186 THE WAR FINANCES OF HENRY V April subsequent years there were only fifty, some of which were re-enfeofments of the holdings of dead Englishmen, valued at 28,588 livres tournois. Probably many of these estates failed to bring the estimated revenue, being like the lands of Sir Gilbert Umfraville which are described in 1419 as 'a present de petite valour pour occasion de guerres et mortalites qui ont este ou pais, en son tres grant dommage , . 1 Nevertheless the king did derive some small financial advantages from these vassals. 2 After Bauge the holdings of those who had been killed were occupied by the ' baillis 3 Administration of property in wardship in cases like these was sold to the highest bidder. 4 The property of Sir John Grey, comte de Tancarville, will serve to illustrate both the methods and the conditions of the time. In 1421 the lordship of Monville, being in the king's hands by reason of the minority of the heirs, was publicly offered for rent for three years to the highest bidder, for the king's profit. For three successive weeks no one would bid ; but finally at the October assizes, the offer being again proclaimed, a single bid of 50 livres tournois a year was made and accepted. 5 Again, on 11 June 1421 the treasurer- general directed the ' vicomte ' of Caen to farm out the ' heri- tages ' of Sir John Grey, and a certain Jean Larchier secured one holding for 220 livres tournois a year, and another for 180 livres tournois. 6 It is impossible for want of documents to describe in detail the actual workings of the financial administration in its early stages. From such as exist it appears that money was expended by orders of Sir John Tiptoft, president of the Norman exchequer, to John Golafre, receiver-general, the former pre- sumably acting under royal direction. On stich orders we find the latter paying money to the groom of the royal wardrobe ' pour le us et pruffit ' of the king, 7 buying a ' certain porcion de fer ' from Sir Henry Noon for the same purpose, 8 and paying the wages of the sailors employed in carrying gun-stones from Rouen to Caen. 9 The only other document is a quittance from 1 Boles de Brequigny, 593. There is complaint of similar conditions on the estates of the abbey of St. Victor-en-Caux in 1420 (British Museum, Add. Charter 6808). 2 Most of the fiefs made annual presentations by way of homage. According to the terms of the grants these are described as swords, daggers, spurs, &c, but appar- ently each had a definite money equivalent which is estimated in a contemporary record of Henry's grants in Normandy {Mem. de la Soc. des Antiq. de Norm., xxiii. Parties des Dons f aits par Henri V, Roi d'Angleterre. See especially pp. 1, 9-10). 3 Boles de Brequigny, 981, 1020. 4 Vautier, pp. 133, 166-7, records the sale of wardships by auction in 1419 at 20 ecus a year. 5 British Museum, Add. Charter 302. 6 Archives du Calvados F, Fonds Danquin, Serie Caen. 7 Order to pay of 15 March 1419 (Arch, de la Seine-Inf., Occupation Anglaise, I, Pieces Melees. 8 Bibliotheque de Rouen, Y 29, t. 2, no. 15.
- Arch, du Calvados F, Fonds Danquin, Serie Caen.
