Vol 1: The Bluets - Lackham Countryside Centre

The Bluets 93
the prime movers and powers within the country at this time. Both
Winchelsea and Bek were of major importance in the conflict between
Edward 1 and the Church between 1297 and 1300,which eventually led to
them both being banished from the kingdom - only to return at the
request of Edward II, years later.
From an Inquisition post mortem of 1297 it is known that John Bluet
held land in Bedfordshire 397 as well as Wiltshire, Gloucestershire
and Berkshire
There is a record of an agreement 398 between John Bluet and one William
Martel, who became John‘s squire . The Romantic Movement has given us a
skewed and unrealistic view of knights and their squires; this was actually
a contract, and is as formal and business-like a document
as any contract between manager and actor, or between
author and publisher.…
The fact was that ….Sir John Bluet wanted a courtly squire.
William Martel applied for the engagement, and got it. A
contract was then drawn up, and duly sealed: it was a contract
valid during the life of William Martel and it was binding on
the heirs of Sir John Bluet. 399
The text of this agreement, in both French and translation, was
earlier published by Thomas Wakeman
400
(see Appendix 2 for
397
Inquistions Post Mortem Edw I vol 3 no 386 p257 Inquisition of Laurence de
Sancto Mauro Sunday before the Annunciation 25 Edw I [6th April 1297; strangely
the IPM says this was April 10th, but the Feast of the Annunciation was April 7th
in the old calendar – Waters, C (2003) A Dictionary of Saints Days, Fasts, Feasts
and Festivals Countryside Books p16] held at Bedford “a capital messuage 140a
arable 30s rent of free tenants and 63s rent of bondmen who are ought to reap in
autumn, held of John Bluet by service of 110s yearly”
398
British Library Add. Ch. 1531 signed at Silchester 25 Edw I (1297). Written in
French
399
http://www.harvestfields.ca/horror/006/174.htm. This is a short piece called
Chivalry by Arthur Macken, a writer of (mainly) horror stories but in this gloss on
the agreement he makes some useful points. The original document source is not
given, and no reference is made of the Arch. Canb. article, see next footnote.
400
Wakeman, T (1847) Agreement between Sir John Bluet, Knt. And William
Martell Temp. Edw. I Archaeologica Cambrensis Vol II pp 143-145. The original and