CASTLE CORNET. 347 



Thomas de Ferrers with the king in Flanders, and until such 

 time as he should return and resume his governorship.* He 

 was dispatched with reinforcements to Jersey during the 

 month of November following,! and remained in charge of 

 the islands for two years ; as on the king's return from 

 Flanders, according to Dupont,J de Ferrers was imprisoned 

 and suspended from his office, presumably on some charge 

 connected with his custody of the islands. § 



In October, 1338, Philip de Valois gave Guernsey to 

 his son, John Duke of Normandy, who bestowed it during 

 the same month on Robert Bertran, Sire de Bricquebec, the 

 Marshal of France. || In a way it was a deed of restitution, 

 for the Marshal was representative of one of the coheiresses 

 of Leticia the Viscountess of the Cotentin, whose ancestor, 

 Neel the Viscount, had held half the island in the reign 

 of William the Conqueror. 



The Marshal set about the defence of his new possession, 

 and in January following sent to the " Gardien du Clos 

 des galees," at Rouen, for various munitions for the defenee 

 of the island.lf On the 12th March, 1339,** in person and 

 accompanied by a great host of men and ships, including 

 17 Genoese galleys, he invaded Jersey and summoned the 

 castle to surrender under threat of death to all who resisted. 

 The Constable having refused to surrender, Robert Bertran 

 finding the Castle of Mont Orgueil too strong to capture 

 by assault, after burning many houses, during which he lost 

 40 men by a sortie from the castle, re-embarked his force 

 and returned to Normandy, the Genoese galleys making for 

 Guernsey. A few days later the French fleet of 205 vessels 

 of various sizes returned to the islands, and picking up 

 the Genoese galleys at Guernsey sailed for La Rochelle. 



The petition of the people of Jersey to the king, which 

 gives us these details, goes on to entreat him to send to 

 Bayonne for the fleet of that town, that it and the English 

 fleet might fall upon the French ships on their return and 

 capture rich booty. At the same time it urges that a force of 

 40 ships and 60 to 65 barges be sent by Jersey " to go to the 

 Castle Corneyt of Guernsey, that with the help of God and 

 the counsel of the people of Guernsey, and the good will which 

 the people of Guernsey have towards the King, the castle 



* and t Patent Rolls, 12 Edward III. 



t Dupont, Vol. II., p. 287. Walsingham, p. 147. 



§ Patent Rolls, 14 Edward III., June 2nd, 1340. The king pardons Thomas 



de Ferrers "all accounts, and other actions and trespasses for the time in which 



he held the custody of the said islands (Jersey, Serk and Alderney) and also the 



island of Gernereye." 



II Dupont, Vol. II., p. 270. 

 IF Dupont, Vol. II., p. 274. ** Society Jersiaise, Ancient Petitions, pp. 67 and 86. 



