1457–8.—A letter has been published from John Bokking, to Sir John Fastolf, of Norfolk, [234] from which the following is an extract:—“And my lord of Caunt’bury tolde me yat ye Frenche men have ben before yow, and yt ye shotte many gonnes, and so he tolde all ye lords, I have desirid hym to move ye counsell for refreshing of ye toun of Yermowth wt stuff of ordnance and gonnes and gonne powdre, and he said he wolde.”—Fenn’s Collection of Original Letters (occasionally called the Paston Letters), vol. i. p. 156.
1459.—The act of attainder of the 38th year of the reign of Henry VI., mentions the encampment of the Yorkists at Ludford, near Ludlow, and states that they “traiterously raunged in bataill, fortefied their chosen ground, their cartes with gonnes sette before their batailles;” * * * “and than and there shotte their seid gonnes, and shotte as wele at youre most roiall persone, as at youre lordes and people with you than and there beying.”—Rot. Parl. 38th Henry VI. vol. v. fo. 348.
1459.—At the Duke of Somerset’s repulse from Calais, “the artillarie shot so fierseley both out of the toune and Risebancke,” &c.—Hall, fo. 175.
Same year.—Attack by Sir John Denham upon Sandwich, where he “tooke the principall shippes of the Kynge’s navie then liying at the port, well furnished with ordinaunce and artillarie,” &c.—Same, fo. 175.
From the above passage it seems not unreasonable to infer that cannons were at that date used on shipboard by the English.
Same year.—Osbert Mountforth was sent towards Guisnes, to assist the Duke of Somerset, and was attacked and captured whilst lying in Sandwich, by John Denham and John Wenlock, and the former was badly wounded in the thigh, by a bombard, “in crure cum bombardo.”—Annales W. Wyrcestrii.
1460.—At the siege of the Tower of London, which was defended by the Lancastrians under Lord Scales, who “dayly shote their ordenaunce out, and had likewise great ordinaunce shott at them.”—Hall’s Chronicles, fo. 176.
Same year.—“And they that were within the Tower cast wild fire into the city, and shot many small gunnes, whereby they brent and slew men, women, and children, in the streetes; also they of the city layd great guns on the further side of the Thames against the Tower, and brake the walls in divers places.”—Stow’s Annals, pp. 408, 409.
Same year.—At the battle of Northampton, “the King’s ordinance of guns might not be shot, there was so great raine that day.”—Stow’s Annals, fo. 409; see also Speed’s History, fo. 844.
The exact date uncertain, but in the reign of Henry VI.—An account is given in Fenn’s Collection of Original Letters, of a sea-fight, which took place in the reign of Henry VI., between some English ships and some ships of Holland, Zealand, Flanders, &c., in which Robert Wenyngton appears to have commanded the English vessels; and he states that the enemy’s ships “schotte atte us a 1000 gonnys and quarrell owte of nu’ber, and have slayn meny of my felyschyp and meymyd all soo.”—The meaning seems to be, that there were 1000 discharges from the enemy’s guns. The engagement is noticed here, although the guns were used on board the enemy’s vessels, because there can scarcely be a doubt, that if they were used on board those vessels, at that period, they must also have been in use on board English vessels.—Fenn’s Collection of Original Letters, vol. i. p. 210.