Maritime record LWT 840 - Wreck of the La Nicholas

1352 wreck of Flemish cargo vessel which stranded at Kirkley on her passage from Sluis to Berwick-upon-Tweed with wax, groceries, iron, wine, cloth, wool and general cargo, which were plundered by local people, resulting in legal action. Constructed of wood, she was a sailing vessel. Two other Flemish ships were lost at the same time in the same area [see also TM 59 SW 53 and TM 58 NW 37].
Status: Casualty

Vessel is reported to have been laden with 'avoirdupois', i.e. balance weights in which 1lb = 16oz. (1)(2)

'Avoirdupois' can also indicate goods which are sold by weight [OED] and although the earliest citation for this is much later, this would appear to be the meaning here, rather than 'balance weights'.

This appears to refer to the same incident in which LA GODBERAD and LA MARIE DE LESCLUSE were also lost. Sources (1) and (2) index the reference to all three as 28-APR-1353.

The reference to "avoirdupois" is very similar to the reference thereof for LA MARIE DE LESCLUSE. The reference quoted in source (2) is one page after that of LA MARIE, strengthening the likelihood of it referring to the same incident, and the information quoted in the text for LA MARIE is also quoted here below:

'Loaded with avoirdupois and other goods, was driven ashore by the violence of the sea and broken to pieces...William de Parys, Roger Reymund, John Randolf, James Scot, Edmund Mellyng, William Hert and others, all carried away the said goods.' (1)(2)

'Grievous complaint by merchants of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Berwick that some ships laden at Lescluse in Flanders, were driven ashore between a place called Oldekirklay and Laystoft and elsewhere in the County of Suffolk and broken, the goods and merchandise cast up on 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 enemyies of the King, killed some of them in the sea, as they were swimming to land or on pieces of wood and some on the seashore. Goods driven ashore at Covehith, Kessyngland, and Eston.' (1)(2)

'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.' (6)

Correctly quoted, the full texts of (1) and (2) are as follows:

'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. Commission of oyer and terminer to Richard de Willughby, Robert de Thorpe and Henry de Grene, Richard de Stanhop, Robert de Stanhop, John de Etale and John de Wymunderleye, merchants of Berwick-on-Tweed, that, whereas they laded at Lescluses in Flanders a ship called LA NICHOLAS of Neuport in Flanders, wherof John Sevenskillynges was master, with avoirdupois and other merchandise to make their profit of in Berwick, and the ship was driven ashore at Oldkirkele, co. Suffolk, and the goods thrown up on land there and at Pagefeld and Kessynglond [then as membrane 9d...]' (4)

[membrane 9d, relating to LA MARIE DE LESCLUSE, taken up from a similar point...]

'...the said master, the mariners aof the ship and the said merchants came to land alive, William de Parys, Roger Reymund, John Randolf, James Scot, Edmund Mellyng, William Her[?], and others carried away the said goods and merchandise.' (5)

'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 1353...Shortly afterwards on the same day, three ships were wrecked int he lordship between Kessyngland and Old Kyrkelemylle...

'Another of the ships was called the NICHOLAS of Nieuport, Flanders, and belonged to John Sevenskele and Paul Reyner of Nieuport; the said Paul was saved; Richard de York of Berwik, chief merchant, came safe to land, as did Johan de Dalton of Wollone [Wallonia?] who was feloniously killed by Roger Dapesburgh and Richard Douvre ont he same day; they cut his fingers from covetousness of a ring; the cargo consisted of wax, groceries, iron, wine, cloth, wool, and woolfells, mercery, and general merchandise, worth £500.' (7)

The vessel belonged to Flanders, the region now split between the modern states of France, Belgium and the Netherlands; the port of registration now belongs to Belgium and the nationality has been expressed accordingly.

Master: John Sevenskillynges (1)(2)(4)
Owner: of ship, John Sevenskele and Paul Reyner of Nieuport (7)
Owner: of cargo, Richard de York of Berwick-upon-Tweed and John de Dalton of Wallonia (7)
Lives Lost: possibly at least one, that of John Sevenskele? (7)

Date of Loss Qualifier: Actual date of loss

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