1326-09-12, Porchester

To Ralph Basset of Drayton, constable of Dover castle, and warden of the Cinque Ports, or to him who supplies his place. Although the king ordered the mayors and bailiffs of the towns of Hethe, Dover, and Faversham, which are within the liberty of the Cinque Ports, to cause all owners of ships of those towns and the members thereof of the burthen of 50 tuns and upwards to come to Portesmuth with their ships on Sunday after the Decollation of St. John the Baptist last, to set out in his service for the defence of the realm against the attacks of the French, as they should be enjoined by Nicholas Kiriel, admiral of the fleet of ships towards the west, the said mayors and bailiffs have not hitherto caused certain of the ships to come to the said place; and the king has now ordained that twelve ships of Kent and the city of London, each provided with 40 armed men and victuals and other necessaries, of the ships that have not come to Portsmouth, shall remain on the sea coast near Forland in the Isle of Thanet for the repulse of the French and other enemies, if they endeavour to enter the realm there, at the cost of the men of the towns to which the ships belong who shall have no ships there, and have no part in the ships, and are not now in the king's service aforesaid, whilst other ships that have come to that place by virtue of the orders aforesaid and that have set out in the fleet with the aforesaid Nicholas shall remain in that service ; of which twelve ships the king wills that two shall be of the town of Hethe, two of the town of Dover, and the fifth of the town of Faversham: the king therefore orders the constable to cause the said five ships to be chosen out of the best ships of those towns that have not set out in the king's service as is aforesaid, and to cause each of them to be provided with 40 armed men and victuals and other necessaries at the expense of the aforesaid men, and to cause the necessary charges for the mariners and armed men to be levied, and to cause the ships to come to the coast aforesaid, so that they be there on Sunday the feast of St. Matthew next at the latest. He is enjoined not to permit more than is necessary to be levied from the men of the said towns by colour of this order. . 613 To the mayor and sheriffs of London.