Jean de St Martin

Jean de St Martin was Bailiff of Jersey in the 14th century. Details of when he actually served in this position and his family ancestry are confused.

A Biographical Dictionary of Jersey by George Balleine says that he was the eldest son of Richard de St Martin, Seigneur of Trinity, and Marguerite de Carteret, daughter of Philippe, Seigneur of St Ouen. However, it seems more likely that he was Richard's younger brother, and that is how he is shown in a Jerripedia family tree.

Appointments

He was Seigneur of Trinity, Comptroller-General of the Isles, and was first appointed Bailiff in 1370, and was reappointed on 12 August 1372. The office of Bailiff changed hands frequently in the period from 1367 to 1376. Richard, Jean and Geoffroi de St Martin all held the office, although the relationship between the three is uncertain.

This was the most difficult period in the Hundred Years War, when the French were constantly raiding Jersey. In 1372 Evan of Wales, a Welsh adventurer in the pay of the French, overran Guernsey, and then, says Frois "they entered Jersey, and burnt and wasted there also". The following year Bertrand du Guesclin, the famous Constable of France, having obtained from Brest a promise to surrender, if not relieved within a month, filled in the time by invading Jersey. "On landing they ravaged and plundered the isle, setting everything afire, and took captive all who did escape to a Castle called Gorey".

De St Martin and the Jurats took refuge in the Castle, and, when the outer walls had been stormed and the garrison driven to the keep, they urged that a pact should be made to surrender, if they were not relieved by Mychaelmas, and William of Asthorp, Warden of the Isles, a new man who had only just arrived, agreed. De Guesclin then returned to France, leaving only a small force behind. Before the time was up, however, the English fleet arrived, and the situation was saved. The garrison was then blamed for its surrender, and de St Martin was accused of having sold the Castle. He was imprisoned, first within its walls, then in the Tower of London.

"On being interrogated later in the presence of the Council, when every point had been considered, the Council pronounced him wholly guiltless (penitus immunem) of this treason". On 1 February 1374 he was restored to his post as Bailiff, and in addition "in compensation for his unjust imprisonment" he was made Comptroller of the Crown Revenues for all the islands. This was a new office. He had to supervise the expenditure the two Wardens and to pass the Receiver's accounts. He received as Bailiff £30 a year sterling and as Comptroller £40. But on the same day he and the Jurats were given a sharp rebuke:

"Inasmuch as we learn on sure authority that we have sustained and are sustaining intolerable injuries through your negligence and rebellion and frivolous answers and disobedience

to ourselves and our orders, we forbid you in the most peremptory manner possible at your own peril henceforth to interfere in any matters with which you have no concern".

Dispute over soldiers' pay

Through his work as Comptroller, de St Martin became involved in a dispute between de Appelby, the Receiver, and Edmond Rose, the Warden of Jersey. The Council instructed de Appelby to give no more money to Rose until further orders. Rose was thus unable to pay the garrison. The Council evidently suspected him of drawing money for more men than had in his pay. Appelby, who lived in Guernsey, was ordered to go to Jersey to check the number of soldiers. He says that he "hesitated greatly about approaching Edmond owing to the great number of his men and their threats". Nevertheless he went to the Castle accompanied by de St Martin and the Jersey Jurats. He asked Rose whether he would obey the Council's order, and call a muster of the men for whom he was claiming pay. Rose replied that he would take a few day to consider the matter.

"Thereupon the Receiver, Bailiff, and Jurats departed out of the Castle, but, when they had gone half a bowshot, Nicholas Lowier, a personal servant of the aforesaid Edmond, came and struck Thomas on the shoulder and stabbed him through the neck with a javelin in present of the Bailiff and Jurats, and in full view of the men in the Castle, who hallooed for joy, when they saw him wounded".

This happened before June 1375, for de Appelby's accounts sent to the Exchequer that month contain the item:

"For hire of a boat, when Thomelyn Appelby, Receiver of ihn Isles, was wounded, 5 francs".

Apparently Rose then seized de Appelby, and imprisoned him in the Castle, for another item runs:

"For hire of a boat, when Thomelyn Appelby was in prison, 2 francs".

Thomas de Beauchamp, Warden of Guernsey, then came to Jersey to arbitrate, for we read:

"For the expenses of Mons Thomas Beauchamp, when he came to negotiate with the English in the Castle by the consent of this King's Officers, 9 fr."

Meanwhile the unpaid soldiers carried their protest a step further by preventing de St Martin from holding his Courts, for a later entry is:

"For the hire of a boat by Johan de St Martyn to send news to Guernsey how those to whom wages were due in the Castle would not suffer him to hold his Courts, 2 francs"

and the next is:

"Paid for the aforesaid Johan to send queries, answers, and news, when Thomas Beauchamp came to negotiate with the men at the castle to whom wages were due, 2 francs".

Long imprisonment

This violent quarrel was abruptly stopped by a return to the old practice of having only one Warden for the group of islands and the appointment (12 December 1376) of the distinguished soldier, Sir Hugh Calvilegh, as Warden of the Isles. One of his first steps was to rearrest de St Martin on the old charge of having sold the Castle to du Guesclin. He was then kept "in close confinement", apparently for ten years. His Pardon states:

"He sent his wife to us and our Council to procure deliverance, and, when he could get no tidings of what progress she was making, to save his life he escaped from the castle by the help of God, and made his way direct to the Council, and surrendered himself, declaring the cause of his coming and humbly imploring the Council not to judge his escape harshly, but to act graciously toward him".

This was August 1386, and the Council accepted his "recognizances for 2,000 marks that he would be ready day by day before the King and Council upon warning received, and would pass not the sea without licence of the King, and would behave himself henceforth as a true Englishman before the King and people".

His case was heard on 16 January 1387.

"Whereupon it seemed to the Council after full consideration that the said Jean was entirely innocent of the alleged treason, and his imprisonment had been contrary to justice. Wherefore we have pardoned Jean his escape, and receive him fully into the King's peace, and will that henceforth he be not impeached or disturbed on this charge by ourselves, our officers, or anyone".

He was not, however, restored to his post of Bailiff. It is not possible to discover from the Court Rolls how much longer he lived, as he cannot be disentangled from a namesake, a cousin, who was also a Jurat. He had four sons, Guillaume, who succeeded him as Seigneur of Trinity, Drouet, Richard, and Jannequin, Seigneur of Craqueville.