A letter from Eleanor of Provence (04/30/1254)

Translated letter:

Notification to the barons of the Cinque Ports and all others by the sea coast that the king wills that the good men of Jernemuth and Dunewic shall go with the fleet to Gascony with the queen, and forbids them on pain of their lands, life and limbs from causing any damage or impediment to them by reason of any contentions between them. And if they presume to go against this prohibition the king will betake himself to the bodies of them their wives and children, their lands and tenements in the realm, so that they shall for ever feel themselves aggrieved. 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, 4.368; summary in English.(1)

Date:

04/30/1254