476:(died 1562) reports: "The 21 day of July the French galleys and navie came before Portesmouth haven, and landed certeine of theyre armye in the Yle of Wyght, and there burned and camped there about to the nomber of 2,000 men, and came every tyde with theyr gallies and shott their ordinaunce at the Kinges ships in the haven; but the winde was so calme that the Kinges shippes could bear noe sayle, which was a great discomfort for them." Three days later a muster of 1500 men was sent from the City of London to repel them, but by the King's command turned back at
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527:, but were then faced with the difficulty of breaking out from what is known descriptively as the "Undercliff". Their solution was to ascend the extremely steep slopes of St Boniface and Bonchurch Downs, which are over 700 feet (210 m) high. The defenders thus had them at a considerable advantage, having taken up positions on the top of the hill.
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The French seem to have landed at undefended points and then attacked defences from inland. At
Whitecliff Bay and at Bonchurch they moved swiftly to seize the high ground. However, the attacks were expected and in both cases local forces reached the high grounds to oppose them. The settlement at
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was bidden to land below a little fort where the enemy had mounted some guns with which they assailed our galleys in flank, and within which a number of Island infantry had retired. These, seeing the boldness of our men, abandoned the fort and fled southwards to the shelter of a copse. Our men
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The veracity of this account has been challenged, on the grounds that there were few if any local inhabitants, the militia may have been sent from the mainland, the numbers involved are uncertain, and that there would be later attempted invasions of Great
Britain, culminating in the
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evidently paraphrases du Bellay: "They landed at three several places at one time, purposely to divide our forces. Pierre
Strosse landed at St Helens where there was a little fort, and beat our men, being divided from the fort, into the woods.
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victory. Details of the campaign have not been very well recorded, with conflicting accounts regarding its outcome; some sources state that the operation was inconclusive, with the
English suffering heavily, including the loss of the
820:(T.N.A. Discovery Catalogue): Account book and common place book of Sir John Oglander of Nunwell, Isle of Wight Record Office ref. OG/AA/28. Cited in 'Minor Fortifications of the Isle of Wight', webpage of the
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During the last invasion of this country hundreds of French troops landed on the foreshore nearby. This armed invasion was bloodily defeated and repulsed by local militia 21st July 1545.
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Contemporary accounts suggest that the French (or their mercenaries) sacked the area in order to provoke the
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A more formidable raid was attempted in 1545 when a French fleet of 150 large ships, 25 galleys, and 50 smaller vessels drew up off
Brading Harbour...
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ended without a clear victory for either side. However, as the French withdrew from the island, the campaign could be considered an
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with a view to marching to link up at
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wrote: "To keep the enemy's forces separated, a simultaneous descent was made in three places. On one side
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at the Solent, while others claim that the French were defeated at each battle rather easily.
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A Chronicle of
England during the Reigns of the Tudors by Charles Wriothesley, Windsor Herald
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Warfare at Sea, 1500–1650: Maritime
Conflicts and the Transformation of Europe
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pursued and killed some of them and burned the surrounding habitations".
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A Handbook for
Travellers in Surrey, Hampshire, and the Isle of Wight
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1545 battle between England and France during the Italian Wars
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Les MĂ©moires de Mess. Martin du Bellay Seigneur de Langay
834:'Memorials and Monuments on the Isle of Wight' website
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Dumouriez and the Defence of England Against Napoleon
791:, Vol. I, Camden Society New Series vol XI (1875),
51:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
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535:The event is commemorated by a plaque in
523:At Bonchurch the French landed easily at
406:in July 1545. The invasion was repulsed.
394:A French fleet attacks Bembridge in 1545.
111:Learn how and when to remove this message
928:France–United Kingdom military relations
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847:Isle of Wight Historical Review website
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938:Italian War of 1542–1546
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291:Italian War of 1542–1546
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747:Encyclopædia Britannica
503:A later mention by Sir
497:Seigneur Pierre Strosse
787:W. D. Hamilton (ed.),
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710:Murray, John (1876).
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402:occurred during the
236:300–2,800 militiamen
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923:Invasions by France
550:Battle of Fishguard
510:Le Seigneur de Tais
474:Charles Wriothesley
239:Approx 500 soldiers
225:Le Seigneur de Tais
765:Rose, John Holland
651:on 27 October 2005
596:on 5 December 2004
575:Bonchurch from A–Z
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653:. Retrieved
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359:2nd Boulogne
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339:Saint-Dizier
177:Belligerents
131:Part of the
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43:Please help
38:verification
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809:pp. 340–341
793:pp. 158–159
720:. pp.
655:7 September
630:14 February
518:Nettlestone
379:Beachy Head
882:Categories
685:. p.
671:Glete, Jan
556:References
525:Monk's Bay
422:the Solent
334:Serravalle
324:Landrecies
71:newspapers
718:J. Murray
683:Routledge
600:2 January
573:Goodwin,
552:in 1797.
470:Chronicle
455:Bonchurch
439:Mary Rose
426:Bonchurch
374:Bonchurch
349:Montreuil
304:Perpignan
159:, England
147:July 1545
101:June 2008
767:(1909).
673:(2000).
329:Ceresole
231:Strength
152:Location
537:Seaview
478:Farnham
451:Sandown
435:carrack
430:English
252:Unknown
249:Unknown
188:England
85:scholar
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410:France
364:Solent
198:France
165:Result
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319:DĂĽren
309:Muros
92:JSTOR
78:books
691:ISBN
657:2013
632:2008
602:2008
577:, 7.
468:The
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144:Date
64:news
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