French invasion of the Isle of Wight The French invasion of the Isle of Wight occurred during the Italian Wars in July 1545 . The invasion was repulsed . France had a long history of attacking the Island , and the 1545 campaign proved to be the last time the French would attempt to take it . Although the French forces , led by Claude d ' Annebault , greatly outnumbered that of the English , the battles fought ( including the battles of the Solent and Bonchurch ) ended without a clear winner . However , as the French were repelled , it could be considered an English victory . Though the operation was inconclusive , England suffered heavily , including the loss of the carrack " Mary Rose " in the Battle of the Solent . Details of the conflict have not been very well recorded , and some accounts claim that the French were defeated at each battle rather easily . French strategy was to effect a landing at Whitecliff Bay and cross Bembridge Down to attack Sandown , and another landing at Bonchurch with a view to marching to link up at Sandown . The northern force was intercepted whilst crossing the Down , but fought its way to Sandown Castle , which was then under construction offshore . Both forces were repulsed after stiff fighting . The event is commemorated by a plaque in Seaview which reads : " During the last invasion of this country hundreds of French troops landed on the foreshore nearby . This armed invasion was bloodily defeated and repulsed by local militia 21st July 1545 " . The veracity of this account has been challenged by the Isle of Wight Historical Review , pointing out that there were few if any local inhabitants and the militia may have been sent from the mainland and that the numbers involved are uncertain . Contemporary accounts suggest that the French ( or their mercenaries ) sacked the area in order to provoke the English Fleet into battle against a far larger fleet and the settlement at Nettlestone and Nettlestone Manor were burnt . Of the invasion Martin Du Bellay wrote : " . . . To keep the enemy ' s forces separated , a simultaneous descent was made in three different places . On one side Seigneur Pierre Strosse was bidden to land below a little fort where the enemy had mounted some guns with which they assailed our galleys in flank , and within which a number of Island infantry had retired . These , seeing the boldness of our men , abandoned the fort and fled southwards to the shelter of a copse . Our men pursued and killed some of them and burned the surrounding habitations . . . " A later account from Sir John Oglander says : " . . . They landed at three several places at one time , purposely to divide our forces . Pierre Strosse landed at St Helens where there was a little fort , and beat our men , being divided from the fort , into the woods . Le Seigneur de Tais , General of the Foot , landed at Bonchurch , where there was a hot skirmish between them and us , and on either party many slain . . . " The French seem to have landed at undefended points and then attacked defences from inland . At Whitecliff Bay and at Bonchurch they moved swiftly to seize the high ground . However the attacks were expected and in both cases local forces reached the high grounds to oppose them . At Bonchurch the French landed easily at Monk ' s Bay , but were then faced with the difficulty of breaking out from what is known descriptively as the " Undercliff " . Their solution - probably with little local knowledge - was to ascend the extremely steep slopes of St Boniface and Bonchurch Downs , which are over high . The defenders thus had them at a considerable advantage , having taken up positions on the top of the hill .