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Battle of Hastings 1066AD
Location - Hecheland where is it and what does it mean ?
 
Documentary References

If you take the references from the Battle Abbey Chronicles regarding the leuga(league) the area owned by the Abbey.

From without Bodeherste on the east is the boundary of the Leuga near the land of Robert Bos and Boundary of it runs near the land of Roger Moin as far as Hecilande and includes Hecilande near the land of William Fitz Robert Fitz Wido and the land of Croherste on the south.

On the sabbath they shall go with their own horse whithersoever they are ordered Between Hecheland and Bodeherste is one wist with the like labour and pence In Telleham are held seven wists which shall do all the labour in the manner above described

In Uccheham are three wists with the meadow called Hanwisse Bodeherstegate as far as the road near Hechilande lies a very large uncultivated plain In Hechilande are two wists In Santlache reaching as far as the infirmary are held 31 acres this place is called Dune.

Besides these the leuga includes three woods namely Hecheland Bodeherste and Petlee and a fourth which is called Duniford.


Can we work out its location

From the above documentation it would appear that Hecilande, Hecheland or Hechilande is between Bathurst and Crowhurst and between Bathhurstgate and Santlache and also Bathurst and Telham.

So the leuga description goes clockwise from Bathurst to Hechiland to Telham and or Santlache.

Modern Bathurst is a wooded area currently known as 'Battle Great Wood' and modern Telham is on the Hastings road.

Santlache is a small lake to the south east of the Abbey.

However the snippet ham in Telham implies that this was a valley settlement, so it was most likely to be in the valley behind modern Telham court, near to Telham farm, but over time as the road develops then the name migrates from the valley to the ridge.

Hechiland is described as 'it runs near the land of Roger Moin as far as Hecilande and includes Hecilande'

This implies that Hecilande was a settlement on the Hastings road near the boundary of the leuga. This is most likely to be where modern Telham is located.


Map of Battle Abbey Lands
 
Map of the Leuga of Battle Abbey
This map is taken from our analysis of the lands of Battle Abbey, please click on the map for a larger image.
The Lands of the Abbey from the Chronicles of Battle Abbey
 
Possible meanings of Hecheland

So the prefix snippet is either Heci, Heche or Hechi and land which means the same as the modern meaning.

If we look at Anglo Saxon words, there is no Heci, Heche or Hechi but there are a few other possibilities:

hecge - an enclosure, a fence, hedge
hecg - an enclosure, a fence, hedge
hege - an enclosure, a fence, hedge

hécen - a small goat

heáge - high

Conclusion

The translation used by various scholars is that it means a hedge.

My personal opinion is that it was a description of the land to the south east of the Abbey which was the highest part of the leuga(the Abbey lands)

Hence heágeland meaning the 'high place'.




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Author Simon M - Last updated - 2025-09-09 09:16:50
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