Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet ...

Sir Gervase Alard, Bart. (1270–1340), was an English knight and naval commander who was appointed Admiral of the Cinque Ports Fleet and Admiral of the Western Fleet of the English Navy who served under King's

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vas ...

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to ...

and

Edward III of England Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring ...

from 1296 to 1340. He is known as the first serving naval officer to be granted a commission to the rank of

of an English fleet in 1303.

Naval career

Geravse Alard was born in

Winchelsea Winchelsea () is a small town in the non-metropolitan county of East Sussex, within the historic county of Sussex, England, located between the High Weald and the Romney Marsh, approximately south west of Rye and north east of Hastings. The ...

, East Sussex, England in 1270 and came from a seafaring family and was deemed a master mariner he served as a knight of King Edward I. In 1294 he was appointed as the first Mayor of Winchelsea. His first service in the navy came when he took part in Edward I naval campaigns in Scotland from (1300-1306). On 25 September 1300 Alard was first appointed as an Admiral of the Cinque Ports by

Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a va ...

confirmed by a royal writ that outlined the position as an administrative office until 3 February 1303. On 4 February 1303 he became the first serving English naval officer to be granted a royal commission to the rank of Admiral of an English Fleet and appointed Captain and Admiral of the Fleet of the Cinque Ports. he remained in command of the Cinque Ports fleet until 1304. Additionally he was also appointed Admiral of the Irish Sea in 1304 a post he held until 1305. In July 1306 he was granted two further commissions and appointed Admiral of the Western Fleet and re-appointed Admiral of the Cinque Ports he held both offices simultaneously until 1314.

Family

Gervase Alard is thought to be the son of Thomas Alard when he was granted the town of New Winchelsea for life by the King in November 1306 in succession to him. In addition he was father to Stephen Alard, who later became Admiral of the Cinque Ports and the Western Fleet.

Footnotes

Bibliography

# Archives, National. (1306). "Edward I to Gervase Alard, admiral, and the barons of the Cinque Ports serving in the fleet: thanks for their good service, which he asks them to continue. Dated at Blenkinsop. Privy Seal. Draft". www.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Kew, England: The National Archives UK. # Carruthers, Bob (2013). Medieval Warfare. Barnsley, England: Pen and Sword. p. 84. . # Harris, Sir Nicholas (1847). A History of the Royal Navy: From the Earliest Times to the Wars of the French Revolution, Volume 1. London: R. Bentley. # Prestwich, Michael (1988). Edward I. Berkeley, United States: University of California Press. . # Pryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1996). Handbook of British Chronology. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. p. 134. . # Rodger, N.A.M. (1997). "Appendix V:Admirals and Officials: English Admirals 1295 to 1408.". The safeguard of the sea : a naval history of Britain. Vol 1., 660–1649. London: Penguin. . # Rose, Susan (2013). England's Medieval Navy 1066-1509: Ships, Men & Warfare. Barnsley, England: Seaforth Publishing. . # Spence, Keith (1999). The Companion Guide to Kent and Sussex. Boydell & Brewer Ltd. {{ISBN, 9781900639262. # Watson, Fiona James (1991). "Edward I in Scotland 1296 to 1305: Theses submitted for the Degree of Ph.D" (PDF). www.theses.gla.ac.uk. University of Glasgow. 1270 births 1340 deaths 13th-century English Navy personnel 14th-century English Navy personnel English admirals People from Winchelsea Military personnel from Sussex