Battle of Bonchurch
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Bonchurch took place sometime in late July 1545 at Bonchurch
on the Isle of Wight
. No source of information states a specific date, although it could have happened on 21 July. The battle was a part of the wider Italian War of 1542-1546, and the battle took place during the 1545 French invasion of the Isle of Wight
. Several landings were made by the French during the invasion of the Isle of Wight, including the one at Bonchurch. The two combatants were the Kingdom of England
and France. England won the battle, and the French advance across the Isle of Wight was halted.
The battle was fought between French regular soldiers, and English militiamen. The number of French soldiers involved is believed to be around 500. The number of English militiamen is uncertain, with one source of information stating 300, and another stating 2800. English forces at the battle are understood to have been commanded by Captain Robert Fyssher
, whilst French forces engaged were commanded by Le Seigneur de Tais
.
The battle was one of several that were fought between the English and the French on the Isle of Wight. The majority of sources of information regarding the battle state that the English won, although one source of information states that the French were victorious. The battle was fought because it was part of the French attempt to cause enough damage to the Isle of Wight to force the English ships standing off the coast of England to leave their defensive positions and attack in conditions favourable to the French. The landing at Bonchurch was one of several made by the French on the Isle of Wight, with others taking place at Sandown
, Bembridge
and St Helens
.
Charles V
and Francis I of France
had not been settled by the Italian War of 1535-1538, and those disputes resulted in a war between France, aided by the Ottoman Empire
and Jülich-Cleves-Berg, and the Holy Roman Empire
, aided by the Kingdom of England
, Spain, Saxony
, and Brandenburg
. After two years of fighting Charles V, and Henry VIII
of the Kingdom of England, invaded France. In September 1544, English forces captured Boulogne
. France attempted to re-capture the city by force, but failed. Peace talks to end the fighting between England and France did not yield any positive results, partly because Henry VIII refused to consider returning Boulogne. As a result of the failure of diplomacy to get back Boulogne for France, Francis I decided to invade England, hoping that Henry VIII would return Boulogne to France in return for French forces leaving England. Thirty thousand French troops and a fleet of some 400 vessels were assembled. The fleet left Le Havre
, in France, on 16 July.
On 18 July, the hostile engagement of French and English ships by the English coast marked the beginning of the Battle of the Solent
. On that day, the outnumbered English ships withdrew. The English hoped to lure the French ships into the shallows and narrow channels of the Spithead, but the French wanted to attack the English in the more open waters of the eastern Spithead where the English ships could be encircled and annihilated. To entice the English ships to abandon their defensive position, and engage the numerically greater French ships, the French decided to invade the Isle of Wight, burning buildings and crops. France hoped that the residents of the Isle of Wight would support them, and rebel against England, and that the Isle of Wight could be used a base to challenge the English. French troops landed on the Isle of Wight, on 21 July. England would oppose this invasion of the Isle of Wight.
The Hundred Years War had resulted in the society which existed on the Isle of Wight being very militarised. Every male adult was obligated to fight when needed, and they participated in regular military training. The Captain of the Isle of Wight, Sir Richard Worsley
of Appledurcombe House, is considered to have been a “capable and energetic commander”. He was assisted by Sir Edward Bellingham
, an officer in the regular English army, along with a headquarters staff. The English militiamen were equipped with "long pikes topped with a bill hook, and daggers, knives and clubs for close fighting", as well as the Welsh longbow. The French soldiers were equipped with firearms, and steel blades. The militiamen had the advantage of superior morale, speed and agility.
The plan for the advance of the French soldiers at Bonchurch may have been to burn Wroxall
and Appuldurcombe, capture and consolidate a position on the heights of St. Boniface Down, and then move towards Sandown
to link up with a French landing there. The area around Bonchurch became important in its own right because Dunnose Point, near Bonchurch, offered a safe anchorage for French ships. There were also sources of fresh water nearby that could be used by the soldiers and sailors of the fleet.
, however, learnt about the French invasion very quickly. 300 soldiers of the militia, under the command of Captain Robert Fyssher
, were waiting at St. Boniface Down for the French to advance from Monks Bay
.
. The English forces took up a defensive position, a fact which is agreed upon by another account of the fighting, and were flanked by cliffs and screened by woods. According to this account, the number of English troops was 2,800. The first French attack was repelled but Le Seigneur de Tais
, commander of the French forces involved in the battle, rallied his troops. A second French attack against the English forces was launched, with the French forces arranged into the 'array' fighting formation. The account concludes its description of the fighting by saying that, after heavy casualties were sustained by both sides, the English line broke and the militia routed as a result of the second attack by the French. The account also states that Captain Robert Fyssher
, which another source of information states commanded the English forces during the battle, is reported to have shouted out, as the militia routed, offering £100 for anyone who could bring him a horse, because he was too fat to run. A quote by Sir John Oglander is recorded, which reads that “but none could be had even for a kingdom”. The captain was never heard from again, and the account states that he was either killed, or captured and then buried at sea.
, was killed as a result of the engagement. The English victory at Bonchurch only had a marginal impact on the course of the Italian War of 1542-1546, because the battle only involved a very small number of men relative to the numbers of men that were engaged throughout the entirety of the war. The fact that it only had a marginal impact is also because, if the French had captured the Isle of Wight, it is unlikely that that capture would have drastically affected the course of the war, because there were more significant territories that were being contested. The Isle of Wight could have been used to support French operations against England had it been captured; Claude d'Annebault
, commander of the French armada, recorded that “having it [the Isle of Wight] under our control, we [the French] could then dominate Portsmouth... and so put the enemy to extraordinary expense in maintaining a standing army and navy to contain us.” Although some sources do state that the victory at Bonchurch was responsible for the French withdrawal from the Isle of Wight, the source of information which states that the French won the battle says that fighting at Bembridge
was what drove the French from the island.
Bonchurch
Bonchurch is a small village to the East of Ventnor, on the southern part of theIsle of Wight, England. It is situated on The Undercliff, which itself is subject to regular landslips. A large section of the settlement is found in Upper Bonchurch, halfway up St Boniface Down on the main A3055 road...
on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
. No source of information states a specific date, although it could have happened on 21 July. The battle was a part of the wider Italian War of 1542-1546, and the battle took place during the 1545 French invasion of the Isle of Wight
French invasion of the Isle of Wight (1545)
The French invasion of the Isle of Wight occurred during the Italian Wars. France had a long history of attacking the Island, and the 1545 campaign proved to be the last time the French would attempt to take it...
. Several landings were made by the French during the invasion of the Isle of Wight, including the one at Bonchurch. The two combatants were the Kingdom of England
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
and France. England won the battle, and the French advance across the Isle of Wight was halted.
The battle was fought between French regular soldiers, and English militiamen. The number of French soldiers involved is believed to be around 500. The number of English militiamen is uncertain, with one source of information stating 300, and another stating 2800. English forces at the battle are understood to have been commanded by Captain Robert Fyssher
Robert Fyssher
Captain Robert Fyssher led the local Isle of Wight militia to victory against French forces in the Battle of Bonchurch, in July 1545..-References:...
, whilst French forces engaged were commanded by Le Seigneur de Tais
Le Seigneur de Tais
Le Seigneur de Tais was a General of the Foot and a Colonel General of the Infantry of France. He was the commander of the French forces who fought at the Battle of Bonchurch. He also commanded the French infantry at the Battle of Ceresole.-References:...
.
The battle was one of several that were fought between the English and the French on the Isle of Wight. The majority of sources of information regarding the battle state that the English won, although one source of information states that the French were victorious. The battle was fought because it was part of the French attempt to cause enough damage to the Isle of Wight to force the English ships standing off the coast of England to leave their defensive positions and attack in conditions favourable to the French. The landing at Bonchurch was one of several made by the French on the Isle of Wight, with others taking place at Sandown
Sandown
Sandown is a seaside resort town and civil parish on the southeast coast of the Isle of Wight, England, neighbouring the town of Shanklin to the south. Sandown Bay is the name of the bay off the English Channel which both towns share, and it is notable for its long stretch of easily accessible...
, Bembridge
Bembridge
Bembridge is an affluent village and civil parish located on the easternmost point of the Isle of Wight. It had a population of 3,848 according to the 2001 census of the United Kingdom, leading to claims by residents that Bembridge is the largest village in England, and occasional claims that it is...
and St Helens
St Helens, Isle of Wight
St. Helens is a village and civil parish located on the eastern side of the Isle of Wight. The village is based around village greens. This is claimed to be the largest in England but some say the Village Green is the second largest. The greens are often used for cricket matches during the summer...
.
Background
The Italian War of 1542-1546 occurred because the disputes between the Holy Roman EmperorHoly Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
Charles V
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
and Francis I of France
Francis I of France
Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...
had not been settled by the Italian War of 1535-1538, and those disputes resulted in a war between France, aided by the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
and Jülich-Cleves-Berg, and the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
, aided by the Kingdom of England
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
, Spain, Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
, and Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
. After two years of fighting Charles V, and Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
of the Kingdom of England, invaded France. In September 1544, English forces captured Boulogne
Boulogne-sur-Mer
-Road:* Metropolitan bus services are operated by the TCRB* Coach services to Calais and Dunkerque* A16 motorway-Rail:* The main railway station is Gare de Boulogne-Ville and located in the south of the city....
. France attempted to re-capture the city by force, but failed. Peace talks to end the fighting between England and France did not yield any positive results, partly because Henry VIII refused to consider returning Boulogne. As a result of the failure of diplomacy to get back Boulogne for France, Francis I decided to invade England, hoping that Henry VIII would return Boulogne to France in return for French forces leaving England. Thirty thousand French troops and a fleet of some 400 vessels were assembled. The fleet left Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
, in France, on 16 July.
On 18 July, the hostile engagement of French and English ships by the English coast marked the beginning of the Battle of the Solent
Battle of the Solent
The naval Battle of the Solent took place on 18 and 19 July 1545 during the Italian Wars, fought between the fleets of Francis I of France and Henry VIII of England, in the Solent channel off the south coast of England between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight...
. On that day, the outnumbered English ships withdrew. The English hoped to lure the French ships into the shallows and narrow channels of the Spithead, but the French wanted to attack the English in the more open waters of the eastern Spithead where the English ships could be encircled and annihilated. To entice the English ships to abandon their defensive position, and engage the numerically greater French ships, the French decided to invade the Isle of Wight, burning buildings and crops. France hoped that the residents of the Isle of Wight would support them, and rebel against England, and that the Isle of Wight could be used a base to challenge the English. French troops landed on the Isle of Wight, on 21 July. England would oppose this invasion of the Isle of Wight.
The Hundred Years War had resulted in the society which existed on the Isle of Wight being very militarised. Every male adult was obligated to fight when needed, and they participated in regular military training. The Captain of the Isle of Wight, Sir Richard Worsley
Richard Worsley
General Sir Richard Edward Worsley GCB OBE is a British Army General who achieved high office in the 1980s.-Military career:Educated at Radley College, Worsley was commissioned into the Rifle Brigade in 1942....
of Appledurcombe House, is considered to have been a “capable and energetic commander”. He was assisted by Sir Edward Bellingham
Edward Bellingham
Sir Edward Bellingham , lord deputy of Ireland, was a son of Edward Bellingham of Erringham, Sussex, his mother being Jane Shelley of the Shelley family....
, an officer in the regular English army, along with a headquarters staff. The English militiamen were equipped with "long pikes topped with a bill hook, and daggers, knives and clubs for close fighting", as well as the Welsh longbow. The French soldiers were equipped with firearms, and steel blades. The militiamen had the advantage of superior morale, speed and agility.
The plan for the advance of the French soldiers at Bonchurch may have been to burn Wroxall
Wroxall, Isle of Wight
Wroxall is a village and civil parish in the central south of the Isle of Wight.It is close to Appuldurcombe House. The parish church is St. John's Church, Wroxall....
and Appuldurcombe, capture and consolidate a position on the heights of St. Boniface Down, and then move towards Sandown
Sandown
Sandown is a seaside resort town and civil parish on the southeast coast of the Isle of Wight, England, neighbouring the town of Shanklin to the south. Sandown Bay is the name of the bay off the English Channel which both towns share, and it is notable for its long stretch of easily accessible...
to link up with a French landing there. The area around Bonchurch became important in its own right because Dunnose Point, near Bonchurch, offered a safe anchorage for French ships. There were also sources of fresh water nearby that could be used by the soldiers and sailors of the fleet.
Prelude
French troops were landed at three locations on the coast of the Isle of Wight, and the total number of French soldiers who were landed was 2000. Bonchurch was one of the three places where French troops landed, and the number of soldiers who landed at Bonchurch is believed to be around 500. The landing was unopposed and the French forces began to advance inland, up steep thickly wooded slopes. The Isle of Wight militiaMilitia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
, however, learnt about the French invasion very quickly. 300 soldiers of the militia, under the command of Captain Robert Fyssher
Robert Fyssher
Captain Robert Fyssher led the local Isle of Wight militia to victory against French forces in the Battle of Bonchurch, in July 1545..-References:...
, were waiting at St. Boniface Down for the French to advance from Monks Bay
Monks Bay
Monks Bay is situated on the southern coast of the Isle of Wight, England just to the east of the village of Bonchurch.Monks Bay is believed to be where French monks from Lyra Abbey landed from Normandy. It has proved popular with visitors and is one of the natural highlights of the town, which...
.
Battle
Reports of the fighting are confused, and therefore no fully comprehensive account of the battle has been agreed upon. However, the battle could have taken place at dawn (the day of the battle is unknown), and lasted until midday. Some records of the battle say that some women of the Isle of Wight participated in the battle by shooting arrows at the French.Did the French win the battle?
One source of information states that the French won the battle at Bonchurch. This source says that the English forces opposing the French were not local militiamen, but militiamen from HampshireHampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. The English forces took up a defensive position, a fact which is agreed upon by another account of the fighting, and were flanked by cliffs and screened by woods. According to this account, the number of English troops was 2,800. The first French attack was repelled but Le Seigneur de Tais
Le Seigneur de Tais
Le Seigneur de Tais was a General of the Foot and a Colonel General of the Infantry of France. He was the commander of the French forces who fought at the Battle of Bonchurch. He also commanded the French infantry at the Battle of Ceresole.-References:...
, commander of the French forces involved in the battle, rallied his troops. A second French attack against the English forces was launched, with the French forces arranged into the 'array' fighting formation. The account concludes its description of the fighting by saying that, after heavy casualties were sustained by both sides, the English line broke and the militia routed as a result of the second attack by the French. The account also states that Captain Robert Fyssher
Robert Fyssher
Captain Robert Fyssher led the local Isle of Wight militia to victory against French forces in the Battle of Bonchurch, in July 1545..-References:...
, which another source of information states commanded the English forces during the battle, is reported to have shouted out, as the militia routed, offering £100 for anyone who could bring him a horse, because he was too fat to run. A quote by Sir John Oglander is recorded, which reads that “but none could be had even for a kingdom”. The captain was never heard from again, and the account states that he was either killed, or captured and then buried at sea.
Aftermath
The casualties for both sides were heavy. The battle resulted in the French invasion of the Isle of Wight being stopped. Another skirmish took place at Bonchurch several days after the battle, when English forces engaged with French men who had disembarked from French ships retreating from Portsmouth looking for water. A senior French commander, Chevalier D'AuxChevalier D'Aux
Chevalier D'Aux was a senior French commander who, while leading a foraging party into the Isle of Wight to search for sources of clean water to replenish the stocks of a French fleet, which had just been forced to retire from Portsmouth, was attacked and killed in July 1545 by a group of the local...
, was killed as a result of the engagement. The English victory at Bonchurch only had a marginal impact on the course of the Italian War of 1542-1546, because the battle only involved a very small number of men relative to the numbers of men that were engaged throughout the entirety of the war. The fact that it only had a marginal impact is also because, if the French had captured the Isle of Wight, it is unlikely that that capture would have drastically affected the course of the war, because there were more significant territories that were being contested. The Isle of Wight could have been used to support French operations against England had it been captured; Claude d'Annebault
Claude d'Annebault
Claude d'Annebault was a French military officer; Marshall of France ; Admiral of France ; and Governor of Piedmont in 1541. He led the French invasion of the Isle of Wight in 1545...
, commander of the French armada, recorded that “having it [the Isle of Wight] under our control, we [the French] could then dominate Portsmouth... and so put the enemy to extraordinary expense in maintaining a standing army and navy to contain us.” Although some sources do state that the victory at Bonchurch was responsible for the French withdrawal from the Isle of Wight, the source of information which states that the French won the battle says that fighting at Bembridge
Bembridge
Bembridge is an affluent village and civil parish located on the easternmost point of the Isle of Wight. It had a population of 3,848 according to the 2001 census of the United Kingdom, leading to claims by residents that Bembridge is the largest village in England, and occasional claims that it is...
was what drove the French from the island.
Sources
- Goodwin, John. Bonchurch from A-Z. Bonchurch: The Bonchurch Trading Company, 1992. ISBN 873009 003
- Knecht, Robert J. Renaissance Warrior and Patron: The Reign of Francis I. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994. ISBN 0-521-57885-X.
- Scarisbrick, J. J. Henry VIII. London: The Folio Society, 2004.