Did your ancestors fight at Agincourt?

[Beorn]

The service records of medieval soldiers have been made available in a new online database.
The website contains 250,000 service records of soldiers who fought in the Hundred Years War between 1369 and 1453.
It includes the names of archers who served with Henry V at Agincourt, meaning you could see if any of your relatives helped rout the French in the famous 1415 battle.

The Medieval Soldier Database contains full profiles of individual soldiers, with muster roll evidence allowing researchers to piece together details of soldiers’ lives.
Dr Adrian Bell of the University of Reading, who undertook the research project with Professor Anne Curry of the University of Southampton, said: ‘The service records survive because the English exchequer had a very modern obsession with wanting to be sure that the government’s money was being spent as intended.
‘Therefore we have the remarkable survival of indentures for service detailing the forces to be raised, muster rolls showing this service and naming every soldier from duke to archer.
"There are accounts from the captains demonstrating how the money had been spent, and entries showing when the exchequer made the requested payments.’

The database, which shows which campaigns soldiers fought in, and other details including what they were paid, how often they were off work sick, who rode the furthest and who was knighted.

The youngest soldier on the records is Thomas, Lord Despencer, whose career began when he was 12 years old in 1385.
Thomas Gloucestre, who fought at Agincourt, is also included on the database, and his career can be traced over 43 years and includes campaigns in Prussia and Jerusalem.
The records also show that social mobility was possible, as in the case of Robert de Fishlake, who enlisted at the age of 16 in 1378 and progressed from being an archer to a man-at-arms.
The project was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

Use the database free at www.medievalsoldier.org.

Source

[Loki]

Fascinating. I know that a few of mine fought at Spioenkop.

[Tolleson]

Funnily enough, I have recently finished Bernard Cornwell's novel "Agincourt" that recounted his version of the battle.

In the historical notes, Cornwell mentions using the actual names of archers from the battle as characters in the novel. These names were probably taken from these very same service records.

Fascinating for sure.

[Osweo]

I have found three Yorkshire Watsons, so far.

Odd that such common ancestral names of mine as Ogden, Stringer and Lamb have made no hits. Will just have to wait for the updates.

Great find, anyway!

[Tolleson]

I just checked the records at the web link and Nicolas Hook, Cornwell's main character, is shown to be in the service of Henry V, 1415.

Pretty cool.

[Germanicus]

Funnily enough, I have recently finished Bernard Cornwell's novel "Agincourt" that recounted his version of the battle.

In the historical notes, Cornwell mentions using the actual names of archers from the battle as characters in the novel. These names were probably taken from these very same service records.

Fascinating for sure.

I've also read this book, it was very insightful, especially the siege tunneling.

[Psychonaut]

It took some digging through my papers, but I do have at least one ancestor who I can say definitely fought and died at Agincourt:

Guy de Clermont (1365-1415)

However, he's not in the database since he was a Frenchman.

[SwordoftheVistula]

Pfft.

My Norman ancestors had better things to do