the relief of Calais in 1436 was not very much more. It is, 

 however, interesting as marking the first recorded instance of blocking 

 operations being employed, a system which comes down through 

 Sebastopol to Port Arthur and Zeebrugge in our own times. The Duke 

 of Burgundy was blockading and besieging Calais, and filled a number of 

 hulks with stones with the idea of obstructing the mouth of the harbour. 

 But the attempt was very gallantly frustrated by seamen who came out 

 of the town in boats and burned the block ships before they could be put 

 into position. 



Henry VI's Invasion of Aquitaine. 



The transport figures of this expedition which was carried out in 

 1439 are still preserved, and although they are slightly mutilated they are 

 exceedingly interesting : — 



Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons, 

 loo I20 140 160 200 240 



LONDON ... 



HULL 



SALTASH ... 



PLYMOUTH 



EXETER ... 



FOWEY ... 



BIDEFORD 



BRISTOL ... 



PENZANCE 



BARNSTAPLE 



SOUTHAMPTON 



WINCHELSEA 



IPSWICH ... 



ASH 



LYNN 



BOSTON ... 



TEIGNMOUTH 



UNKNOWN PORTS — 



Tons. 

 260 

 I 

 I 

 I 



Tons. Tons. Ttl. 

 300 360 



2 — 



1 — 



7 — 



2 — 



5 

 4 

 I 

 I 

 I 



3 

 I 

 2 



I 

 2 

 I 

 I 

 2 

 2 

 2 

 I 

 I 

 5 



TOTALS 



Pierre de Breze. 



Whenever they were not in a position to meet us openly at sea the 

 French returned to the strategy of de Vienne, and in 1457 Pierre de 

 Breze, Seneschal of Normandy, collected a fleet and army and 

 descended on the Kentish coast. Sandwich was pillaged and burned, 

 together with a good deal of shipping, but the men of Kent rallied and 

 inflicted heavy casualties on the French before they could get away. 



43 



