Jersey

Lying off the coast of Normandy, Jersey remained loyal to the English Crown after the loss of mainland Normandy in 1204. Its Norman inheritance endured in local law and custom, while its position made the island a contested outpost in the wars between England and France. Mont Orgueil Castle guarded the island’s eastern shore, overlooking the harbour of Gorey.

French forces occupied Mont Orgueil from 1461 to 1468, during the Wars of the Roses. By the end of the sixteenth century, Elizabeth Castle in St Aubin's Bay had taken its place as the island's principal fortress. In 1781 another French force landed and seized St Helier, but was defeated in the town by troops under Major Francis Peirson, who was killed in the fighting.