Raids by the French

Portsmouth was raided by the French at least four times in the 1300s – 1338, 1369, 1377 and 1380. On each occasion the town was sacked and burnt with great loss of life. As a result, in 1395, Portsmouth fitted out a squadron at its own expense to harry the French. These raids also almost certainly prompted the earliest fortifications to be built. The building of the Round Tower, originally known as King Edward’s Tower, was commenced in 1418.