History

The year is 1289 and Edward I, "the hammer of the Scots", is on the throne of England. Rye, as one of the countries chief ports and a supplier of many fine ships to his majesty's navy, has been accorded the honour of being incorporated as a town and has been granted permission to erect a defensive town wall. Eighty-eight years later, during the period that has become known as "The Hundred Years War" these defences were tested and found sadly wanting when the French raid of 1377 left the town razed to the ground. Not satisfied with destroying the fabric of the town and murdering many its inhabitants the French attackers also decided to steal the bells from the church. These were taken to France. During a raid the following year, in which the men of Rye and Winchelsea took their revenge on the French town of Peter's Haven in Normandy, much of the booty taken from Rye was recovered including the Church Bells. These were eventually re-hung in their original home in the tower of St Mary's.

During the preparations for his French wars Edward III ordered that twenty thousand archers from across the southern half of England including the counties of Suffolk, Wiltshire and Dorset should array themselves at Winchelsea in readiness for the crossing to France. This would surely have included many bowmen from Rye and the surrounding area and we would like to believe that these bowmen fought alongside the Black Prince when he won his spurs at the Battle of Crecy in the autumn of 1346. This we cannot know but records do tell us however, that archers from Rye were attired in a distinctive red livery emblazoned, as were all English soldiers of the time, with the cross of St George. Indeed if any soldier was inadvertently killed by one of his own countrymen and the victim was found not to be wearing his St George's emblem then the culprit would escape discipline. In 1461 a company of archers was sent from Rye to join the forces of the Earl of Warwick who, although in revolt against the king, was still at the time technically Captain of Calais.

It's now 1989 and Rye is celebrating the seven hundredth anniversary of becoming a Town, a town that has changed little over these many years. The river may have silted up and we no longer build ships for a royal navy but the Church still stands and the bells still ring out their beckoning call. We still have the largest fishing fleet on the South Coast and "The Rye Bay Catch" is some of the finest fish in the world.

Rye is still a Cinque Port.

The celebration being of a 700th anniversary the focus is very much on a medieval theme with battle re-enactments, jousting, street markets, jugglers and minstrels. There is also an archery tournament organised by a local archer and medieval enthusiast called Willy Maybury. The costumed archers bending their "sticks" that day come from across the country and their expertise catches the attention of half a dozen locals who feel they would like to have a go. One evenings shooting in the company of Willy is enough, they are hooked and The Order of Rye Longbowmen is born. The rest, as they say, is history.