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] 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.

[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.