A HISTORY OF SUSSEX to summon that parliament known as ' The Good ParHament ' he was opposed both by the Commons and the nobles and suffered a complete temporary defeat. To this parliament Sussex' sent as knights of the shire William Fifhyde and Robert de Ore, both men of good family, but not otherwise noteworthy nor of previous parliamentary experience ; the leader of the four lords chosen by the Commons to sit with them, Henry Percy, was also connected with Sussex, in which county he held the lordship of Petworth, When parliament had to be summoned again in January 1 377 the Duke took care to ensure its subservience by causing the sheriffs to return, without election, members favourable to his interest ; accordingly Sir John St. Clare and Robert Dalingrugge were sent up for Sussex, which they had represented on several previous occasions. The death of Edward deprived John of Gaunt of much of his power, and the opportunity of the assembling of Richard's first parliament in October 1377 was taken by many counties to return the members previously elected to the Good Parliament,^ but this was not done by Sussex, which chose William Percy and Nicholas Wilcombe. The reign of Richard II. opened disastrously for England and more especially for Sussex. The French had obtained command of the Channel and even captured the Isle of Wight, no doubt to the great alarm of the authorities at Chichester, who had just received orders to repair their walls, towers and gates and complete the new fosse.^ The enemy, however, chose the eastern portion of the county for their attack, and, in spite of commissions to array archers and men-at-arms granted to the Earl of Arundel, the Abbot of Battle, John Montague, William Batsford, William Percy and Nicholas Wilcombe,* landed at Rye, which they took without much trouble ; and after a stay of several days there, marched on Winchelsea and summoned the town to surrender. The gallant Abbot of Battle, however, who had taken command of the defence, refused the summons and offered so stout a resistance to the French that they gave up the assault and made their way to Hastings, which they found deserted and left in flames. Then not daring to advance inland they completed the sack of Rye and burnt it also to the ground. About the same time Rottingdean was the scene of another landing, but as the invaders were marching inland they were met by a small force under John of Cherlieu, prior of Lewes, Sir John Fallesley, Sir Thomas Cheyney and John Brocas ; a desperate fight ensued, in which about a hundred of the defenders fell and all their leaders were captured, but the enemy had lost so heavily that although, according to Froissart,^ their ships sailed up the estuary of the Ouse and actually anchored within sight of Lewes, they retired without attacking the town. The latter would have had to trust entirely to its walls and the gallantry of its burgesses, for the Earl of Arundel had fled, leaving the castle unprotected, and when the townsmen applied to him for aid > Suss. Arch. Coll. xxxi. 97. 2 Trevelyan, England in the Age of Wycliffe, 73. 3 Pat. I Ric. II. p. 2, m. 20. « Ibid. I, m. 28d. 6 Froissart, CA;-on. (ed. Johnes), ii. 182. 510
