Vol 1: The Bluets - Lackham Countryside Centre

The Bluets 96
the original roll was from 1304 and refers to the siege of Stirling
Castle in April to July of that year, and not to the battle of
Stirling Bridge on 11 September seven years earlier. There are
two reasons for believing this: (a) the English are unlikely to have
celebrated a disastrous defeat in a roll of arms, but they would
have been pleased with the recapture of the castle at the end of
the siege; and (b) the headnote on the roll describes the forcing
of a ford across the Forth on the Saturday after Trinity [30
May in 1304] and the rout of the Scots.
A description (undated but probably about 1300) gives John Bluet as or
une eglee goules and ii testes 412
In March 1299 John Bluet was on his way to the court of the Pope in
Rome, on behalf of Edward I, with Robert de Halghton 413 . John named
William Martel and Thomas Page as his attorneys to act for him while he
was away 414 . In 1287 the same Thomas Page had quitclaimed
all his rights in half a 'ham' (a portion of meadow) called
Badecockes lying next to the abbey of Lacock in exchange for
one and a half acres of meadow in Northmede, formerly
belonging to John Crok 415
The aim of this embassy has not been discovered but it may have been to
412
As Peter Haworth kindly pointed out
“The best authority by far for mediaeval blazon is Dr Gerard J Brault, a
francophone Canadian, sometime Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of French and
Medieval Studies at Pennsylvania State University, and a world authority on
mediaeval French and [who] also wrote 'Rolls of Arms of Edward I'. In Early
Blazon [2nd ed, Boydell, 1997.] he gives examples of 'teste' used as the head of a
dragon, wolf, lamb, leopard, serpent, and specifically 'egle de deus testes' (see p
173). Later of course the word became 'tête' with the circumflex indicating the
missing 's'.[Haworth, Peter 2011 pers. comm]
413
Sir Robert de Halghton was a Staffordshire knight. Interestingly he was an MP,
and supporter of Simon de Montfort in the Parliament of 1258, so he too had been
forgiven by King Edward (Political History of Penkridge, 1258 – 1603 at
http://www.timespast.org.uk/id87.html) Robert de Halghton died in 1303 (IPM
Staffordshire, dated 20 Jan. 32 Edw 1 – 1303)
414
Calendar Close Rolls Edw I vol 3 1296 – 1303 dated March 8th 1299 p397
415
Document, detailed in a sale catalogue, dated Lacock, Wiltshire, 26th May 1314,
current location unknown.