CHAP. XI.
THE LORD D'AUXY AND SIR FLORIMONT DE BRIMEU, SENESCHAL OF PONTHIEU AND OF ABBEVILLE, MARCH TO LAY SIEGE TO CROTOY.
About the middle of October, in this year, the lord d'Auxy, commander in chief, on the frontiers of Ponthieu and Abbeville, together with sir Florimont de Brimeu, seneschal of the same, and a bold and hardy knight of Rhodes, called sir John de Foix, assembled a certain number of combatants. These they marched before the castle of Crotoy, held by the English, with the hope of conquering and putting it under the obedience of the duke of Burgundy within a short time, from the intelligence of a peasant,—who had lately, as he said, been in the castle, and the garrison had so wasted their corn and flour that he gave them to understand they would not be able to hold out, from famine, more than one month.
On this report, which was afterward found to be untrue, they fixed their quarters in front of the castle, within the old inclosure of the town. They demanded assistance from different lords, who sent them some men at arms. They were also much aided with provisions and money from Abbeville, the inhabitants of which were very desirous that Crotoy should be conquered, for the garrison had frequently done them great mischief. They sent intelligence of what they were about to the duke of Burgundy, and required his support. The duke dispatched some of his household to examine into the matter, and they reported to him, that unless the place were blockaded by sea, it would be impossible to reduce it by famine. Upon this, the duke wrote letters to the governors of Dieppe, St Valery, and of the adjoining sea-ports, to hire as many vessels as they could to blockade the entrance of the river Somme; and went himself to the castle of Hêdin, whither he sent for sir John de Croy, bailiff of Hainault, who had been formerly governor of Crotoy, to ask his opinion as to the probability of its being conquered.
The duke ordered sir John to join the lord d'Auxy and his companions, with a body of men at arms, and to take the chief command of the siege. He went thither also himself, with few attendants, to examine into the state of the business, but made no long stay. That his men might be undisturbed by the English in their quarters, either by sea or land, from Crotoy, he ordered a large blockhouse to be erected, wherein they might be more securely lodged. It was very substantially built, and surrounded with ditches, under the directions of a knight called sir Baudo de Noyelle. When this was done, other works were erected, and the whole provided with a sufficiency of all sorts of stores and provision. In the interim, several skirmishes passed,—and in one of them the lieutenant governor of Crotoy was taken prisoner by the lord d'Auxy.
Intelligence of these preparations of the duke of Burgundy was carried to king Henry of England and his council, who were not well pleased thereat; for they were sensible of the great advantage of Crotoy to facilitate their landing a force in Picardy. It was therefore resolved to provide a speedy remedy against them; and letters were instantly dispatched to the governor of Rouen, ordering him to collect as large a body of men at arms as he could in Normandy, and to march to the relief of Crotoy. This order was immediately published, and four thousand combatants, as well horse as infantry, speedily assembled, under the command of lord Talbot, lord Faulconbridge, sir Thomas Kiriel and others. They advanced to the abbey of St Valery, where they quartered themselves, having brought provision with them.
While this army was collecting, the duke of Burgundy, having had information of the intentions of the English, had previously summoned from Picardy and his other dominions the greater part of his nobility and men at arms, who might amount to eight hundred or a thousand fighting men. They marched from Hêdin, and had arrived at Abbeville the day before the English came to the abbey of St Valery.