MARITIME HISTORY dues to be applied under the supervision of the merchants of Marazion and the fishermen. 1 There was an earlier grant in February, 1392-3, to the bailiffs of Mousehole of quayage for five years to enable them to finish a quay, but this may not have afforded any shelter to ships. 2 After the death of Henry V one of the first proceedings of the regency was to sell off the Royal Navy by auction, but the loss was not at once felt because there was no French force capable of contesting the dominion of the sea. There were arrests of shipping in 1428 and 1430, but there was now a general feeling that in this method ' the long coming together of the ships is the destruction of the country.' 3 Vessels were still impressed for the transport of troops, but the military service was handed over to contractors who undertook to keep the sea with a certain number of ships and men for a specified time. No doubt the contractors desired to obtain as much money and go to as little expense as possible, and in 1442 Parliament, dissatisfied with the results, prepared a scheme by which a squadron was to be made up of ships from various ports. Cornwall did not supply any of the large ships, but among the barges the Slugge of Saltash 4 was selected, and another from Falmouth ; among the balingers the Palmer of Fowey, belonging to Sir William Bonville, was chosen. 5 There are in existence several lists of ships taken up for the transport of troops in 1439, 1440, 1443, I447> and I452. 6 Seeing that they represent only a portion, large or small, of the merchant marine, they show that notwithstanding war and weak government it was still flourishing both in number and tonnage, some of the vessels being of 300 and 400 tons. In these years Fowey supplied nineteen transports ; ten were of IOO tons or less, one was of 300 tons, one of 2OO, and the others between 100 and 200 tons. Saltash sent six ships, one being of 260 tons, two of 160, and the others of IOO tons or under ; Landulph five, of which the largest was of 1 2O tons ; Looe five, the largest being of 1 80 tons ; Penzance four, of 120 tons and under ; Penryn two, and Truro two, of which the largest was 80 tons ; Falmouth two, of which one was no tons ; Marazion two, and Mergesawe (Mevagissey) one, the largest of the last three being of 70 tons. Sea power played no great part in the wars of the Roses, but both sides had other objects, momentarily more important than the safety of the Channel, to consider. When such legal trammels as existed were relaxed no doubt the men of the western ports took the opportunity to fish in troubled waters with more or less success. In August, 1457, the Seneschal de Brze", with a combined Norman and Breton force, sacked Sandwich, and the Bretons on their way home made an especial attack on Fowey, which seems to suggest that they had some specific scores to settle with the Fowey men. Half the town was burnt, but subsequent events showed that no great injury could have been done to the shipping. In October, Warwick, the ' king maker,' was appointed guardian of the Channel, and Fowey in particular is said to have attached itself to his fortunes, although in the opinion of Edward IV Cornwall as a whole was Lancastrian ; in any case Fowey is not recorded to have done anything striking for Warwick, nor is he known to have made any exceptional use of the Fowey men. The last surge of the war reached Cornwall in 1473, when the earl of Oxford, after an unsuccessful attempt to land in Essex, sailed down Channel, and by an artifice seized St. Michael's Mount on 30 September. 7 He was besieged there, at first in a friendly manner by the sheriff, Sir Henry Bodrugan and afterwards more strictly by his successor, Richard Fortescue, for four and a half months, and it does not appear even then that force prevailed. The earl's men were enticed away by promises of pardon and reward until only eight or nine followers were left to him, and on 15 February, 1474, he surrendered on promise of life. In 1429 the Commons petitioned that the crown would deal with the reveres sur le meere, who were making commerce impossible, and it may be imagined that conditions did not improve during the succeeding forty years. With the calm that followed the battle of Tewkesbury most of the ports must have accepted the altered situation and turned their attention to ways of peace, but Fowey, among the Cornish towns, stands out as unregenerate. In 1470 there is a list of Spanish ships plundered by Fowey sailors, for which the crown admitted responsibility, 8 and there are many other cases in which writs of inquiry were issued. In one instance, in 1472, a Fowey ship must have been working the Portuguese coast, for a trader sailing from a Portuguese to a Spanish port was plundered. 9 At last Edward, who had now time to consider these matters, must have become tired of constantly giving warrants on the customs to compensate the victims of these piratical adventures. It may be that there had been previous warnings, but on 28 November, 1474, a writ 1 Pat. 6 Hen. VI, pt. i, m. 22. There are several entries on the French Roll showing the existence of a direct trade between Mount's Bay and Spain. 1 Pat. 16 Ric. II, pt. iii, m. 23. This patent speaks of Mousehole possessing much English and foreign trade. 3 Proc. of P. C. (ist Ser.) v, 102. 4 Not sluggish under sail ; John Slugge of Saltash was a shipowner. 5 Rot. Pad. v, 59. e Exch. Accts. K.R. bdle. 53, Nos. 23, 24, 25, 39 ; bdle. 54, Nos. 10, 14. 7 ' With a sotule poynte of werre.' He and his men are said to have gained admission disguised as pilgrims. 8 FoeJera, xi, 671. 9 Pat. 12 Edw. IV, pt. ii, m. 23 d. 483
