Siege of Dieppe

The English commander John Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury marched out with a core troop of 600 men from his headquarters in Jumièges, Normandy at the end of October 1442 to besiege the French-held port of Dieppe.[2] The French garrison of the castle of Charlemesnil surrendered to Talbot's army.[2]

Talbot built a wooden fort on the heights of Le Pollet east of Dieppe and installed a garrison of 500 men under Sir William Peyto along with 200 artillery pieces of various make and began to bombard Dieppe's fortifications and houses with them.[3]

On 12 August 1443 a French relief army of 1,600 men under the dauphin Louis arrived at Dieppe, which was garrisoned by several hundred men-at-arms led by Charles Desmarets.[1] Two more French armies had reinforced the town previously.[1] At 8 am on 14 August, the French attacked the English fort to the sound of trumpets.[4] The French had five or six wooden bridges on wheels and cranes that hoisted the bridges into position over the English walls.[5] The attacking French troops were repulsed by English missile and arrow fire and lost 100 killed and hundreds wounded.[5]

The citizens of Dieppe reinforced the French army with between 60 and 80 large crossbows and the dauphin ordered the attack renewed.[5] The English were defeated, with 300 killed and 14 French-speaking survivors hanged as traitors on the dauphin's orders.[5] Sir William Peyto, Sir John Ripley and Henry Talbot were captured, among others.[5] The fort was dismantled on the dauphin's orders and the artillery carried off to Dieppe's arsenal.[5]