Old Hampshire Mapped
Leland's Hampshire 1635-43
Transcription (16)French Pirates
The old town of Hampton was brent in tyme of warre, spoyled and rasyd by French pyrates.
Minns:- Early on Sunday morning, October 4th, 1338, a numerous fleet of Normans, Picards, Genoese and Spaniards, landed at the South-Western corner of the town, while the inhabitants were at Mass. The burgesses fled before them, the town was at their mercy. They plundered and burnt at pleasure and hung some of the townspeople, but on the following morning the aliens were driven back to their ships.
This was the cause that the inhabitantes there translatid themself to a more commodious place, and began with the kinges licens and help to builde New-Hampton and to waulle yt yn defence of the enemies.
Minns:- Leland, although trustworthy in his descriptions of the localities which he visited, appears to have been very credulous, and easily imposed upon, otherwise he would not have adopted the idle tale that Southampton proper was built and fortified after what he calls Old Hampton had been burnt and razed by the French pirates in 1338. There is ample evidence to show that what he calls New-Hampton, existed, and was fortified, centuries before the French paid their hostile visit to the town, and the name of one of its churches, Holy Rood, is proof that it is of Anglo-Saxon foundation, for if subsequent to the Norman Conquest, it name unquestionably would be St. Cross. The castle and town walls were standing in the reign of King John, and in the Taxation of Pope Nicholas, 1292, there is a return of the churches Holy Rood, St. Michael, and All Saints. The facts connected with the French visit appear to be that there was a considerable suburb to the east of the town, perhaps extending beyond St. Mary's Church, which was burnt and destroyed by the French, but there is no evidence to show that they obtained possession of the town.
next
