French Raid on Winchelsea 1406
Who Fought
History & Significance
Winchelsea () is a town in the county of East Sussex, England, located between the High Weald and the Romney Marsh, approximately two miles (three kilometres) southwest of Rye and seven miles (eleven kilometres) north east of Hastings. The current town, which was founded in 1288, replaced an earlier town of the same name, known as Old Winchelsea, that was lost to coastal erosion in the late medieval period. Winchelsea is part of the civil parish of Icklesham.
The mayor of Winchelsea is chosen each year from amongst the members of the corporation, who are known as freemen, rather than being elected by public vote. New freemen are themselves chosen by existing members of the corporation. Thus, in its current form, the corporation is effectively a relic of Winchelsea's days as a 'rotten borough' (when Winchelsea elected two MPs but the number of voters was restricted to about a dozen, sometimes fewer). The corporation lost its remaining civil and judicial powers in 1886 but was preserved as a charity by an Act of Parliament to maintain the membership of the Cinque Port Confederation. The mayor and corporation in Winchelsea now have a largely ceremonial role, together with responsibility for the ongoing care and maintenance of the main listed ancient monuments in the town and the Winchelsea Court Hall Museum.
The name Winchelsea probably derives from the Old English wincelēg meaning 'island on the corner', referring to the town's position on a raised piece of land on a river bend.
The name Winchelsea may be derived from the colloquial word 'qwent' that refers to the marshland behind the town and the Saxon word 'chesil' meaning shingle beach or embankment.
The original town, Old Winchelsea, was on a massive shingle bank that protected the confluence of the estuaries of the Rivers Brede, Rother and Tillingham and provided a sheltered anchorage called the Camber. The old town was recorded as Winceleseia in 1130 and Old Wynchchelse in 1321. The Normans used to call the place Wincenesel.
After the Norman Conquest, Winchelsea was of great importance in cross-Channel trade (acting in particular as an entrepôt for London) and as a naval base. In the 13th century, it became famous in the wine trade from Gascony. Old Winchelsea likely reached the height of its prosperity and influence around the year 1200. According to the Pipe Roll of 1204, an important royal tax record, Winchelsea ranked as the tenth most important port in England and the third on the southeast coast, behind London and Southampton. The town's merchants reportedly paid £62.2s.4d into the royal treasury, compared to only £10.13s.5d for neighboring Rye. There may have been, in the 1260s, over 700 houses, two churches and over 50 inns and taverns, thus implying a population of thousands of people at the time.
The ground they fought on
The site of French Raid on Winchelsea 1406 lies on Wealden Group, bedrock that formed in the Barremian. The rock here is sandstone and siltstone, interbedded.
Frequently Asked Questions
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- Winchelsea · Wikipedia
- The French Raids · The Benefice of Winchelsea, Icklesham and Pett (St Thomas history)
- Decay and Revival · Winchelsea.com town history
- Winchelsea · dands.uk local and family history site