TEE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
11 
It is remarkable that these cannon were all loaded before being removed 
from Caen, and in that state taken to the siege: this is shewn by more than 
one item of the account. First we have 
“ A Guillaume de Saint Vigor, pour c livres de plon, de lui achate pour mettre 
en pelotes, pour charger les canons pour porter au siege, et pour yceux recharger 
a la place se mestier estoit.....” 
Again, 
“ A Pierre Koillart, pour sa paine et sallaire d’avoir charroie de Caen au siege et 
d’ illecq a la place in grans canons de fer, xxim de cuivre et v autres petits de fer, 
tous charges de pierre et de plommees, le boys, les chevilles, les gougons, et toutes 
les choses necessaries pom* yceulx faire geter.” 
Other items confirm the above, and we can thus see the necessity for the 
vent-cover, if the cannon had to lie for days loaded and ready to be fired. 
Cannon of considerable size seem now to have become common through¬ 
out France. Froissart mentions 140 cannon used at the siege of Odruik 
by the Duke of Burgundy, in 1377, which threw projectiles of 2001b. 
weight: 
“Et la jetoient les canons, dont il y avoit jusques a sept vingt, carreaux de deux 
cents pesant, qui pertuisoient les murs; ni rien ne duroit devant eux.” x 
Later in the year William de Weston was tried before the English 
Parliament for surrendering this castle of Odruik or Outherwyk, as it is 
called. He made the following defence :— 
“ Plese vous savoir coment par un Lundy, houre de prime, viendront les Enemys 
par le dit Chastel asseger a la nombre entour ii m. et Vi. c. hommes d’ armes et 
vn c. arblasters de genevoys ovesq v. m. de la communaute de pays cientz ix 
grosses cannons, un grant engyn, et un trebuchet outre ascun mesure que l’en avoit 
unges vien par devant en cettes marches/’ 1 2 
Thus the statement of Froissart as to there having been large cannon 
employed here is confirmed by excellent evidence, but the number is con¬ 
siderably reduced. Indeed throughout this and all other chronicles the 
numbers of troops &c. must be accepted with considerable caution. We 
see here that the cannon had not yet entirely superseded the trebuchet. 
At Ardres, earlier in the same year, the French “ firent dresser et appareiller 
leurs canons qui portoient carreaux de deux cents pesant/’ 3 
It is remarkable that the projectiles here used should be called “carreaux.” 
It is unlikely that the form of the arrow should have been retained for 
projectiles of so great weight; and we prefer to suppose that Froissart uses 
the word in the general sense of a projectile for cannon. We have no reason 
for believing that iron shot had as yet been fabricated in France, and must 
therefore conclude that these projectiles were of stone. The fact of their 
piercing the walls is also of great importance, as we have here the first 
1 Froissart, Vol. I. ch. 390, p. 716. 
2 Rolls of Pari. 1 Rich. II. (1377, p. 10). 
3 Froissart, Vol. I. ch. 389, p. 714. 
