St Michael's Mount - 2003

7th September 2003

The monastery was founded by Edward the Confessor in 1044. In the 12th century, the island was captured by King John’s men disguised as pilgrims. This trick was repeated on 30 September 1473 during the Wars of the Roses when John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford captured the island and held it during a siege of twenty-three weeks against 6,000 of Edward IV's troops. On 15 February 1474, Oxford surrendered and was imprisoned in the fortress of Hammes, near Calais.