Battlefields›Sack of Rye, 1377

Medieval

Sack of Rye, 1377

Q: When did Sack of Rye, 1377 take place?

Sack of Rye, 1377 took place in 1377, in Sussex, England. French and Castilian forces landed on 29 June 1377 and sacked Rye, burning the town almost to the ground; only a few stone buildings (part of St Mary's church, the Ypres Tower and the Landgate) survived. No organised defence of Rye itself is recorded in the sources; nearby Winchelsea was successfully defended by a militia raised by Abbot Haimo of Battle Abbey. In early 1378 men of Rye and Winchelsea raided Normandy and recovered much of the plundered goods, including Rye's church bells.

Q: Who won Sack of Rye, 1377?

French and Castilian raiders was victorious. The defeated side was Rye (town). French and Castilian forces landed on 29 June 1377 and sacked Rye, burning the town almost to the ground; only a few stone buildings (part of St Mary's church, the Ypres Tower and the Landgate) survived. No organised defence of Rye itself is recorded in the sources; nearby Winchelsea was successfully defended by a militia raised by Abbot Haimo of Battle Abbey. In early 1378 men of Rye and Winchelsea raided Normandy and recovered much of the plundered goods, including Rye's church bells.

1377

Sussex, England

Era

Medieval

Battle Type

Raid

Location

Sussex, England

Status

Unregistered

The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated

Rye (town)

Victor

French and Castilian raiders

Outcome

French and Castilian forces landed on 29 June 1377 and sacked Rye, burning the town almost to the ground; only a few stone buildings (part of St Mary's church, the Ypres Tower and the Landgate) survived. No organised defence of Rye itself is recorded in the sources; nearby Winchelsea was successfully defended by a militia raised by Abbot Haimo of Battle Abbey. In early 1378 men of Rye and Winchelsea raided Normandy and recovered much of the plundered goods, including Rye's church bells.

The Battle

History & Significance

Sack of Rye, 1377 was a medieval raid, fought at Sussex, England in 1377. French and Castilian raiders prevailed over Rye (town). French and Castilian forces landed on 29 June 1377 and sacked Rye, burning the town almost to the ground; only a few stone buildings (part of St Mary's church, the Ypres Tower and the Landgate) survived. No organised defence of Rye itself is recorded in the sources; nearby Winchelsea was successfully defended by a militia raised by Abbot Haimo of Battle Abbey. In early 1378 men of Rye and Winchelsea raided Normandy and recovered much of the plundered goods, including Rye's church bells.

Confirmed battlefield location

The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Sack of Rye, 1377 lies on Wealden Group, bedrock that formed in the Barremian. The rock here is sandstone and siltstone, interbedded.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

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Geology

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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Sack of Rye, 1377

Water tower in churchyard

Scheduled monument · ~0.2 mi

Water tower in churchyard is a Victorian-era structure located within a churchyard in Sussex. The tower was constructed in the nineteenth century to serve the practical water supply needs of the local community or institution. Built of brick with characteristic Victorian engineering, the tower re…

Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK / CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Austin Friars Chapel

Scheduled monument · ~0.2 mi

Austin Friars Chapel is a fourteenth-century religious structure located in Sussex, England. The chapel was built by the Austin Friars, a mendicant order that established several houses across medieval England during the later Middle Ages. The surviving remains demonstrate the architectural style…

Andrew Curtis / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Ypres Tower and part of Rye Town Wall

Scheduled monument · ~0.2 mi

Ypres Tower is a fortified structure forming part of Rye Town Wall in East Sussex, England. Built in the late fourteenth century, the tower served a defensive function within the medieval fortifications that protected the town during the Hundred Years War. The structure is constructed of stone an…

DeFacto / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Martello tower no 30, 300m east of Gate Borough Cottage

Scheduled monument · ~0.3 mi

Martello tower no 30, located 300 metres east of Gate Borough Cottage in Sussex, is a coastal defence structure built during the Napoleonic Wars in the early nineteenth century. The tower forms part of the extensive chain of Martello towers constructed along the south coast of England between 180…

Oast House Archive / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

The Land Gate

Scheduled monument · ~0.3 mi

The Land Gate is a fortified gateway structure located in Rye, East Sussex, forming part of the town's medieval defensive system. Dating from the late fourteenth century, it was constructed as part of the expansion and reinforcement of Rye's fortifications during the period of Anglo-French confli…

DeFacto / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Artillery castle and associated earthworks at Camber

Scheduled monument · ~1.1 mi

Camber Castle is a coastal artillery fortress built by Henry VIII in the 1540s as part of his systematic defence of the Sussex coast against French invasion. The castle was constructed as a low, squat structure designed to mount cannon and represents an important example of mid-Tudor military arc…

Oast House Archive / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Rye town walls

Scheduled monument · ~0.2 miles

Rye Hill medieval pottery and tilery, 60m south of Spains

Scheduled monument · ~0.6 miles

Other Medieval Battles

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1069

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Battle of Mechain

1069

Wales

Siege of Durham Castle 1069

In the same landscape

Battles near Sack of Rye, 1377

French Raid on Rye 1339

1339

~0 miles away

French Raid on Rye 1406

1406

~0 miles away

Battle of Winchelsea (1350)

1350

~2.5 miles away

French Raid on Winchelsea 1406

1406

~3 miles away

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