In 1386, when Richard II was on the throne, there was invasion panic in England. The French were gathering a huge fleet to cross the Channel in order to swarm over the counties of the southeast, which then as now, were most convenient to European shores, as well as being closest to London. It was said that whoever held London, held England. The only thing that held the French back was the weather. The winds were not favourable, and so they had to wait. And wait.
Meanwhile alarming reports were pouring into Richard II’s England, and there was great unrest and anxiety. Things hadn’t been going well for England in the Hundred Years War, either militarily or financially, and the population felt vulnerable. London was a prime target for any invasion. Enemy vessels could sail into the estuary and then into the very heart of the capital.
In Paul Strohm’s Chaucer’s Tale: 1386 and the Road to Canterbury I read the following: “….rigged bastions were thrown up against the city wall….garrisons were mustered, and the French were expected daily….” In this context I imagine “rigged” means fully equipped? I’m prepared to stand corrected.
There were many other preparations for the expected invasion, of course, but I am writing about the bastions. I don’t know how many there were originally, but at least fourteen (see above). Three more feature in this extract from the later Agas map. From Aldgate the wall descends to close to bottom right, and the three bastions are clearly visible:-
Now, I didn’t know that some of these bastions still existed, as you can read in this very interesting and detailed article Bastion 14, Cripplegate – A London Inheritance. The photograph at the top of this article, and the map immediately below here, have both been taken from the London Inheritance site.
The French didn’t invade and the panic passed, but some of the bastions are still there now, albeit much ruined.
murreyandblue 