12 June, 2016

690 Years Ago....

...in the first half of June 1326, according to his chamber journal, Edward II:

- played an unspecified ball game in the park of Saltwood Castle in Kent with his household steward Sir Thomas le Blount, Sir Robert Wateville, and unnamed others. In August 1325, Edward paid twenty-two men for playing a ball game for his benefit, presumably two teams of eleven

- after he left Saltwood, sent pomegranates to two members of his household who'd been forced to remain behind there, ill; pomegranates were extremely expensive

- paid twelve pounds for the expenses of his second son John of Eltham, then aged almost ten (Sire Johan Deltham fuitz le Roi), and his niece Eleanor Despenser née de Clare (Dame Alianore la Despensere niece le Roi), travelling together from the royal palace of Sheen west of London to Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire, where just a few months later, Edward II was forced to abdicate

- gave a gift of ten marks to his chamber squire Garsy Pomit "for what he did in the king's chamber when he [Edward] ate," and because Garsy had brought him some news from Gascony

- paid five pounds to his chamber knight Sir Giles Beauchamp "for what he did when the king went to sleep" (sang him lullabies?). This was also intended for Giles' expenses going home on leave for a little while

- paid five pounds to a squire of his sister-in-law Alice Hales, countess of Norfolk and countess marshal, wife of his half-brother Thomas of Brotherton, for bringing him Alice's letters

- hired a man called Ambrose, son of Will de la Wyk, as one of his chamber valets when he met him on the Thames between Bisham and Sheen

- paid forty shillings for the expenses of Anneis, wife of Roger, one of his trumpeters, travelling from Nottingham to court to visit her husband

- gave a pound to a fiddler called Richard who made music "for the king's pleasure"

- gave money to his valet Edmund 'Monde' Fisher, who was ill, and to Monde's son Litel Wille for bringing him the news a couple of days later that Monde had died (see here)

- gave thirty shillings to eight of his archers to buy themselves cloth, hose and shoes

- borrowed three shillings from his usher Peter Bernard to give to a poor man he met while riding away from Leeds Castle in Kent.

2 comments:

sami parkkonen said...

A pound to a fiddler and then. - Oi, lend me some cash and I'll pay you back later, theres a poor bloke and we wish to give him some dough.

So Edward!

Anerje said...

I want to know what Pomit and Beauchamp did! It's very intriguing. All these details give a real insight to Edward's character and how generous he could be.