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Saxon thegn | Anglo Saxon History 
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| | Battle of Hastings 1066AD - A - Setting the Scene |
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| Welcome ▲ |
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Hi, my name is Simon. I live in a small town called Battle in East Sussex, named after the Battle of Hastings fought on 14 October 1066 between Duke William of Normandy and King Harold, the Saxon King of England.
A great deal has been written about this battle over the centuries—not all of it particularly accurate or well-founded—and this has spawned considerable conjecture and debate about what actually happened and where.
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| The Problem ▲ |
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Battle Abbey is the main tourist attraction in the town and stands on the site traditionally identified as the battlefield. However, there is currently no hard archaeological evidence of a battle having taken place in or around the Abbey grounds.
This includes the findings from Channel 4's Time Team programme, which excavated across the field currently identified by English Heritage as the battlefield location. Despite their efforts, no definitive battle remains were discovered.
The lack of evidence at the traditional site has led researchers to propose at least eleven alternative locations for the battlefield across the Sussex landscape. Each has its advocates, and each claims to better fit the chronicle evidence than Battle Abbey.
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| The Evidence ▲ |
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The only physical artifact from the period is an axe head held at the Battle Museum of Local History. This was handed in to the museum in 1953 by a family living near the Abbey.
There is no record of exactly where this axe head was found. It has been identified as dating from the correct period, but whether it is a battle axe or a woodsman's axe remains uncertain. A single axe, with no provenance, does not constitute proof of a battlefield.
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| My Approach ▲ |
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My background is in analytical chemistry and computer programming—disciplines that depend on systematic analysis, logical reasoning, and questioning assumptions. I have applied this same approach to the Battle of Hastings.
Rather than accepting the traditional narrative, I have undertaken a detailed analysis of the primary source chronicles to see what can actually be determined—or reasonably conjectured—from the evidence they contain.
I have made a fundamental assumption: all the chronicles can be taken as valid accounts. Rather than dismissing sources that contradict the traditional narrative, I have tried to explain the events in a way that reconciles all of them. If multiple chronicles describe different details, I look for interpretations where all accounts can be true.
I do not try to explain happenings before or after the event itself. However, some of the descriptions I give imply that both William and Harold had understanding of the local landscape and of each other's tactics prior to the battle. This is not speculation—it is a logical inference from their actions as recorded in the chronicles.
The pages that follow examine:
- The contemporary and near-contemporary chronicles in detail
- The landscape and geography of 1066 Sussex
- Military logistics, timelines, and tactics
- Domesday Book evidence for troop movements and damage patterns
- Place-name analysis and etymology
- Alternative battlefield locations against a consistent set of criteria
| | How to Read These Pages ▲ |
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There are a number of things deduced in the following pages that you may find of interest. Please read the pages in order, as the sequence explains things in the order of the events themselves.
I am starting from Dives-sur-Mer (William's initial assembly point in Normandy) and ending at a bridge collapse (or possibly New Romney). By following the chronological sequence, each page builds on the previous analysis, and the overall narrative emerges from the evidence step by step.
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| What This Is ▲ |
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This is not a definitive answer—the evidence does not allow certainty. But it is a systematic, evidence-based attempt to reconstruct what may have happened, built on logic, landscape analysis, and careful reading of the sources that have survived.
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| Your Feedback ▲ |
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Your Feedback
You may disagree with my explanations, and if so please drop me a note via my Contact Us page and explain why you think I am wrong. I am always open to reasonable, logical arguments and welcome constructive discussion about the evidence and its interpretation.
However, I do not work on beliefs—only on logical explanations supported by evidence or a different interpretation. If you wish to challenge my conclusions, please provide a reasoned argument based on the chronicles, the landscape, or verifiable historical data.
Simon M
Battle, East Sussex
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Local Interest
Just click an image |
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![Saxon thegn](javascript:launch_resize("/images/1066AD/saxon_thegn2_lft.png",900,1000);)
