Chest made to hold the Treaty of Calais (26 October 1360) (a ratification of the Treaty of Bretigny (8 May 1360)), signed between King Edward III of England and King John II of France. Edward agreed to give up his claim to the throne of France in exchange for the territory of Aquitaine. The chest is a rectangular coffer of oak in a boarded construction, pinned with wooden dowels: with iron strap hinges, damaged; hasp, lock, lock-plate missing; iron handle on lid. Slight evidence of internal division into two compartments.

Inscription

Painted inscription:"Pax facta inter reges et regna(e) Angli(a)e et Franci(a)e die xxiv [mensis Octobris anno domini mccclx]" (English: "Peace was made between the kings and kingdoms of England and France on the fourteenth day of the month of October in the year of our Lord 1360").

Heraldry

On front

Left to right, four shields:

• Gules, a cross pommée or; arms of John Bokyngham (or Buckingham; died 1399), Bishop of Lincoln, Lord Privy Seal (see: The Age of Edward III edited by J.S. Bothwell, p.178);
• Or, three piles conjoined in point azure; arms of Guy de Bryan, 1st Baron Bryan, KG (pre- 1319-1390), military commander and Admiral;
• Argent, on a bend cotised sable a saltire engrailed or (w:Sir Nicholas de Loveyne ? unidentified bearer - no entry in Papworth, John Woody, Alphabetical Dictionary of Coats of Arms Belonging to Families in Great Britain and Ireland, Vol.I, London, 1874, pp.256,269 ("saltires on a bend", "saltires on a bend cotised"). w:Sir Nicholas de Loveyne (d.1375) of Penshurst, Kent, who held a number of senior positions in the service of King Edward III, and who is recorded on 13 September 1360 as crossing the Channel with letters from the Black Prince to Edward III, had similar arms but with three saltires gules on a bend argent cotised or;
• Argent, a lion rampant gules the lower sinister leg sable charged on the shoulder with a cross pattée of five arms of the last (unidentified bearer);

On lid

Left to right, six shields:

• FitzAlan quartering de Warenne (Richard FitzAlan, 3rd / 10th Earl of Arundel (1313–1376));
• The Dauphin (later King Charles V of France);
• King Edward III;
• King John II of France (1350-1364) ("John the Good / Jean le Bon")
• The Black Prince (paternal arms with label argent);
• Shield obliterated.