The duke of Normandy, eldest son of the king of France, issued a special summons of his intentions to be at St. Quentin about Easter, in the year 1340. When he came thither he was attended by the duke of Athens, the earl of Flanders, the earl of Auxerre, the earl Raoul of Eu, constable of France, the earl of Sancerre, the earl of Porcien, the earl of Roussi, the earl of Bresne, the earl of Grand Pré, the lord of Coucy, the lord of Graon, and a multitude of other nobles from Normandy and the low countries. On their being assembled at St, Quentin and it's environs, the constable and the two marshals of France, sir Robert Bertrand and sir Matthew de Trie, numbered them, and found that they were six thousand men at arms, and eight thousand others armed with Brigandines, besides followers of the army; which were fully sufficient, they said, to combat the earl of Hainault, or any force he could bring against them. They began their march, and took the road to Château-Cambresis, going near to Bohain; and advanced so forward that they passed Château-Cambresis, and took up their quarters at the town of Montay upon the river Selle.
Sir Richard Verchin, seneschal of Hainault, was informed by his spies, that the duke had halted at Montay. He asked those knights and esquires, who were with him, if they were willing to follow him; to which they consented. Accordingly, he set off from his hotel Verchin about sunset, accompanied by about forty lances, and pushed on until he came to Foretz, at the extremity of Hainault, a small league from Montay, when it was dark night. He made his company halt in a field to tighten their armour and regirth their horses. He then told them, he should like to give the duke an alert; at which they were all rejoiced, and said that they would stick by him till death; for which he gave them many thanks. At that time there were with him, sir James du Sart, sir Henry de Phalise, sir Oulphart de Guistelles, sir John and sir Bertrand du Chatelet. Of esquires, there were Giles and Thierre de Somain, Baldwin de Beaufort, Colebrier de Brule, Moreau de l'Escuyer, Sandrat de Stramen, John de Rebersat, Bridoul de Thiaux, and many others. They set forward in silence, and came to the town of Montay, which they entered, for the French had neglected to place guards there. The seneschal and his companions dismounted at a great hotel, where they thought the duke was; but he was lodged in another part of the town. In that hotel were two great lords of Normandy, the lords of Bailleul and of Beauté. The door was soon forced; and when these two knights saw themselves thus surprised, and heard the cry of Hainault from the seneschal, they were quite confounded: they, however, defended themselves in the best manner they could; but the lord of Bailleul was killed, and the lord of Beauté taken prisoner by the seneschal, to whom he pledged his faith to surrender himself to him within three days at Valenciennes.
The French then began to be in motion, and to issue from their quarters; they lighted great fires and torches, awakened every one, even the duke himself, whom they armed as quickly as they could, and displayed his banner before his hotel, to which people of all sorts repaired. The Hainaulters wisely retreated to their horses which they mounted, and, when they were all collected together, they carried off ten or twelve good prisoners, and returned without the smallest loss or damage, for it was so dark they were not pursued, about daybreak they reached Quesnoy, where they reposed and refreshed themselves, and then went to Valenciennes.
The next morning the duke of Normandy gave orders for his army to dislodge and enter Hainault, and burn and destroy every thing without exception. The baggage therefore began to move, and the lords of the advanced guard to proceed forward: they might amount to two hundred lances, and were commanded by Sir Theobald de Marneil, sir Gallois de la Baume, the lord of Mirepoix, the lord of Raivneal, the lord of Sempy, lord John of Landas, the lord of Hangest, and the lord of Tramelles. The two marshals followed with full five hundred lances; then the duke of Normandy, attended by a crowd of earls, barons and other lords. The advanced troops entered Hainault, and set fire to Fores, Bertrand, Vertigrieulx, Escarmain, Vendegyses-aux-Bois, Vendegyses upon the river Cinel. The next day they advanced further into the country, and burnt Avesnes-le-sec, Villiers-en-Cauchie, Gomegnies, Marchpois, Ansenoy, Perseaux, le Frasnoit, Andegay, the good town of Bavay, and all the country as far as the river Honneau. This second day a sharp attack was made on the castle of Verchin, and some skirmishing, by the division commanded by the marshals, but without success, as it was very well defended. The duke took up his quarters for that night upon the Selle, between Hausy and Sausoy.
Sir Valerian, lord of Fauquemont, commanded in Maubeuge, and with him were full one hundred lances of Germans and Hainaulters. As soon as he was informed of this incursion of the French, and how they were burning the country, and had heard the poor people lament and bewail their losses, he put on his armour, and ordered his people to get themselves in readiness. He gave up the command of the town to the lords of Beaurevoir and Montigny, and told his companions he had a great desire to meet the French. He was on horseback all that day, and rode along the borders of the forest of Morinaulx. Towards evening he heard, that the duke of Normandy and all his host were lodged on the banks of the river Selle; upon which he said he would awaken them, and rode on that evening, and about midnight he and his company forded the river. When they had all passed, they regirthed their horses, and set themselves to rights, and advanced in silence to the quarters of the duke. When they were near, they spurred on their horses, and at one rush drove into the middle of the Duke's host, crying out "Fauquemont!" They laid well about them, cutting down tents and pavilions, and killing or wounding all whom they met. The army then, being roused, armed as quickly as they could, and drew near to where the bustle was; but the lord of Fauquemont, seeing that it was time, collected his people, and retreated most handsomely. Of the French, there was killed the lord of Requigny, from Picardy. The viscount of Quesnes, and Rouvray with one eye, were made prisoners; and sir Anthony de Coudun was severely wounded. When the lord of Fauquemont saw that nothing more could be done, he set off with all his people, and crossed the Selle without hindrance. They rode easily forward, and came to Quesnoy about sunrise, when the quartermaster-general, sir Therry de Walcourt, opened the gates to them.
The duke of Normandy ordered his trumpets to sound the next day at day-break, for his army to prepare themselves, and to cross the Selle, and to advance further into Hainault. The marshal of Mirepox, the lord of Noysires, sir Gallois de la Baume, and sir Thibault de Marneil, advanced first with four hundred lances, besides those armed with brigandines, and came before Quesnoy, even up to the barriers: they made a feint as if they intended to attack it, but it was so well provided with men at arms and heavy artillery, they would only have lost their pains. Nevertheless they skirmished a little before the barriers; but they were soon forced to retire, for those of Quesnoy let them hear their cannons1 and bombards, which flung large iron bolts in such a manner, as made the French afraid for their horses - so they retreated and burnt Grand Wargny, and Petit Wargny, Frelaines, Famars, Martre, Semery, and Artre, Sariten, Turgies, Estien; and the Hainaulters fled from these towns to Valenciennes. The French afterwards encamped their battalions upon the hill of Castres near Valenciennes, where they lived in a rich and splendid manner. During their stay there, about two hundred lances, commanded by the lord of Craon, the lord of Maulevreir, the lord of Mathefelon, the lord of Avoir, and some others, went towards Main, and attacked a large square tower, which for a long time had belonged to John Vernier of Valenciennes, but of late to John of Neufville. The assault was sharp and severe, and lasted the whole day; nor could they make the French retire before night, although five or six were killed. Those within defended themselves right valiantly, and did not suffer any loss.
A greater number of the French marched to Trie, intending, on their arrival, to pass over the Scheld; but those of the town had destroyed the bridge, and defended that passage: nor could the French ever have conquered it, if some of them had not been aquatinted with the fords of the river and the country, who conducted upwards of two hundred men to the foot bridge at Prouvy. When these crossed over, they came and fell upon the men of Trie, who, being few in number in comparison to them, were not able to resist; so they took to their heels, and many of them were killed and wounded.
The seneschal of Hainault left Valenciennes that day, accompanied, at the utmost, with one hundred men at arms, by the gate of Douzaing, to succor the inhabitants if Trie, who he thought would have enough to do. It happened that, a little beyond St. Waast, he met about twenty-five light horse of the French, commanded by three knights from Poitou - the lord Boucicault, who was afterwards a marshal of France, the lord of Sugures, and sir William Blondel: they had passed over the bridge very near Valenciennes, which is called the bridge of La Tourelle, and is over the Vincel. When the seneschal had perceived them, he stuck spurs into his horse, and with his lance overthrew the lord Boucicault, made him his prisoner, and sent him to Valenciennes. The lord of Sugures saved himself by flight; but sir William Blondel surrendered himself to sir Henry d'Usphalise; and almost all the others were either killed or taken prisoners. This done, the seneschal hastened on towards Trie; but he was too late, for the French had already conquered it before he came, and were busily employed in pulling down the mills, and destroying a small castle that was there. As soon as the seneschal had arrived they had not much leisure for such things, for they were driven back, killed and cut down. Some were forced to leap into the river Scheld, and many were drowned. Thus was the town of Trie liberated. The seneschal afterwards crossed the Scheld at a place called Denaing, and rode on with all his company to the castle of Verchain, which he entered in order to defend it, should there be any occasion.
The duke of Normandy still remained upon the hill of Castres, his army drawn out, the greater part of the day; for he thought that those of Valenciennes would come and give him battle. This they would willingly have done, if sir Henry d'Antoing, who commanded in the town, had not prevented them. He posted himself at the gate that leads to Cambray, and had much pain and trouble to hinder them from going out. John de Vassey, provost of the town, who was there with him, appeased them as well as he could, and gave them such good reasons for remaining quiet, that at last they were satisfied. When the duke of Normandy had staid for a considerable time on this hill, and saw that no one made any effort to come out of Valenciennes to fight with him, he sent the duke of Athens, the marshals of France, the earl of Auxerre, and the lord of Castilian, with about three hundred lances, well mounted, to skirmish close to the town. They advanced in good order, and came to that side of it opposite the Tourelle at Gogueb, and even to the very barriers; but they did not stay long, as they were afraid of the shot hurting their horses. The lord of Chastillion, however, advanced so forward, that his horse was hit, fell under him, and he was obliged to mount another. The detachment then changed it's course, and went towards the marshes, where they burnt and destroyed all the mills upon the river Vincel: they then made a circut behind the Carthusian convent, and returned to their army. Some stragglers, however, had remained behind at Les Marles, to forage more at their ease. When those who were guarding a neighbouring town, which belonged to the heirs of Hainault, (though formerly to sir Robert de Namur, by the lady Isabella, his wife,) perceived them, and that the main body had retreated, they issued out of the town, attacked them, killed one half, took all of their forage, and re-entered it without any loss.
The army remained in battle array upon the mount of Castres until afternoon, when the scouts returned from all sides. There was then a great council held: the chiefs said, everything being considered, that they were not in sufficient force to attack so large a town as Valenciennes; and it was at last finally determined, that they should retire to Cambray. They set out, therefore, and came to Main and Fontanelles, where they took up their quarters for that night, and kept a strong watch. The next day they marched away; but burnt Main and Fontanelles, and also the convent that belonged to madame de Valois, sister-german to the king of France. The duke was much vexed at this, and had those who set it on fire hanged. In their retreat, they completed the burning of the town of Trie and it's castle; the mills were also destroyed. Prouvy, Rommency, Thyan, Moncheau, and all the flat country between Cambray and Valenciennes suffered in the same manner. The duke this day came before Escaudoure, a strong and good castle, belonging to the earl of Hainault, situate upon the Scheld, which had been of great annoyance to Cambray. When the duke had been only six days before it, the governor, sir Gerard de Sassegines, who before this had never been reproached for any thing, nor can I say by what means he was bewildered to do so, surrendered it undamaged, to the great surprise of all the country, who strongly suspected both the governor and his esquire, named Robert Marinaux, of treason. They were taken, inculpated, and both afterwards died in a miserable manner at Mons, in Hainault. The inhabitants of Cambray demolished this castle of Escaudoure, and carried the stone to their town, to repair their own dwellings and the fortifications.
Notes: