350 CASTLE CORNET. 



Ferrers, keeper of the islands of Gereseye, Serk and Aureneye, 

 who has set out in the king's service to those islands for their 

 defence against the attacks of the king's enemies, and to 

 besiege the castle of Gerneseye which is held against the king- 

 by those enemies."* 



Shortly after, on the 25th September, 1340, a truce was 

 agreed upon between England and France, in which a special 

 clause was to the effect that "the sieges of Guerneseye and 

 the Isles will be raised as soon as the truce comes to their 

 knowledge." The king's letter informing the Keeper of the 

 islands of " Jereseye, Serk and Aureneye " of the conclusion 

 of the truce is dated the 6th October.! It was probably a 

 long time reaching its destination, or the truce, like many of 

 its predecessors, may not have been much observed in our 

 islands, for on the 29th of the same month Walter de Weston 

 expelled the French from Guernsey, and they retreated into 

 Castle Cornet,! which the force at his disposal was insufficient 

 to capture. The siege of the castle then commenced and 

 lasted, as we shall see, for nearly five years. 



That Guernsey was forcibly conquered by the English 

 under de Weston and not peaceably evacuated by the French 

 as a consequence of the trace, as has been imagined by some 

 authors, is clearly shown by the following extracts from the 

 Accounts of Warden, Thomas de Ferrers, viz. : — 



" In payment of the men-at-arms for the safe custody 

 and garrison of the island of Guernsey, from the 29th 

 October, Anno XIV., on which day the island of Guernsey, 

 except the castle, was conquered from the power of the 

 King of France, up to the 19th of March following. "§ 



And again 



" Item received of the goods and tithes of the aliens 

 in the island of Guernsey, Anno XIV., 59 livres 13 sols 

 4 den. and no more, because the remainder of the tithes 

 and goods of the aliens were destroyed at the time when 

 the said island was conquered from the power of the 

 King of France."! 



On the 20th November, 1340, we find the king granting 

 fresh Letters of Protection to the people of the Isles,H " for all 

 the men of the island of Gerneseye, as well as those of the 

 islands of Jereseye, Serk and Aureneye as the king hears that 

 men of his realm and power and friendship under colour that 



* Calendar, Close Rolls, 1310, p. 499. 



t Calendar, Close Rolls, 1340, p. 637. 



t Bulletin XVI., Societe Jersiaise, p. 38. 



§ Bulletin XVI., Societe Jersiaise, p. 38. || Do., p. 27. 



1" Calendar, Patent Rolls, 1340. 



