1339-02-25, Byfleet

To the treasurer and barons of the exchequer and to the chamberlains. the king ordered them, by writ of privy seal, to account with John Wesenham for wages for himself and forty men at arms, forty archers fifty mariners retained in a ship called la Grace de Dieu of Lenne, from in the 11th year of the reign until the Annunciation last, to set to sea to attack the king's enemies, and to arrest goods and chattels to him, allowing him the accustomed wages of war, and to pay him they found to be due, and although they accounted with him, they refused to make payment to him because he does not answer to the for 41 sarplars of wool arrested by Walter de la Haye, his serjeant at in the said ship, in Gascony, delivered by indenture to Oliver de seneschal of the duchy [of Aquitaine], and for a ship called la Rede and 260 tuns of wine found therein, arrested by John and the others men in two ships of the earl of Salisbury, although the ship is demised others in the port of Southampton and was afterwards for the king's use by Gawayn le Corder and Robert Leddrede, the king ordered them to view the account and give John for the sums due to him; and afterwards John informed the that they delayed to give him satisfaction, because it is not certain by king's order who ought to be charged with the wool, ship and wine, the king ordered them to satisfy John for the sums which should find to be due to him, and because by the advice of the council the king granted to him permission to take 200 sacks of wool from the port of Boston and 40 from the port of Ipswich to Andewerp in Brabant, allowing the custom and subsidy due thereon in part satisfaction of the said debt, the king ordered the treasurer, barons and chamberlains to direct the collectors of the said ports to permit John to take wool from them as aforesaid; and now John has informed the king that although the treasurer and barons are certified by writ of privy seal that la Redecogge was lost with the king's ship called la Cristofre and other vessels, and that part of the 260 tuns of wine has been given by the king to divers persons and the residue is in the king's possession, and that the sarplars of wool were delivered to the seneschal and they are ordered to discharge John of the ship, wine and wool, yet payment is not made to him, whereupon he has besought the king to provide a remedy; the king therefore orders the treasurer, barons and chamberlains to view the aforesaid writ of privy seal and John's account, and to give him payment or an assignment for what is found to be due to him beyond the 480/. allowed to him, directing the collectors of customs in the ports that he shall choose to permit him to take so much wool, whereof the custom and subsidy reach what is found to be due to him, causing the custom and subsidy to be allowed to him in full satisfaction of such sum. By the keeper and C.