What follows is the culmination of several years of research which has led me through the doors of numerous archives and libraries in England and ‘across the way’ in France. The search through voluminous original documents and records, and the consultation of published primary sources, has been a lengthy process; such a task cannot be completed without enduring some level of tedium, but feelings of this sort are easily eclipsed by the excitement of discovering new pieces of evidence which, however significant, can throw further light on the subject of medieval English armies and the lives of the individuals who constituted them.

From the outset of this research it was my intention to write a clear and ‘rounded’ account of an English military expedition (1345–46) that would appeal to students, academic researchers and the general reader alike. In this fashion I have endeavoured to further our understanding of medieval warfare, but if this present work only succeeds in sparking the interest of a curious mind, or aids the research of somebody else, then I shall be replete.

There are a handful of individuals and institutions to whom I am greatly indebted for their generous help and support in bringing this current work to fruition. Firstly, I wish to acknowledge the grant made by the Scouloudi Foundation in association with the Institute of Historical Research, which helped make this publication possible. An award from the Extraordinary Research Fund, made by the University of Leeds School of History, enabled me to undertake archival research in France, and I was warmly welcomed by the community of scholars at Université de Bordeaux III (now Université Bordeaux Montaigne) who permitted my use of the research institute, Ausonius – UMR 5607, during my brief sojourn in the regional capital. The Ranulf Higden Society has also provided a stimulating environment in which I have had numerous queries regarding the translation of complex medieval documents answered.

David Simpkin, David Green and Philip Caudrey have been particularly generous in sharing their research findings. They have offered specialist advice on the careers of those men who fought in the reigns of Edward I and Edward II, who belonged to the affinity of Edward, the Black Prince, and who originated from Norfolk, respectively.