Repeated sacking

In 1338 a French fleet led by Nicholas Béhuchet arrived in Portsmouth Harbour flying English flags before anyone realised that they were a hostile force. The French burned down most of the buildings in the town; only the local church and Domus Dei survived. The population was subjected to rape and slaughter. As a result of this, King Edward III gave the remaining townsfolk exemption from national taxes so that they could afford to rebuild the town. Only ten years after this devastation, the town for the first time was struck by the plague known as the Black Death. In order to prevent the regrowth of Portsmouth as a threat, the French again sacked the city in 1369, 1377 and 1380. This directly resulted in the first permanent fortifications in Portsmouth, the Round Tower at the harbour mouth.

Concern for a Tower

Portsmouth City Council is concerned that the fortifications at the mouth of the harbour are being eroded by the sea. This is not new. In the 16th century, Portsmouth had the following regulation: ‘…which hathe continued the space of ij hundred yeares and ore’, that all the passage botes that sayle usithe between the yle of wighte and portsmouthe should brynge everye of them once in the yeare one bote lode of rocke stones and leye them within the pyles of the rounde Tower near to the haven’s mouthe by the maiors appointment and order…’ The records do not show how successful this regulation was, but the Round Tower has survived through the generations to still be with us today.

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.

The Round Tower

Few leaving Portsmouth Harbour cannot notice the Round Tower which was the first permanent fortification at the entrance. For a long period it was called Master Ridley's Tower after John Ridley, Page of the King's Long Bows, who was apppointed to be Keeper of the Tower in 1536. Construction of the Tower began in 1418 and it appears building continued until 1426.

Mightie Chaine of Yron

Always concerned with the threat of invasion from the sea, over time, Portsmouth saw a series of deterrents put in place to ward off hostile fleets. The deep water channel meant that ships needed to come within fire from Southsea Castle, before the guns from the town walls had to be faced and finally, from 1522, an enormous chain that stretched across the Harbour entrance from the Round Tower to a wooden tower in Gosport. Two links of the chain, which cost £40, have survived in the care of the City’s museum service. The remains of a capstan, used to tension the chain, can still be seen in Capstan Square next to the Round Tower.