A letter from Eleanor of Provence (02/19/1254)

Translated letter:

Mandate to the bailiffs and others of the seaports, as the abbot of Beaulieu has mainprised that his ship arrested at Sandwich for the queen’s crossing to Gascony, shall be at Portsmouth by the quinzaine of Easter, to permit it the mariners to take it with the merchandise in her where they will; until Easter. By the queen.

Historical context:

When Henry III went to Gascony to deal with a rebellion, he appointed Eleanor to run the government with the counsel of his brother Richard of Cornwall (who was married to Eleanor’s sister Sanchia). The Patent Rolls record the actions she took in that position.

Scholarly notes:

(1) After the first two volumes of the Patent Rolls published in Latin, the editors shifted to English translations, explaining that the "language tends gradually to become more formal and verbose."

Printed source:

Calendar of the Patent Rolls, Henry III, 1247-58, 4.364; summary in English.(1)

Date:

02/19/1254