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Norman crossbowman | Anglo Saxon History 
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| | Battle of Hastings 1066AD - Y1 - Evidence for a Retreat Malfosse |
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| | The Retreat Malfosse - Did it exist and what was it ? |
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The term the Malfosse was added to the details of the Battle of Hastings from the Chronicles of Battle Abbey.
This originated from the following:
Quod quidem baratrum sortito ex accidenti uocabulo Malfosse hodieque nuncupatu
Which translates roughly to:
This ditch has been named for the accident, and today it is called Malfosse.
From the documentation it would seem that there could have been two malfosse's or malfossei, one during the battle and a second while chasing the retreating Saxons.
A military defininition of Fossé (Fr.) is an exterior ditch fronting a rampart or curtain.
| | Documentary evidence ▲ |
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William of Jumièges
However confidence returned to the fugitives when they found a good chance to renew the battle, thanks to a broken rampart and labyrinth of ditches.
Recorded as the Saxons flee
Orderic Vitalis
(The Normans, finding the English completely routed, pursued them vigorously all Sunday night, but not without suffering a great loss ; for, galloping onward in hot pursuit, they fell unawares, horses and armour, into an ancient trench, overgrown and concealed by rank grass, and men in their armour and horses rolling over each other, were crushed and smothered. This accident restored confidence to the routed English, for, perceiving the advantage given them by the mouldering rampart and a succession of ditches, they rallied in a body, and, making a sudden stand, caused the Normans severe loss.)
This again records that the malfosse was after the battle
The second part of this account could apply to the battle and not the rout as routing soldiers do not usually reform as their units are broken up and spread out by the rout.
Master Wace
(and they had moreover made a fosse, which went across the field),
this is a possibility if the Normans broke through the Shield Wall and hence into the Saxon lines, but were then pushed back into the ditch(fosse) great losses would have occurred.
Before the battle Master Wace also describes Saxon defences
(There he said he would defend himself against whoever should seek him ; and he had the place well examined, and surrounded it by a good fosse, leaving an entrance on each of three sides, which were ordered to be all well guarded.)
In his section on THE ROLL OF THE NORMAN LORDS
(And now might be heard the loud clang and cry of battle, and the clashing of lances. The English stood firm in their barricades, and shivered the lances, beating them into pieces with their bills and maces. The Normans drew their swords and hewed down the barricades, and the English in great trouble fell back upon their standard, where were collected the maimed and wounded.)
claiming that this was a Saxon made defence this potentially explains the battle ditch description.
Henry of Huntingdon
(But Harold had formed his whole army in close column, making a rampart that the Normans could not penetrate. Duke William therefore commanded his troops to make a feigned retreat. In their flight they they happened unawares of a deep trench which was treacherously covered into which numbers fell and perished. While the English were engaged in pursuit, the main body of the Normans broke the centre of the enemy's line, which being perceived by those in pursuit over the concealed trench, when they were consequently recalled most of them fell there.)
This sounds like the Normans attacked a defensive ditch, broke over the rampart then into the Saxon line, then were pushed back into the ditch and finally routed, the English then followed up but they were also cut down by the cavalry while pursuing the routed Norman men-at-arms.
Florence of Worcester
(before a third of his army was in fighting order. He gave them battle at a place nine miles from Hastings, where they had built a fort. The English being crowded in a confined position)
from this account it would seem that Harold had built a fort as the English were in a confined position, which could be a ditch on three sides as described by Master Wace(above).
The Chronicles of Battle Abbey
(here lay between the hostile armies a certain dreadful precipice, caused either by a natural chasm of the earth, or by some convulsion of the elements. It was of considerable extent, and being overgrown with bushes or brambles was not very easily seen, and great numbers of men — principally Normans in pursuit of the English — were suffocated in it).
This appears to record that the Malfosse was in the Battlefield, however it could be read as after the battle.
The Bayeux Tapestry has a scene where horses are seen vertically and a very rough piece of ground goes up to the Saxon positions, this could also be interpreted as a ditch in front of the Saxon lines with men and horses falling into it. A further interesting part of this image is that the legs of the Saxons at the top of the hill are behind the hilltop which could be interpreted as defensive shieldwall above the fosse.
| | Local features that could be an ancient trench ▲ |
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So if the malfosse is during the retreat, then it has to be near one of the roads out of the area and not in the forest. This is because it wouldn't have been hidden and also would have blocked the road and been obvious to both the retreating Saxons and the chasing Norman Cavalry.
We are now looking for landscape features that are on either the old ridgeways or the Roman roads and probably not in the Forest, please see the map of the area below that shows Andredsweald and the Roman roads and ridgeways.
| | Overall map of the Area ▲ |
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So if the malfosse is during the retreat, then it has to be near one of the roads out of the area and not in the forest. This is because it wouldn't have been hidden and also would have blocked the road and been obvious to both the retreating Saxons and the chasing Norman Cavalry.
We are now looking for landscape features that are on either the old ridgeways or the Roman roads and probably not in the Forest, please see the map of the area below that shows Andredsweald and the Roman roads and ridgeways.
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Overall map of the Area ▲
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The Green shaded area shows the approximate location of the Great Forest of Andredweald, the red lines are the Roman roads as described by Ivan D Margary, the maroon lines are the ancient ridgeways again as described by Ivan Margary.
The Purple lines are roads that we have added as they are described with the 'Street' snippet implying these were the smaller Roman roads in the area.
The blue areas show the valleys with the high tide mark at 4.5 metres hence were sea inlets making them impassible to Infantry and Cavalry.
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Local Interest
Just click an image |
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![Norman crossbowman](javascript:launch_resize("/images/1066AD/norman_crossbowman_lft.png",900,1000);)
![The area including roads and Forest](javascript:launch_resize("/images/boh/Battlefields1.png"))
