for example used the spelling Callice. Confusingly, the name Cales found in the sarcastic rhyme beginning "A gentleman of Wales, a knight of Cales" and the ballad "The Winning of Cales" collected by Thomas Percy refers not to Calais, but to Cádiz in Spain.

The Cales spelling was also used in other European languages at the time, including Spanish, Italian and German and it is reflected in the city's name in the local Picard language,