|
 | Anglo Saxon History |  | |
| | Battle of Hastings 1066AD - The Warning to Harold and its implications |
|---|
This page tries to describe how a warning to Harold could take place and how Harold could assemble an army at London
before marching to the Battle of Hastings at Battle in East Sussex.
| | |
|---|
| Travel Speed assumptions for the Saxons ▲ |
|---|
Saxon Messengers
- Assuming that a messenger had two horses, and could change these at regular intervals on the journey then they could
probably have traveled 60 - 70 miles per day.
-
We also have to assume the messengers traveled on the old main Roman roads across England.
-
Also if they were to change the horses on a regular basis then there would need to be some form of messenger
organisation, or at least a number of known horse changing places on each major road, together with sleeping
accommodation for the messengers.
-
We will take 60 miles per day as our mileage for messengers as a worse case scenario.
Saxon Huscarls and Nobles
- We know that the Huscarls were wealthy so probably rode one horse and carried their armour etc on a second horse.
-
They must have traveled by horse, but fought on foot as their Viking axes couln't be effectively wealded on horseback,
as they need space to be swung.
-
They wouldn't have been as fast as a messenger due to the weight of their weapons and their treasure etc that they would
carry, so their probable maximum speed was about 40 miles per day.
Saxon Thegns
- The Thegns were required to own a helmet, mail armor, a sword, and a horse.
-
Although armoured they weren't as wealthy as the Huscarls or Nobles so probably didn't own a second horse
-
This would mean they couldn't travel as fast, so we will assume a speed of 30 miles per day.
Saxon Fyrð
- The Fyrð would have been armed with weapons provided by their local landowner, so depending on their wealth they
may have Chainmail corselets or padded leather jerkins, iron or leather helmets and swords.
-
The poorer or those from a lower castes would be armed with hachets, bills, spears clubs and great picks, iron forks and
stakes and most likely a seaxe as backup.
-
They would have traveled by foot, so were unlikely to move more than 17 - 20 miles a day, we will take the lower figure
of 17 miles per day for the calculations.
Baggage or Carts
-
These would have been unlikely to travel more than about 10 miles per day.
| | Timeline from the Landing to the Battle ▲ |
|---|
To analyse this we need to show a timeline for this event in 1066AD
Please Note:
Any roads marked M refer to Ivan D Margary Roman roads please see our Margary
roads page for full details.
September 27th
-
Norman fleet finally sets sail after winds shift, crossing the English Channel.
September 28th (days elapsed 0)
-
William lands at Pevensey (Sussex) on September 28, unopposed.
-
The Messenger starts out in the morning from Hastings to travel the 280 miles to York using the Roman roads M13 from
Hastings to Rochester, then the M1(Watling Street) to London then the M2(Ermine Street) to Lincoln then the M28 to York.
-
Assuming 70 miles per day then he would take 4.02 days so arriving on the morning of the 2nd October.
October 2nd (days elapsed 4)
-
In the morning Harold learns of William's landing, gathers the Huscarls and sends out messengers to the other counties
to meet him in London.
-
Harold and the Huscarls ride down the M28 and then M2(Ermine Street) the 211 miles from York via Lincoln to London which
at 40 miles per day would take about 5.3 days hence they would arrive late on the 7th.
October 7th (days elapsed 9)
-
Harold and the Huscarls arrive in London, now he has to wait for the troops from other areas to arrive, and then to
travel the 70 miles to Battle.
-
We now need to calculate when he left London to arrive on the 13th October when his slowest troops the Fyrð only
marched 20 miles per day. This means that they need to leave by midday on the 10th of October to reach Battle by the
evening of the 13th.
October 10th (days elapsed 12)
-
Harold, the Fyrð and the Huscarls leave London by midday or they won't reach Battle by the 14th.
October 11th (days elapsed 13)
-
Mounted fighters from areas who have arrived late in London leave for Battle but will only take 2 days to reach Battle.
October 13th (days elapsed 15)
-
Harold's army arrives near Battle and has a party.
-
Norman scouts spot the English forces and report to William.
October 14, 1066AD
- The Battle of Hastings begins at ~9 AM.
| | What troops could get to Battle to Fight the Normans ▲ |
|---|
Master Wace provided a list of places where he believed troops came from, is this possible based on the speed of various
troop types.
The list he provided is as follows:
Those of London had come at once, and those of Kent, of Herfort, and of Essesse ; those of Suree and Sussesse, of St.
Edmund and Sufoc; of Norwis and Norfoc ; of Cantorbierre and Stanfort ; Bedefort and Hundetone *. The men of Northanton
also came ; and those of Eurowic and Bokin keham, of Bed and Notinkeham, Lindesie and Nichole. There came also from the
west all who heard the summons ; and very many were to be seen coming from Salebiere and Dorset, from Bat and from
Sumerset. Many came too from about Glocestre, and many from Wirecestre, from Wincestre, Hontesire, and Brichesire ; and
many more from other counties that we have not named, and cannot indeed recount.
| | Messenger Times ▲ |
|---|
This chart shows when a particular area would receive Harolds troop request by calculating the time from York to the
area and dividing it by the messenger speed of 70 miles per day, and applying this to the date Harold received the alert
of Williams landing. This gives an approximate date of knowledge of the invasion, then it would take a day to muster the
troops before they can leave.
| County/Town |
Distance
From York |
Travel Days
Messenger |
News Arrives |
| Bedfordshire(Bedford) |
158 |
2.3 |
04-Oct-1066 |
| Berkshire(Thatcham) |
213 |
3.0 |
05-Oct-1066 |
| Buckinghamshire(Buckingham) |
162 |
2.3 |
04-Oct-1066 |
| Cambridgeshire(Cambridge) |
162 |
2.3 |
04-Oct-1066 |
| Cheshire(Chester) |
112 |
1.6 |
04-Oct-1066 |
| Cornwall(Plymouth) |
337 |
4.8 |
07-Oct-1066 |
| Derbyshire(Derby) |
128 |
1.8 |
04-Oct-1066 |
| Devon(Exeter) |
294 |
4.2 |
06-Oct-1066 |
| Dorset(Salisbury) |
298 |
4.3 |
06-Oct-1066 |
| Essex(Colchester) |
216 |
3.1 |
05-Oct-1066 |
| Gloucestershire(Gloucester) |
189 |
2.7 |
05-Oct-1066 |
| Hampshire(Winchester) |
238 |
3.4 |
05-Oct-1066 |
| Herefordshire(Hereford) |
193 |
2.8 |
05-Oct-1066 |
| Hertfordshire(Hertford) |
184 |
2.6 |
05-Oct-1066 |
| Huntingdonshire(Huntingdon) |
142 |
2.0 |
04-Oct-1066 |
| Kent(Canterbury) |
216 |
3.1 |
05-Oct-1066 |
| Leicestershire(Leicester) |
170 |
2.4 |
04-Oct-1066 |
| Lincolnshire(Lincoln) |
74 |
1.1 |
03-Oct-1066 |
| Middlesex(London) |
211 |
3.0 |
05-Oct-1066 |
| Norfolk(Norwich) |
181 |
2.6 |
05-Oct-1066 |
| Northamptonshire(Northampton) |
147 |
2.1 |
04-Oct-1066 |
| Nottinghamshire(Nottingham) |
127 |
1.8 |
04-Oct-1066 |
| Oxfordshire(Oxford) |
195 |
2.8 |
05-Oct-1066 |
| Rutland(Whitwell) |
113 |
1.6 |
04-Oct-1066 |
| Shropshire(Kidderminster) |
157 |
2.2 |
04-Oct-1066 |
| Somerset(Bath) |
235 |
3.4 |
05-Oct-1066 |
| Staffordshire(Stafford) |
135 |
1.9 |
04-Oct-1066 |
| Suffolk(Bury St Edmunds) |
187 |
2.7 |
05-Oct-1066 |
| Surrey(Reigate) |
247 |
3.5 |
06-Oct-1066 |
| Sussex(Chichester) |
280 |
4.0 |
06-Oct-1066 |
| Warwickshire(Warwick) |
143 |
2.0 |
04-Oct-1066 |
| Wiltshire(Salisbury) |
279 |
4.0 |
06-Oct-1066 |
| Worcestershire(Worcester) |
132 |
1.9 |
04-Oct-1066 |
| Yorkshire(York) |
0 |
0.0 |
02-Oct-1066 |
| | |
|---|
| Huscarl Travel times ▲ |
|---|
This chart shows how long it will take Huscarls to travel from their County/Town firstly to London, then on to Battle
the Normans at Hastings. Days to London show the number of days to reach London. Days to Battle means the number of days
from their Town/County until they get to Battle. If the cell says impossible then they wouldn't be able to reach Battle
until after the Battle.
County/Town |
News Arrives | Days To
London |
Arrive | Days To
Battle | Arrive |
| Bedfordshire(Bedford) | 04-Oct-1066 | 1.45 | 07-Oct-1066 | 3.2 | 08-Oct-1066 |
| Berkshire(Thatcham) | 05-Oct-1066 | 1.45 | 08-Oct-1066 | 3.2 | 09-Oct-1066 |
| Buckinghamshire(Buckingham) | 04-Oct-1066 | 1.65 | 07-Oct-1066 | 3.4 | 09-Oct-1066 |
| Cambridgeshire(Cambridge) | 04-Oct-1066 | 1.525 | 07-Oct-1066 | 3.275 | 09-Oct-1066 |
| Cheshire(Chester) | 04-Oct-1066 | 5.25 | 10-Oct-1066 | 7 | 12-Oct-1066 |
| Cornwall(Plymouth) | 07-Oct-1066 | 5.35 | 13-Oct-1066 | 7.1 | impossible |
| Derbyshire(Derby) | 04-Oct-1066 | 2.25 | 07-Oct-1066 | 4 | 09-Oct-1066 |
| Devon(Exeter) | 06-Oct-1066 | 4.95 | 12-Oct-1066 | 6.7 | impossible |
| Dorset(Salisbury) | 06-Oct-1066 | 3.125 | 10-Oct-1066 | 4.875 | 12-Oct-1066 |
| Essex(Colchester) | 05-Oct-1066 | 1.65 | 08-Oct-1066 | 3.4 | 10-Oct-1066 |
| Gloucestershire(Gloucester) | 05-Oct-1066 | 2.55 | 08-Oct-1066 | 4.3 | 10-Oct-1066 |
| Hampshire(Winchester) | 05-Oct-1066 | 1.625 | 08-Oct-1066 | 3.375 | 10-Oct-1066 |
| Herefordshire(Hereford) | 05-Oct-1066 | 4 | 10-Oct-1066 | 5.75 | 12-Oct-1066 |
| Hertfordshire(Hertford) | 05-Oct-1066 | 0.75 | 06-Oct-1066 | 2.5 | 08-Oct-1066 | |
| Huntingdonshire(Huntingdon) | 04-Oct-1066 | 1.925 | 07-Oct-1066 | 3.675 | 09-Oct-1066 |
| Kent(Canterbury) | 05-Oct-1066 | 1.55 | 08-Oct-1066 | 3.3 | 09-Oct-1066 |
| Leicestershire(Leicester) | 04-Oct-1066 | 2.525 | 08-Oct-1066 | 4.275 | 10-Oct-1066 |
| Lincolnshire(Lincoln) | 03-Oct-1066 | 3.925 | 08-Oct-1066 | 5.675 | 10-Oct-1066 |
| Middlesex(London) | 05-Oct-1066 | 0 | 06-Oct-1066 | 1.75 | 08-Oct-1066 |
| Norfolk(Norwich) | 05-Oct-1066 | 2.925 | 09-Oct-1066 | 4.675 | 10-Oct-1066 |
| Northamptonshire(Northampton) | 04-Oct-1066 | 1.675 | 07-Oct-1066 | 3.425 | 09-Oct-1066 |
| Nottinghamshire(Nottingham) | 04-Oct-1066 | 2.2 | 07-Oct-1066 | 3.95 | 09-Oct-1066 |
| Oxfordshire(Oxford) | 05-Oct-1066 | 1.4 | 07-Oct-1066 | 3.15 | 09-Oct-1066 |
| Rutland(Whitwell) | 04-Oct-1066 | 2.8 | 07-Oct-1066 | 4.55 | 09-Oct-1066 |
| Shropshire(Kidderminster) | 04-Oct-1066 | 3.175 | 08-Oct-1066 | 4.925 | 10-Oct-1066 |
| Somerset(Bath) | 05-Oct-1066 | 2.95 | 09-Oct-1066 | 4.7 | 11-Oct-1066 |
| Staffordshire(Stafford) | 04-Oct-1066 | 3.55 | 08-Oct-1066 | 5.3 | 10-Oct-1066 |
| Suffolk(Bury St Edmunds) | 05-Oct-1066 | 2.05 | 08-Oct-1066 | 3.8 | 09-Oct-1066 |
| Surrey(Reigate) | 06-Oct-1066 | 0.55 | 07-Oct-1066 | 2.3 | 09-Oct-1066 |
| Sussex(Chichester) | 06-Oct-1066 | 1.8 | 09-Oct-1066 | 3.55 | 11-Oct-1066 |
| Warwickshire(Warwick) | 04-Oct-1066 | 2.35 | 07-Oct-1066 | 4.1 | 09-Oct-1066 |
| Wiltshire(Salisbury) | 06-Oct-1066 | 2.125 | 09-Oct-1066 | 3.875 | 11-Oct-1066 |
| Worcestershire(Worcester) | 04-Oct-1066 | 4.15 | 09-Oct-1066 | 5.9 | 11-Oct-1066 |
| Yorkshire(York) | 02-Oct-1066 | 5.275 | 08-Oct-1066 | 7.025 | 10-Oct-1066 |
| | |
|---|
| Messenger Times ▲ |
|---|
This chart shows when a particular area would receive Harolds troop request by calculating the time from York to the
area and dividing it by the messenger speed of 70 miles per day, and applying this to the date Harold received the alert
of Williams landing. This gives an approximate date of knowledge of the invasion, then it would take a day to muster the
troops before they can leave.
| County/Town |
Distance
From York |
Travel Days
Messenger |
News Arrives |
| Bedfordshire(Bedford) |
158 |
2.3 |
04-Oct-1066 |
| Berkshire(Thatcham) |
213 |
3.0 |
05-Oct-1066 |
| Buckinghamshire(Buckingham) |
162 |
2.3 |
04-Oct-1066 |
| Cambridgeshire(Cambridge) |
162 |
2.3 |
04-Oct-1066 |
| Cheshire(Chester) |
112 |
1.6 |
04-Oct-1066 |
| Cornwall(Plymouth) |
337 |
4.8 |
07-Oct-1066 |
| Derbyshire(Derby) |
128 |
1.8 |
04-Oct-1066 |
| Devon(Exeter) |
294 |
4.2 |
06-Oct-1066 |
| Dorset(Salisbury) |
298 |
4.3 |
06-Oct-1066 |
| Essex(Colchester) |
216 |
3.1 |
05-Oct-1066 |
| Gloucestershire(Gloucester) |
189 |
2.7 |
05-Oct-1066 |
| Hampshire(Winchester) |
238 |
3.4 |
05-Oct-1066 |
| Herefordshire(Hereford) |
193 |
2.8 |
05-Oct-1066 |
| Hertfordshire(Hertford) |
184 |
2.6 |
05-Oct-1066 |
| Huntingdonshire(Huntingdon) |
142 |
2.0 |
04-Oct-1066 |
| Kent(Canterbury) |
216 |
3.1 |
05-Oct-1066 |
| Leicestershire(Leicester) |
170 |
2.4 |
04-Oct-1066 |
| Lincolnshire(Lincoln) |
74 |
1.1 |
03-Oct-1066 |
| Middlesex(London) |
211 |
3.0 |
05-Oct-1066 |
| Norfolk(Norwich) |
181 |
2.6 |
05-Oct-1066 |
| Northamptonshire(Northampton) |
147 |
2.1 |
04-Oct-1066 |
| Nottinghamshire(Nottingham) |
127 |
1.8 |
04-Oct-1066 |
| Oxfordshire(Oxford) |
195 |
2.8 |
05-Oct-1066 |
| Rutland(Whitwell) |
113 |
1.6 |
04-Oct-1066 |
| Shropshire(Kidderminster) |
157 |
2.2 |
04-Oct-1066 |
| Somerset(Bath) |
235 |
3.4 |
05-Oct-1066 |
| Staffordshire(Stafford) |
135 |
1.9 |
04-Oct-1066 |
| Suffolk(Bury St Edmunds) |
187 |
2.7 |
05-Oct-1066 |
| Surrey(Reigate) |
247 |
3.5 |
06-Oct-1066 |
| Sussex(Chichester) |
280 |
4.0 |
06-Oct-1066 |
| Warwickshire(Warwick) |
143 |
2.0 |
04-Oct-1066 |
| Wiltshire(Salisbury) |
279 |
4.0 |
06-Oct-1066 |
| Worcestershire(Worcester) |
132 |
1.9 |
04-Oct-1066 |
| Yorkshire(York) |
0 |
0.0 |
02-Oct-1066 |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Local Interest
Just click an image |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
