6 
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS OF 
cannon for which all these stores were provided, were still but small pieces, 
even when designated as great cannon. 
A somewhat larger proportion of powder appears to have been allotted to 
four “ great cannon,” which were intended to form part of the armament of 
Harfleur in 1368. 
According to Ducange 1 there appears a in compute auxiliorum coacto- 
rum pro liberatione Joannis Regis Franc, ann. 1368, in camera computer. 
Paris, f Guillaume FEscuier maistre des canons du roy, que icelui seigneur 
lui a ordonne estre bailie pour querir cent livres d'estoffe a faire poudre 
pour quatre grans canons qu 5 il doit faire pour mettre en la garnison de 
HarefleurF 99 But this quantity of 25 lb. powder for each cannon leaves but 
a small portion for each discharge, if we remember that it was intended as 
garrison ammunition, and so might at any time be required to last through¬ 
out a siege; and the duration of the sieges of those days frequently extended 
to several months. 2 
An extract from the register of accounts of the town of Arras furnishes 
the details of the stores provided for the defence of the various gates of the 
town in 1369. These gates appear to have been armed with several cannon, 
each of which was supplied with twelve “garros” and 2^ lb. of powder, about 
3J oz. for each charge. A hammer, a pair of bellows and a rammer, called 
u cache 99 or “ poussoir 99 were the stores provided for the cannon. There 
were two cannon noted as small; but as 3 lb. of powder, and only 12 arrows 
were supplied for the two, the charge allowed for them appears to have been 
rather larger than that for the cannon not distinguished as small. This 
rather long document is printed entire in the Etudes ; 3 one extract from 
it will be sufficient here, all the items being almost exactly alike, the names 
of the “ connestables 99 and the gates being of course changed. 
“Item a Willaume de Nauve connestable, pour ledite porte de Ronville : i canon, 
xii garros, I martel, i soufflet, i poussoir, i banniere en austee, ic de quarrelz a 
i pied, mi pignonchiaulx, i falot, n livres et demie de pourre et un quarteron de 
tourtiaulx.” 
An order from Louis, duke of Anjou, to the treasurer of wars, dated 15th 
July, 1370, for the payment of money to “Jehan Beneger, maistre de 
l'artillerie du roy,” specifies the following military stores amongst others as 
those to be bought with this money: “ quatre canons du pris de doze franx; 
me cavilhes, du pris de m franx; xv livres de poudre, pour les canons, 
du pris de v franx; me plombades du pris de viii franx ; mi buffets et 
mi payrolets, pour le service des canons du pris de hi franx.” 4 
These cannon only cost 3 francs apiece; and 15 lb. of powder only permits 
of one-twentieth of a pound being used with each of the 300 leaden pro¬ 
jectiles. They were apparently of the same type of breech loaders as those 
1 Gloss, sub voce Canones. 
2 As for instance, the siege of Calais by Edward III. 1347-8, which, lasted more than a year, or 
that of Rheims by the same monarch, lasting six months, or that of Ventadour by the due de Berry, 
1387, lasting a year. 
3 Appendix, Vol IV. p. xiv. 
4 B. R. Clairamb., titres scelhss, Vol. 46, intitule: Amiraux de France, de Bretagne, G&neraux 
des gal&res, fol. 169. 
