Battlefields›French Raid on Winchelsea 1360
Medieval

French Raid on Winchelsea 1360

1360
Sussex, England
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Raid
Location
Sussex, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Winchelsea townspeople
VS
Victor
French raiders
Outcome
French forces (reportedly up to 2,000 foot soldiers, bowmen, sailors and mercenaries) sacked and burnt Winchelsea and its harbour shipping; the raid was part of an unsuccessful attempt to pressure for the release of King John II of France, captured at Poitiers in 1356; townspeople took refuge in the parish church; three years later 409 properties were still reported in ruins.
The Battle

History & Significance

French Raid on Winchelsea 1360 was a medieval raid, fought at Sussex, England in 1360. French raiders prevailed over Winchelsea townspeople. French forces (reportedly up to 2,000 foot soldiers, bowmen, sailors and mercenaries) sacked and burnt Winchelsea and its harbour shipping; the raid was part of an unsuccessful attempt to pressure for the release of King John II of France, captured at Poitiers in 1356; townspeople took refuge in the parish church; three years later 409 properties were still reported in ruins.

Confirmed battlefield location
The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of French Raid on Winchelsea 1360 lies on Wealden Group, bedrock that formed in the Barremian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

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This page covers French Raid on Winchelsea 1360. A full Aubrey report for the area pulls together this battle alongside scheduled monuments and everything else the record holds within a few miles:

Overview
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Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near French Raid on Winchelsea 1360

New Gate, Winchelsea
New Gate, Winchelsea
Scheduled monument · ~2.1 mi

New Gate, Winchelsea is a medieval fortified gateway forming part of the town defences of Winchelsea, Sussex. The gate dates from the late thirteenth or early fourteenth century, constructed during the period when Winchelsea was refounded as a planned coastal town following the destruction of Old…

Ron Strutt / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Royal Military Canal, Wickham Cliff to Strand Bridge, Winchelsea
Royal Military Canal, Wickham Cliff to Strand Bridge, Winchelsea
Scheduled monument · ~2.2 mi

The Royal Military Canal is a defensive waterway constructed during the Napoleonic Wars in the early nineteenth century, specifically engineered to protect the vulnerable coastline of southeast England against the threat of French invasion. The section between Wickham Cliff and Strand Bridge at W…

N Chadwick / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Grey Friars, Winchelsea
Grey Friars, Winchelsea
Scheduled monument · ~2.3 mi

Grey Friars, Winchelsea is a Franciscan friary founded in the late thirteenth century within the planned medieval town of Winchelsea in Sussex. The friary was established as part of the expansion and development of Winchelsea following its refoundation as a new town by Edward I, and it occupied a…

Royal Military Canal, Coastguard Cottages to Wickham Cliff
Royal Military Canal, Coastguard Cottages to Wickham Cliff
Scheduled monument · ~2.3 mi

Royal Military Canal, Coastguard Cottages to Wickham Cliff is a defensive earthwork constructed during the Napoleonic Wars, specifically built between 1804 and 1807 as part of Britain's coastal fortification programme against potential French invasion. The canal forms part of the wider Royal Mili…

Julian P Guffogg / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Strand Gate, Winchelsea
Strand Gate, Winchelsea
Scheduled monument · ~2.4 mi

Strand Gate is a medieval fortified gateway forming part of the town defences of Winchelsea in East Sussex. Built in the late thirteenth century, it represents one of the most substantial surviving elements of the planned town's original defensive perimeter, constructed following the relocation o…

Simon Carey / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Royal Military Canal, Cliff End to Coastguard Cottages
Royal Military Canal, Cliff End to Coastguard Cottages
Scheduled monument · ~2.8 mi

Royal Military Canal, Cliff End to Coastguard Cottages, is a defensive fortification constructed during the Napoleonic Wars in the early nineteenth century. The canal forms part of the broader Royal Military Canal system, which extends across Romney Marsh and the surrounding lowlands of Kent and…

N Chadwick / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Moat at Old Place
Scheduled monument · ~0.9 miles
Medieval town of Winchelsea
Scheduled monument · ~2.1 miles
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Battles near French Raid on Winchelsea 1360

French Raid on Winchelsea 1406
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Battle of Winchelsea (1350)
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