More information : (TQ 9220) Rye, Medieval town. At one time under the lordship of the abbey of Fecamp, but as early as 1226, Henry III started successful negotiations to rectify this. In 1249, plans were made for the fortification of the town, which resulted in the building of the castle (later known as Ypres Tower). For three-quarters of a century after its construction Rye's defences were sufficiently maintained by its fleet, but the more pressing danger at the opening of the Hundred Years War (1338-1453) necessitated further measures.
The walls and gates of the town were, in all probability, begun in the reign of Edward III, c 1381 after sackings by the French in 1339 and 1377. During the 15th c guns were provided for the defence of the town. (1)
The recession of the sea between 1327 and 1377 made the fortification of Rye necessary. The walls were constructed c 1381, measuring 28' high by 5' wide with one tower bastion and a moat on the N side 55' wide by 5' deep. The town was sacked by the French in 1377 and the last fire, which destroyed all the Md wooden buildings, was in 1448, leaving only stone structures standing. (2)
Rye is a classic Md town, mostly post-1448, but signs of the 14th C fortifications and religious houses remain. See map diagram and official town guide. (3)
Rye is mentioned in 1086 as a new borough with 64 burgesses in the manor of Rameslie. During the period 1189-1219 a charter of Ralph, Abbot of Fecamp confirmed the the privileges of the burgesses of Rye. (4)
The layout of the town with the quay to the west, and perhaps the east was more grid-like than now appears, the truncation of the east-west street being due to sea damage in the 14th and 15th centuries. The town had a mint in 1142 which was short-lived. Rye became a member of the Cinque Ports Confedaracy under a charter of Henry II 1154 x 58 and confirmed in 1197. A market was chartered in 1290.
The depradations of the French in 1377 appear to have left the town in considerable poverty. The silting of the harbour and reclamation of the adjacent marshes began affecting the port in the the 16th century, and by the 17th century Rye had been reduced to little more than a fishing village. (5,6) |