resign unto the king all homages and fealties to him before made, in the name of all the Barony of England. Then the forenamed Sir William Trussel, upon the day of the Conversion of Saint Paul, or the five-and-twenty day of January, by the authority of his office, in the presence of the foresaid lords, had these words following unto the king:

'I, William Trussel, in the name of all men of this land of England, and Procurator of this Parlement, resign to thee, Edward, the homage that was made to thee sometime, and from this time forth deprive thee of all kingly power: and I shall never be attendant unto thee as king after this time. And thus was King Edward II deposed, and his son made king, when he had reigned full 18 years, 6 months and odd days. Then Edward thus remaining in prison, at first in the castle of Kenelworth, and after in the castle of Barkle, took great repentance of his former life; where, after about Saint Matthew's tide, the said Edward, by the means of Sir Roger Mortimer, was miserably slain.’

EXTRACTS FROM STOW'S 'ANNALS' [1580].

'1307. [King Edward] commanded [his son] to honour his mother, and love his two brethren, Thomas, Earl Marshall, and Edmund, Earl of Cornwall [Kent]. Moreover he charged him on his curse, that he should not presume to call home Pierce of Gauaston, by common decree banished, without common favour. The king also called unto him, Henry Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, Guy, Earl of Warwick, Aymer de Valence, Earl of Penbroke, and Robert Clifford, Baron, desiring them to be good to his son, and that they should not suffer Pierce of Gauaston to come again into England, to set his son in riot.

'Edward II, son to the first Edward, born at Carnaruan, began his reign the 7 day of July, in the year of Christ 1307; he was fair of body, but unsteadfast of manners, and disposed to lightness, haunting the company of vile persons, and given wholly to the pleasure of the body, not regarding to govern his common weal by discretion and justice, which caused great variance between him and his lords. He caused Walter Langton, Bishop of Chester, to bring the king his father's body from Carlile to Waltham Cross, and then to be arrested by the Constable of the Tower, and sent to Wallingford, there to be shut up in prison, and his goods confiscate, because in his father's lifetime he

had reproved him of his insolent life, etc. He also called out of exile Pierce of Gauaston, a stranger born, which lately in his father's days had for certain causes been banished this land. He gave to the said Pierce the earldom of Cornwall, the Isle of Man, and the lordship of Wallingford, otherwise assigned to Queen Isabel.

fore, their petitions

'1308. The king went over into France, and married Isabel, the French king's daughter, at Bolloigne, the 22 of January. The king gave unto Pierce of Gauaston, all such gifts and jewels as had been given to him, with the crowns of his father his ancestor's treasure, and many other things, affirming that if he could he should succeed him in the kingdom; calling him brother, not granting anything without his consent. . . The lords besought the king to hear, therethat he would observe the oath he made before his father, as of the revoking of Peter Gauaston. ... Then the king taking counsel of Pierce, Hugh Spenser, the treasurer, the chancellor, and others, he appointed to answer the barons at the Parliament on Hockday. Hugh Spencer [was] made Constable of London. The Parliament on Hockday was kept, the king and barons being there; when they decreed the same Pierce should be banished the land, to depart on the morrow after Midsummer Day, never to return again. The king gave him two-andthirty towns, and so many castles in Gascoigne, and great sums of money out of his earldom of Cornwall, during his life: the king accompanied him to Bristow, sent him into Ireland, assigning him the whole government and revenues of that country.

'1309. Robert, Archbishop of Canterbury, returned from Rome, and was restored to all his goods. The king sent for Pierce of Gauaston out of Ireland: he landed at Kerneruan, on the Even of Saint John Baptist. The king met him at the castle of Flint, with great joy, and gave to him the Earl of Glocester's sister in marriage. They were married at Barkhamsteed, which caused him again to rise in pride, scorning the nobles of the realm, and to abuse the king as before he had done, in conveying the treasure of the realm unto foreign countries, amongst the which treasure, he conveyed the table and trestles of gold from the treasury of Westminster, and delivered them to one Armery of Frisconband, to be conveyed into Gascoigne. The barons, therefore, declared to the king, that except he would expel the said Pierce from his company, they would rise against him, as against a perjured prince. And once again, though

sore against the king's mind, he caused Pierce to abjure with condition added by the barons, that if he were found again in any land subject to the king's dominion, he should be taken as a common enemy, and condemned. This being done, he passed into Flanders, and from thence to other countries, seeking rest which he could not find.

1310. Pierce of Gaueston, conceiving a trust in the friendship of the king and the Earl of Gloucester, whose sister he had married, taking with him many strangers, returned into England. And a little before Christmas he came to the king's presence, who for joy of his coming, forgetting all oaths and promises, received him as a heavenly gift.

'1311. King Edward for his recreation took the sea, leaving Peter of Gauaston at York, whereupon the barons brought their power, and entered the city of York, but Peter fled to Scarborough, then the barons besieged Scarborough, where they took him, and committed him to the custody of Aymer de Valence, Earl of Pembroke, who brought him to the manor of Dedington, which is betwixt Oxford and Warwick, and there left him to be kept safe. But the next day, in the morning, Guy, Earl of Warwick, with a company of armed men, took him from thence and brought him to Warwick Castle. After deliberation taken, the Earls of Lancaster, of Warwick, and of Hereford, caused in their presence, in a place then called Gauesice or Black Low, the 19 of June, his head to be stricken off.

1312. Hugh Spencer, the son, was appointed the king's chamberlain, in place of Peter of Gaueston, whom they the rather preferred, because they knew the king hated him; nevertheless not long after, by his great diligence, he brought himself into the king's favour. The father of this Hugh being old, was yet living, a knight of great virtue, in counsel wise, in arms valiant, whose confusion and shameful end he wan unto himself by natural love, though disordinate, toward his son, who was in body very comely, in spirit proud, and in action most wicked, whose covetousness and ambition, by the disheriting of widows and strangers, wrought the death of the nobles, the fall of the king, with the utter destruction of himself and his father.

1313. King Edward gathering a great power, marched toward Scotland. . . Never afore that time was seen the like preparation, pride, and cost in the time of war, as affirmeth Robert Paston, a Carmelite friar, being present. The first night (saith he) ye might have seen the Englishmen bathing themselves in wine, and casting their gorges.

There

was crying, shouting, wassailing, and drinking, with other rioting far above measure. On the other side, ye might have seen the Scots quiet, still and close, fasting the Even of Saint John Baptist, labouring in love of the liberty of their country. [See Extracts from Fabyan for further detail as to this battle of Bannockburn.]

1320. [The barons] sent to the king, being at London, requiring him to banish the two Hugh Spencers, which were condemned by the commonalty in many articles, which, when the king would not grant, the barons came to London, where at length the king granted their petition, so that Hugh Spencer the elder was banished, but the younger Hugh fell to spoiling on the sea.

'1321. King Edward held his Christmas at Circister, and after Christmas, leaving Gloucester and Worcister, he with his army went to Shrewsbury and Bridgenorth. Both the Mortimers meeting the king, reverently and peaceably submitted themselves unto him; but the king sent them both to the Tower of London. About the latter end of February the king gathered a host, and went against the rebels, and at Burton-upon-Trent put them to flight. The king pursuing them, the sixteenth of March, the hosts met again at Borowbridge. There were taken in the field, Thomas of Lancaster, with the lords, knights, and other, to the number of 65. . . On the two-and-twentieth of March, Thomas of Lancester was beheaded.

'The third week after Easter, a Parliament was gathered at York, where Hugh Spencer, the father, was made Earl of Winchester.

'1322. About the beginning of August, King Edward being at Pickering, there came ambassadors from the new French king, the Lord Benville, and Sir Andrew de Florentia, to cite the king to come to do homage for Guyon, Aquitaine, and other lands which he held of him; and though Hugh Spencer, the son, Lord Chamberlain, and Robert Baldock, Lord Chan cellor, had procured the said ambassadors not to declare their message to the king, yet when they should depart they did it, admonishing him to come. The French

king made a process against the King of England. And Charles de Valois, uncle to King Charles of France, a most deadly enemy to Englishmen, did seize on the dukedom of Angue, and the county of Portow, unto the use of his nephew the king.

1323. On Lammas Day, Roger Mortimer of Wigmore, by giving to his keepers a sleep-drink, escaped out of the

Tower, breaking through the wall, and coming into the kitchen near adjoining to the king's lodgings, and getting out of the top thereof, came unto a ward of the Tower, and so with the cords knit ladderwise, prepared aforehand by a friend of his, got to another ward, and so with great fear got to the Thamis, and with his helper, and two more of his counsel, passed the river, and avoiding the highways, came to the sea, and there finding a ship, passed over into France.

'1324. King Edward sent the queen, his wife, unto her brother, the French king, to establish the peace, who went over with a small company. By her mediation a peace was fully finished.

1325. Whiles the queen with her son remained in France longer than the king's pleasure was, and would not come again without Roger Mortimer, and other nobles that were fled out of England, and especially for the hatred she bare to the two Hugh Spencers; the king in displeasure banished them both, and all other that took their parts, whereupon many fled over the seas to the queen.

'The queen, perceiving that the nobles of France were corrupted with gifts sent out of England, so that she could trust none of them, secretly conveyed herself and her son to the Earl of Heynalde, desiring aid of him, who received and intreated her very honourably so long as she remained there.

6

1326. Isabel, the queen, made a marriage betwixt her eldest son Edward, and Philip, the earl's daughter, of Heynalde; and then with her son Edward, Edmund of Woodstock, Earl of Kent, the king's brother, Roger Mortimer, and many other noblemen that were fled out of England, and John, brother to the Earl of Heynald, being captain, with stipendary knights out of Almaine and Henalde, she took the seas with all her power, which were to the number of two thousand seven hundred fifty and seven men well armed, and arrived at Urewel or Orwel haven, besides Harwich, in Essex, about Michaelmas, whither immediately the Earl Marshall, the Earl of Leicester, the Bishops of Lincolne, Hereford, Divelyn, and Ely, came, and being joined to the queen, made a great army; the other bishops, specially of Canterbury, aided her with money.

The king caused also to be proclaimed that whosoever could bring the head of Roger Mortimer should have a thousand pound.

'On the other side, it was proclaimed in the queen's behalf, that all men should have good peace, except the