The Battle Abbey Roll. Vol. III.
by
The Duchess of Cleveland.

ADDITIONAL NAMES GIVEN BY LELAND.

Prepared by Michael A. Linton
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Aimeris : Adam and Nicholas Haimeri are entered in the Magni Rotuli Scaccariae Normanniae, 1198-1200; and the Seigneurie of Aymeries is more than once mentioned by Anselme. Richard Demeri held of Alured de Hispania at Isle Brewers, Somerset (Domesday); but I have failed in finding any notice of his descendants.

Ailmerus, or Ailmarus, is also twice entered in Domesday as a Christian name. Ailmerus Filius Godwini was the son of the Danish thane, Godwin Haldane, said to have been the only Norfolk landowner left undisturbed by the Conqueror; and Ailmarus was an unknown sub-tenant of William Fitz Corbucion in Warwickshire.

We subsequently meet with Aymery, as a surname, in the pages of Froissart: "The same season, Sir John Aymery, the greatest captain that we had, rode forth, costing the ryver of Loire to come to Charite, and he was encoutred by a busshment of the lorde Rugemot and the lorde of Wodnay" (Vendelay), "and by some of the archprestes men; they were farre stronger than he, and so there he was taken and overthrown, and raunsomed to a xxx thousand frankes, which he payed incontinent. Of his takyng and losse he was sore displeased, and sware that he wolde neuer entre into his owne garyson tyll he had won agayne as moche as he had lost. Than he assembled togyder a great nombre of companyons, and came to Charite on Loyre, and desyred vs all to ryde forthe with hym: we demaunded of hym wheder he wolde ryde? By my faithe, quod he, we wyll passe ye ryuer of Loyre at sainte Thybalde, and lette us scale and assaile the towne and castell of Saxere, for I have sworne and auowed, that I wyll nat entre into no fortresse that I have, tyll I haue sene the chyldren of Saxere; and if we may gette that garyson, and the erles chyldren within, John, Loys, and Robert, then we shall be well revenged, and therby we shall be lordes of the countre; and I thynke we shall lightly come to oure entent, for they take no hede of vs, and this lyeng styll here doth vs no maner of profyte." All agreed to go; but the plan was betrayed to the castellan of Sauxerre by his brother, a monk who had come to Charite to treat for some ransoms; and when they had crossed the Loire, the French lay in wait for them. "We were over by midnight; and, bycause ye daye came on, we ordayned a hundred speares to abyde there to keepe oure horses and boates, and the remyaunt of vs passed forthe foreby the frenche busshment. When we were past a quarter of a myle, then they brake oute of their busshment, and rode to them that we had lefte behind vs at the ryver syde; and anone they had discomfited them and all slayne or taken, and our horses wonne, and the boates arested: and then they mounted on our horses, and came after vs on the spurres, and were as soone in the towne as we; they cryed Our Lady of Saxerre: for the erle was there hymselfe with his men; and his brethren, Sir Loys and Sir Robert, had made the busshement. So thus we were inclosed on all partes; for they a-horsebacke, assoone as they came to vs, they alighted afote, and assayled us fiersly: and the thynge that moste greeved vs was, we coulde nat enlarge ourselfe to fight, we were in suche a narowe waye, closed on both sides with hay, hedges, and vynyardes, and they dyd hurt us sore with castyng of stones, and we coude nat go backe, and moche payne to gette to the towne, it stode so hygh on a mountayne: and Sir John Aymery was hurt, our soveraign capitayn, by the handes of Sir Guyssart Albigon, who toke him prisoner, and had moche ado to save his lyfe; he put hym into a house in the towne, and made hym to be layde on a bedde, and sayd to the owner of the house, Kepe well this prisoner, and se his woundes staunched, for if he lyve, he shall pay me xx thousande frankes; and so Sir Guyssart left his prisoner, and retourned to the batayle, and quytte himselfe lyke a good man of armes." But he lost his poor prisoner "by neglygence; he bledde so sore, that he dyed for defaute of lokyng vnto. Thus ended Johan Amery, by this iourney that was thus done besyde Sauxerre."