Anglo Saxon History Home Background Landscape Changing Landscape and Language Sea Levels in AD400(Pevensey) Sea Levels in AD400(The Wash) Sea level changes last 2000 years Andredsweald and Anderida Where are the Roman Roads History of the Romney Marsh The Great Storm 1287AD List of Landscape Documents Local The Saxon Kingdom of the Haestingas The Cinque Ports 914AD Alfred the Great's fort in Hastings Battle Museum Battle History Society Villagenet Local Gazeteer World War 2 Tank database Simon the Piman(Raspberry Pi) Tourist Guides for the area Romans First Invasion 55BC Second Invasion 43AD Roman roads in Britannia Ptolemy Geographica Tribes MAP-Margary Roman Roads MAP-Roman Roads South East MAP-Roman Roads South West MAP-Roman Roads Wales MAP-Roman Roads South Midlands MAP-Roman Roads South Yorkshire MAP-Roman Locations Norfolk MAP-Roman Locations Essex MAP-Wealden Roads/Bloomeries Wealden Bloomeries 1st Century Wealden Bloomeries 2nd Century Wealden Bloomeries 3rd Century Wealden Bloomeries 4th Century MAP-Antonine Itinery I Roman Industry in the Brede Valley Decline in Roman Wealden Ironworking The Gallic Empire 260AD - 274AD Types of Roman Fortification List of Roman Documents Saxon Chronicles 914AD Burghal Hideage Locations - 449AD Ebbsfleet Locations - 455AD Agelesþrep Locations - 485AD Mearcredesburnan Stede Locations - 914AD Eorpeburnan Saxon Invasion sequence Invaders 1 - Henghest, Horsa and Æsc Invaders 3 - Aelle Cymen Wlenca Cissa Invaders 4 - West Seaxe (Wessex) List of Saxon Chronicles Documents 449AD(1) Henghest lands at Ypwinesfleot 449AD(2) the Welsh flee from Henghest 455AD Henghest fights at Agælesþrep 456AD Henghest fights at Wippedesfleote 457AD Henghest fights at Crecganford 457AD the Haestingas !! 473AD - Welsh Flee again (Henghest and Æsc) 477AD Ælle lands at Cymensora 485AD Ælle and Mearcrædesburnan stæðe 491AD Ælle fights at Andredescester 495AD Cerdic lands at Cerdicesora 501AD Port arrives at Portesmuþa 508AD Cerdicesford and Netley 514AD Stuff and Whitgar 519AD Cerdic & Cynric at Cerdicesford 527AD Cerdic & Cynric at Cerdicesleigh 530AD - Wihtgarabyrg (Cerdic and Cynric) 534AD - Isle of Wight given to Stuff and Wihtgar 552AD - Searobyrg (Cynric) 556AD - Beranbyrg (Cynric and Ceawlin) 568AD - Wibban dune (Ceaulin and Cuþa) 1066 Battle Documentary Evidence Available Documents  1 Anglo Saxon Chronicles  2 Battle Abbey Chronicles  3 Bayeux Tapestry  4 Carmen Guy d'Amiens  5 Florence of Worcester  6 Henry of Huntingdon  7 Master Wace  8 Orderic Vitalis(Gesta)  9 William of Jumièges(Gesta) 10 William of Malmesbury 11 Quedam Exceptiones Reference to Locations Phases of the Events Phases 1066AD  1 Background 1066AD  2 In Normandy 1066AD  3 Channel Crossing 1066AD  4 The Landing 1066AD  5 Feast after Landing 1066AD  6 Building the Forts 1066AD  7 Raiding the Area 1066AD  8 Warning to Harold 1066AD  9 Stamford Bridge 1066AD 10 Harold returns to London 1066AD 11 William is Alerted 1066AD 12 Exchange of Messages 1066AD 13 Defenses 1066AD 14 Harold Reconnoitres 1066AD 15 Preparations 1066AD 16 The Night Before 1066AD 17 The Battle 1066AD 18 Harold is Killed 1066AD 19 The English Rout 1066AD 20 After the Battle 1066AD 21 The Malfosse Warriors, Weapons & Snippets Saxon - Huscarl Saxon - Fyrd(Fyrð) Senlac Hill The Malfosse The Hoar Apple Tree The Shield Wall Salt Production near Hastings The Battle of Jengland 851AD William's Ship List Norman/Viking Ships and stuff Norman bows and crossbows Harold was NOT killed by an arrow The Time Team view of the Battle 1066AD Landscape Details 1066AD Sailing from Normandy 1066AD Norman Landing 1066AD Possible Fort 1066AD to Pevensey and Hastings 1066AD Manors Wasted 1066AD Manors All 1066AD Warning to Harold 1066AD Harold to Hastings  List of 1066AD Documents List of 1066AD Weapons Sub Category A - The Ship list of William the Conqueror B - Ships - Drekka, Snekkja and Knarr C - Why Hastings? D - Sailing - Dives sur Mer to St Valerie E - The Sailing - St Valerie to Pevensey F - The Coastline and Landscape G - New Romney Destroyed H -Duke Williams army size and logistics I - Landscape of Haestingaport J - Hastings and its links to Fécamp Abbey K - The Landing , where was it ? L - The Warning to Harold and its implications M - The Castles N - The Hoar Apple Tree O - The Intermediary P - Places named in the Chronicles Q - Evidence for the Malfosse Z - King Harold was not killed by an arrow in the eye 1086AD Domesday Boundary of Anderida Domesday Hursts Post Domesday Hursts Domesday Manors Wasted UK Norfolk Salt Production Salt Production near Hastings The Wash at 1086 The Humber estuary at 1086 Domesday County details B Bedfordshire Domesday Population Berkshire Domesday Population Buckinghamshire Domesday Population Domesday County details C Cambridgeshire Domesday Population Cheshire Domesday Population Cornwall Domesday Population Domesday County details D Derbyshire Domesday Population Devon Domesday Population Dorset Domesday Population Domesday County details E Essex Domesday Population Domesday County details G Gloucestershire Domesday Population Domesday County details H Hampshire Domesday Population Herefordshire Domesday Population Hertfordshire Domesday Population Huntingdonshire Domesday Population Domesday County details K Kent Domesday Population Domesday County details L Leicestershire Domesday Population Lincolnshire Domesday Population Domesday County details M Middlesex Domesday Population Domesday County details N Norfolk Domesday Population Northamptonshire Domesday Population Nottinghamshire Domesday Population Domesday County details O Oxfordshire Domesday Population Domesday County details R Rutland Domesday Population Domesday County details S Shropshire Domesday Population Somerset Domesday Population Staffordshire Domesday Population Suffolk Domesday Population Surrey Domesday Population Sussex Domesday Population Domesday County details W Warwickshire Domesday Population Wiltshire Domesday Population Worcestershire Domesday Population Domesday County details Y Yorkshire Domesday Population Place names Translate my Location Celtic name snippets Jutish name snippets Roman name snippets Saxon name snippets Viking name snippets Norman name snippets Modern name snippets List of name Snippets Snippet 1 - What is an eye,island etc Snippet 2 - What is a hurst Snippet 3 - What is a bury, a borough or burgh Snippet Places 1 - Tidebrook Villages containing EY/EYE/SEA Villages containing HAM Villages containing TON Villages containing CASTLE Sussex Locations with ING Domesday Sussex with ING Kent Locations with ING Sussex Locations with HURST Loads of Village Translations Res Battle of Hastings 1066AD - M - The Castles Documentary evidence for the Castles Battle Abbey Chronicles Things thus turning out according to his wishes, the duke did not long remain in that place, but went away with his men to a port not far distant called Hastings ; and there, having secured an appropriate place, and acting upon a prudent determination, he speedily built a castle of wood. This implies a pre-fabricated fort Bayeux Tapestry (The Motte and Bailey is built and the troops go off and burn the villages.) odo eps willelm rotbert (Bishop Odo, William and Robert) iste jussit ut foderetur castellum at Hastenga (he ordered that a motte should be built at Hastings) ceastre (the camp) hic nuntiatum est willelm de harold (here William is told about Harold) hic domus incenditur (here a house is burned) This implies a pre-fabricated fort as well Carmen de Triumpho Normannico You secure the bridgehead fearing to neglect the ships And raise palisades, that you may site the camp within You restore the forts that were long since destroyed You station garrisons that they may be defended Not much space has been occupied by your men in peace This implies a pre-fabricated fort as well as restoring the 'forts' presumably Pevensey Castle and Alfred the Great's Burh at Hastings Henry of Huntingdon Harold, king of England, returned to York the same day, with great triumph. But while he was at dinner, a messenger arrived with the news that William, duke of Normandy, had landed on the south coast and had built a fort at Hastings. This implies a pre-fabricated fort as well Master Wace The first day they held their course along the seashore ; and on the morrow came to a castle called Penevesel. The squires and foragers, and those who looked out for booty, seized all the clothing and provisions they could find, lest what had been brought by the ships should fail them ; and the English were to be seen fleeing before them, driving off their cattle, and quitting their houses. All took shelter in the cemeteries, and even there they were in grievous alarm. He saw the archers come forth from the ships, and the knights follow. He saw the carpenters with their axes, and the host of people and troops. He saw the men throw the materials for the fort out of the ships. He saw them build up and enclose the fort, and dig the fosse around it. When they had reached the spot where the archers stood, and the knights were assembled, they consulted together, and sought for a good spot to place a strong fort upon. Then they cast out of the ships the materials, and drew them to land, all shaped framed and pierced to receive the pins which they had brought, cut and ready in large barrels ; so that before evening had well set in, they had finished a fort. 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. This implies the occupation of Pevensey Castle, a pre-fabricated fort and presumably Alfred the Great's Burh at Hastings Orderic Vitalis The Norman expedition, therefore, crossed the sea on the night of the third of the calends of October [29th September], which the Catholic church observes as the feast of St. Michael the archangel, and, meeting with no resistance, and landing safely on the coast of England, took possession of Pevensey and Hastings, the defence of which was entrusted to a chosen body of soldiers, to cover a retreat and guard the fleet. This implies the occupation of Pevensey Castle, and Alfred the Great's Burh at Hastings Summary of the Chronicles If we take all descriptions together then William must have taken Pevensey Castle, then built a pre-fabricated fort in his sea side camp, and then finally occupied Alfred the Great's Burh at Hastings. Pevensey Castle Carausius, a Roman naval commander tasked with clearing the English Channel of Frankish and Saxon pirates, was accused of corruption by the senior Roman Emperor Maximian. Facing execution, he revolted in 286 AD, declaring himself emperor. At this time he controlled Britannia and Gaul, the Norther province in France. Carausius controlled the Wealden Iron production, Roman fleet shipbuilding at Pevensey and the Classis Britannica (the Roman Channel fleet), and appeared to be a very adept naval commander. In 293 AD, when the Caesar Constantius Chlorus recaptured his Gallic holdings and besieged Gesoriacum (Bolougne - the Classis Britannica main base), Carausius had already started to build a replacement but smaller, Fleet Headquarters at Pevensey in 290AD and a second fort at Hythe to defend the iron exporting from the Rother, Brede, Tillingham iron production areas. Carausius was killed by his Accountant Allectus in 293AD - the moral of this story is 'never trust an Accountant' Pevensey was completed about 290AD and is the largest Roman Shore fort in Britain covering about 3.7 hectares, and nowadays it contains a Norman Castle similar to that at Bodiam but in less good repair. Copyright saxonhistory.co.uk 2013 - 2025 Contact Simon Author Simon M - Last updated - 2025-09-02 10:00:59 All pages on our site (Sitemap)