354 CASTLE CORNET. 



world appeared to be ending." The English fleet weighed 

 anchor and made for the nearest port, arriving at a small place 

 near Vannes. Don Louis managed to capture two ships laden 

 with stores before making for the open sea, and being driven 

 before the wind for three days, during which he lost three ships 

 with all hands, found himself off the coast of Navarre. [A 

 copy of a curious illustration of this battle off Guernsey taken 

 from an ancient manuscript of Froissart's Chronicles in the 

 Bibliotheque National, Paris, was recently presented by the 

 Rev. Bourde de la Rogerie to the Guille-Alles Library.] 



The Close Rolls for 1342 enable us to arrive within a few 

 days of the exact date on which this battle was fought. On 

 the 3rd August the English fleet had not yet sailed, for on 

 that day the king issued an order to the Collectors and 

 Receivers of Wool to deliver certain quantities of this article 

 to the Earl of Salisbury, " about to set out to Brittany on the 

 king's service."* Another letter in the Patent Rolls of the 

 10th May, 1343, mentions that Robert d'Artois was besieging 

 the town of Morlaix, "on Tuesday before the 29th August 

 last," namely, on the 27th August, 1342. This fixes the date 

 of the battle off Guernsey between the 3rd and 27th August, 

 1342, or about three months later than Froissart infers. 



The fact of the Countess de Montfort's force being 

 attacked when off' Guernsey by Don Louis of Spain, as well 

 as the knowledge that Castle Cornet was still occupied by the 

 French in the year following, 1343, has given rise to the 

 impression that they had recaptured the island and castle, and 

 that it was being used by Don Louis as the base of the 

 operations of his fleet, t But according to ample evidence now 

 at our disposal, we can show, that with the exception of Castle 

 Cornet, which still remained in the possession of the French, 

 Guernsey was in the hands of the English during the whole 

 of the year 1342, thus proving the idea that it had been 

 recaptured by the French, erroneous. 



The letter of the 30th January, 1342, referring to 

 Jerbourg Castle, has already been quoted, which proves the 

 island was in the possession of England at that date. Further, 

 on the 27th July of the same year, the king orders the 

 Warden to take into the king's hands the revenue of the 

 church of " St. Mary de Castello in the island of Gernereye, 

 until William de Gaillard be instituted parson thereof."! 



Note.— Similar orders appear in these Rolls for all the various Barons 

 mentioned by Froissart as taking part in this expedition, beginning with one for 

 Robert d'Artois dated the 3rd July, 1342. By another of the 26th of the same month, 

 Robert d'Artois was still "about to set out to Brittany on the king's service." 



* Calendar, Close Rolls, 1341—1343, p. 573. 

 f See Dupont, Vol. II., p. 306. AlsoTupper, Chronicle of Castle Cornet, pp. 10 to 15. 

 % Calendar of Close RoUs, 1342, p. 466. 



