Maritime record LWT 839 - Wreck of the La Godberad

1352 wreck of Flemish cargo vessel which stranded between Kirkley and Lowestoft en route from Sluis to Newcastle-upon-Tyne with a general cargo of wine, oil, cloth, wax, steel, alum, pitch, and "masers", which were plundered by local people, resulting in legal action. Constructed of wood, she was a sailing vessel. Two other Flemish ships were lost in the vicinity at the same time [see also TM 59 SW 54 and TM 58 NW 37].
Status: Casualty

'Grievous complaint by merchants of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Berwick, that some ships laden at Lescluse, in Flanders, were driven ashore between Oldekirkelay and Laystoft, and elsewhere in the county of Suffolk and broken, the goods and merchandise cast upon land and the men for the most part escaped alive. Men rushed upon many of the men as they came to land under the pretence that they were Scots and hence enemies of the King. They killed some of them in the sea as they were swimming to land, or on pieces of wood or some on the sea shore.' (1)(2)

Commission to Robert de Thorp and Henry Grene. Westminster, 5th March 1353. By C[ouncil]. Inquisition, Beccles, Suffolk, Thursday 28th March, 1353.

On Friday 2nd November, 1352, two "hagbotes" of Zealand...Shortly afterwards, on the same day, three ships were wrecked in the lordship between Kessyngland and Old Kyrkelemylle...

'The third ship was called LA GODBERADE, belonged to William Ladman of "la Scluse" [Sluys], who was master and came alive to land; John de Bulkam, who was chief merchant, servant to Gilbert de Dokesfeld and Robert his son of Newcastle, John Gray, John de Whitewell, and William de Muston, merchants, and all others who were on board, came safe to land; the cargo consisted of drapery, mercery, general merchandise, wine, oil, wax, and steel, to the value of £400. All these goods were cast ashore by the storm. Roger del Hath, parson of Todenham, Joan, late wife of Esmond de Hengrave, knight, William, parso of the "medeity" of the church of Pakefeld, Richard de Boketon, a "maintainer of the evildoers of Pakefeld and Old Kirkelee", Thomas de Colcestre his servant, and many others [named in the original document] by command of the same Joan and Esmond de Thorp took the goods to the use of Esmond de Hengrave as wreck, although the said merchants came to land alive, on the ground that they were Scots, whereas they are English and the king's liege men...It was found that certain masers, alum, pitch, ("tare") and other merchandise worth £10, the property of the said merchants, were in the hands of Richard Bonde of Pakefeld, and more in the hands of others, and these persons were commanded to give up the same. Then came Edmund de Thorp, knight, and Alexander de Straunge with some others and forbade the giving up of goods to others than themselves, with bad language ("grosses paroles") and threats, and assuming royal power in disobedience of the law and in disparagement of the crown to the damage of the merchants and their estate. The goods remain in the hands of the persons above named.' (6)

"Maser" or "mazer" = drinking bowl, originally of maple wood, later applied to bowls or plate of any material [OED].

'1352. Nov. 20. Westminster. Commission to Thomas de Drayton, lieutenant of the admiral of the king's fleet of ships towards the north in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, and William de Irland as follows; on complaint by the men of Berwick on Tweed the king has heard that some ships freighted with their goods and merchandise coming from Flanders were lately by a storm at sea broken near the coasts of those counties and a great part of the goods and merchandise having been washed ashore was salved by the men of the said coasts and is unjustly detained from the complainants although many men of the same ships came to land alive, for which they have prayed the king to provide a remedy, and he, willing to do this for the men of Berwick on Tweed, who stay continually in the munition of the town and whose absence, if they were to sue for restitution of their goods at such distant counties, might result in the loss of the town, has appointed the said Thomas and William to inform themselves by the oath of good men of the counties as well as by such other ways and means as shall be expedient of the said goods and merchandise, to arrest the same and deliver them to the petitioners and to compel those found detaining the goods to restore the same; provided that, if they find among them goods of the king's enemies of Scotland, they cause these to be kept safely for the king's use.

'Vacated because otherwise below.

'Nov. 20. Westminster. The like, on complaint by the men of Berwick on Tweed and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, as above.' (5)

'1353. March 5, Westminster. Commission to Robert de Thorpe and Henry Grene to make inquisition in the county of Suffolk touching a grievous complaint by merchants of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Berwick-on-Tweed that, whereas some ships laden at Lescluse in Flanders with their goods and merchandise, while on the voyage to the said towns were driven ashore between Oldekirkelay and Laystoft, and elsewhere in the county of Suffolk, and broken, the goods and merchandise therein cast up on land and the men of the same ships for the most part escaped alive, as has been testified by letters patent under the seals of the commonalties of the said towns of Newcastle and Berwick shewn before the King and Council, Edmund de Eingrave "chivaler", Edmund de Thorp and others rushing upon many of the said men as they came to land, under the pretence that they were Scots and enemies of the King, killed some of them in the sea as they were swimming to land on pieces of wood and some on the sea shore, wounded some and left them for dead on the sand, and claiming the goods and merchandise as wreck as though no one had escaped alive out of the ships carried away the same; then seeing that they could not justify their deed in this behalf, they sold the goods and merchandise to Mary late the wife of Thomas, late earl of Norfolk and marshal of England, to exclude the merchants from recovery of the same, and procured her to obtain, by a suggestion in the chancery that some of those parts had carried away her goods at Leystoft, Pakfeld, Kirkele, and Cressynglond, a commission of oyer and terminer and so Edmund...[illegible]...Edmund and their accomplices are striving to usurp the goods and merchandise, and to hinder the merchants in the recovery of their own and to have them outlawed by the processes to be made by such commission, for which the complainants have prayed the king for a remedy; and to certify him of the whole truth of the matter.' (3)

'1353. April 28, Westminster. The like [commission of oyer and terminer] to Richard de Wilughby, Richard de Thorpe and Henry de Grene on complaint by Gilbert de Duxfeld, Robert de Duxfeld and John de Bulkham, merchants of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, that, whereas they laded at Lescluses in Flanders a ship called LA GODBERAD, whereof William Ladman of Lescluses was master, with wines and other goods and merchandise to make their proft of at the said town of Newcastle and the ship on the voyage was driven ashore at Oldkirkele, co. Suffolk, by the violence of the sea, and there broken to pieces and the goods were cast up on the land at Oldkirkele, Pagefeld, Leistoft and Kessynglond, and the said master and John, with the mariners, marchants, and the other men in the ship came to land alive, William de Parys, Roger Reymund, John Randolf, James Scot, Edmund Mellyng, William Hert and others carried away the said goods and merchandise.' (4)

NB: Source (2) gives a reporting date of 28-APR-1353, but quotes an earlier CPR reference of 05-MAR-1353.

The nationality of the vessel is expressed in the summary as the Flemish nationality current at the time of loss, and specified in the Periods/Types database as Dutch. Lescluse is now Sluis in the Netherlands, the region of Flanders now being shared between the modern states of the Netherlands, Belgium and France.

Master: William Ladman (1)(2), of Sluis (4)(6)
Owner: of cargo, Gilbert and Robert de Duxfeld, and John de Bulkham, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (4); John de Bulkam, Gilbert de Dokesfeld and Robert his son of Newcastle, John Gray, John de Whitewell, and William de Muston, merchants (6)
Owner: of ship, William Ladman, of Sluys (4)(6)

Date of Loss Qualifier: Actual date of loss

Additional sources cited in source (6):
Calendar of Inquisitions Miscellaneous, 1348-77, No.148 (C145/170, No.7)