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Battle of Hastings 1066AD ‑ New Romney
 
Romney is mentioned in the Chronicles

There are reports of Romney being destroyed after William defeats Harold, but why ?
Documentary evidence

Master Wace
The Duke placed a guard in Hastings, from the best of his knights, so as to garrison the castle well, and went thence to Romenel, to destroy it utterly, because some of his people had arrived there , I know not by what accident, and the false and traitorous had killed them by felony. On that account he was very wroth against them and grievously punished them for it.

Orderic Vitalis
When his own dead had been given honorable burial he advanced to Romney, defeated the garrison and avenged the slaughter of some of his men. They had landed there in error and had been routed in the ensuing battle by the fierce defenders, with terrible losses on both sides.

Various routes Duke William may have taken to cross the Channel in 1066AD
 
What we know of the area

The name Romney is derived from the Saxon 'rom' meaning a ram and 'ney' derived from 'en æg' - en - people of and æg - an island - so 'the island of the ram people'.

The first written reference to Romney is dated 740AD in a grant of King Ethelbert which mentions the chapel of St. Martin being located here. Sometime before this the Rother/Limen changed its course from where it originally reached the sea at Hythe and broke through to the sea at ‘Old’ Romney.

Anglo Saxon Chronicle mentions
A.D. 893. This year went the large army, that we before spoke about, back from the eastern district westward to Bologne; and there were shipped; so that they transported themselves over at one time with their horses withal. And they came up with two hundred and fifty ships into the mouth of the Limne, which is in East-Kent, at the east end of the vast wood that we call Andred. On this river they towed up their ships as far as the weald, four miles from the mouth outwards; and there destroyed a fort within the fen, whereon sat a few churls, and which was hastily wrought.

A.D. 894. Hasten was there with his gang, who before were stationed at Milton, and also the main army had come thither, that sat before in the mouth of the Limne at Appledore.

Post 900AD New Romney and the Langport
The Vikings had left but slow moving Rother continued silting up the area around Old Romney, and the port had to be moved to modern New Romney in the late 900's AD, where it was known as Langport.

The Domesday Book only shows one entry for Romney with a tiny population and no damage, there is no mention of Langport, however the Normans created the Rape of Langport, and not the Rape of Romney. This means its likely that the Chroniclers were referring to the 'area of Romney' when they mention Romenel and not the settlement. This in turn means that the Langport was the place that was destroyed and not Old Romney.
 
An Interpretation of the Chronicles

Some of the Norman vessels landed on the Romney marsh probably near to Langport, the only logical explanation is that these vessels were overloaded, or were taking on water and the nearest land was the Romney area.

The locals wouldn't have taken kindly to this as they had been supporters of Earl Godwin in the early 1050's, unlike nearby Hastings who seemed to support the King and his Norman influence.
 
Conclusion

It seems unlikely they would have landed in Romney by error as 700 ships were sailing together, it is much more likely that the vessels were taking on water and they needed to reach the nearest shore, and if the route went from the Colbart Ridge to Pevensey, then Romney would have been the nearest shore line.



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Author Simon M - Last updated - 2025-02-10 20:45:02
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