1921 THE DATING OF THE EARLY PIPE ROLLS 327 a most valuable record of the early part of Henry Ill's reign, 1 long lost, except as to certain portions ' ; (2) an unnamed document of ' a rather later date ', when * each ship had a "rector" or master and a "constable" or boatswain', so that ' the sum total of the officers and crew would amount to 24 in each ship '. 2 The latter record, although unnamed, must be that which was drawn up in 1293 and is printed in the Red Book of the Exchequer 3 (1896). On the Pipe Roll of 2 Richard I (1190) the figures prove that, as wages of war, the seaman received twopence a day, and the ' captain ' fourpence. Even on the king's Esnecca the men's wages were the same. 4 It will be observed that a ship's comple- ment varied, in 1190, from about twenty -three in the case of the Cinque Ports' ships, to sixty on the king's Esnecca. Some of those mentioned on the roll were of intermediate size. I would invite attention to one entry as being, when explained, of quite exceptional interest. Mr. Archer rendered it as * in pay of one sailor additional in Eustace de Burnes' ship 60s. 10d.' Who was this Eustace ? The answer is supplied by a plea of ten years later. In Michaelmas term, 1200, his widow Godeholt 5 sued Susanna de Planez for certain land, as part of the dower settled upon her by Eustace at their marriage. For the ship, however, of which the Pipe Roll speaks, we must turn to other evi- dence. In the Red Book of the Exchequer we find as holders of Kentish serjeanties, William de Bee and Eustace de Burne together. 6 Now in the Abbreviatio Placitorum 1 there are records of two pleas relating to ' Limingburne ' in Michaelmas term 3 John (1201) and Easter term 4 John, in which William de Bee was impleaded by William de Aiding [es] and his wife for a carucate of land therein. William de Bee claimed his portion as a co-heir ; but the plaintiffs claimed that the land was imparti- ble, being held by serjeanty, viz. by finding half a ship 8 in the kingy service. The case turned chiefly on the old-world legal 1 According to this document, ' each ship must carry twenty-one men, with a boy 8 p. 88. Have we here an anticipation of the relatively modern system, which provided a ' master ' to sail the ship, and a captain to fight her ? 3 pp. cexxxviii. 714-16. 4 ' In a whole year's pay of 61 sailors belonging to the king's Esnecca, the captain being counted as two, £185 10s. 10d.' This is the formula, which is uniform, and means that the unit was twopence, the captain receiving two units and the 59 seamen one apiece. The total pay, therefore, would be £185 10s. 10rf., which is the figure given on the roll. On the Pipe Rolls of Henry II the sum of £7 10*. is charged each time that the ship crossed the Channel. This would represent sixty of the above units, payable for a fortnight, &c, in strictness, the ' Quinzaine' (Quindena) of fifteen days. 5 ' Godeholt que fuit uxor de Eustac' de Burnes.' The lady's name was probably identical with Godeheud. The plea is recorded in Abb. Plac. p. 28 b. The marginal reference is ' Kane' ', though the land was in ' Godalming '. 6 p. 136. The date assigned is 5 John (1203). 7 pp. 34 a, 39 b. 8 'Scilicet inveniendi dimidiam navem in servicium Domini Regis ' (p. 34 a).
