In June 1377, within weeks of Edward III's death, a large French fleet under Admiral Jean de Vienne launched devastating raids on the Sussex and Kent coasts. Rye was burned entirely; its great church bell was carried back to France (it was eventually returned). Winchelsea was also attacked though with more resistance. Lewes and other inland towns panicked and sent their valuables to hiding places. The raids exposed the complete collapse of English coastal defence in the aftermath of the Black Death and the failures of Edward's last years.
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