Same year.—At the siege of St. Sauveur Le Vicomte, defended by the English, “fut tué d’un canon, un vaillant escuyer du pays de Berry, noīné Jean de Blanchefort.”—Same, fo. 28. Same year.—On the surrender of Caen, by the Duke of Somerset, to the French, he stipulated for the departure of the English, with their effects, but with a proviso as to delivering up the prisoners, acquitting the burgesses, and others in the town, of all demands, and not taking away any thing of theirs. “Et avec ce qu’ils lasseroient toute artillerie grosse et menue, reservé arcs, arbalestes et coulevrines à main.”—Same, fo. 30. We have therefore here the hand-coulevrine (hand-culverin or hand-gun) distinctly mentioned as in use amongst the English. It was in all probability an iron cylinder or barrel, of clumsy and unwieldy form, let into a wooden stock, and fired from a rest or crutch, by means of a match. Mr. Grose seems not to have been aware of the above, and, in his _Military Antiquities_, vol. i. page 153, and vol. ii. page 29, he mentions the year 1471, upon the landing of Edward IV. at Ravenspur, in Yorkshire, as the period of the first introduction of hand-guns into this country. 1450.—Amongst the charges against William Duke of Suffolk, was, that having the custody of the castle of Wallingford, “he hath fortified it, and repaired it, and also stuffed it with gunnes, gunepowder, and other habilimentez of werre,” &c.—_Rot. Parl._ 28 Henry VI. vol. v. fo. 177. Same year.—In the 28th Henry VI., Conay ap Rice was called “yoman gonner of oure citee and castell of Westchestre,” &c.—_Rot. Parl._ 28 Henry VI. vol. v. fo. 198. Same year.—A representation appears on the Parliamentary Rolls, of the insufficient state of defence of the Isle of Wight, and that the castle was not then provided “with gonnes, gonnepowder, crosse-bowes, quarelles, longe-bowes, arowes, longe-speres, axes, and gleyves,” &c.—Same, fo. 204. Same year.—And also that Harry Bruyn, Esquire, who had been appointed lieutenant of the Isle of Wight, had bestowed a “gret good of his own, bothe in gonnys and in arcerie,” &c., in that island.—Same, fo. 205. Same year.—Upon the insurrection of Jack Cade, when he and his followers came to London, the mayor applied to Lord Scales, who commanded in the Tower of London, for assistance against the rebels, and he promised “his ayde with shoting of ordinaunce,” &c.—_Hall_, fo. 150. The Lord Scales promised “his aid with shooting off the artillerie in the Tower,” &c.—1 _Holinshed_, fo. 634. 1451.—At the siege of Bayonne, the English made a sortie, and were attacked by Bernard de Biarn and his forces, when he was wounded by the shot from a culverin, which pierced through his shield, and injured his leg. “Et ainsi que le dit messire Bernard s’en retournoit de la dicte escarmouche il fut frappé d’une coulevrine, qui perca son pavois et entra la plommée dedās sa jambe,” &c.—_Monstrelet_, vol. iii. fo. 38.