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Battle of Hastings 1066AD - The Normans - St Valerie to Pevensey
 
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Documentary Evidence ▲

The documents that give us any information for the journey from St Valerie to Hastings/Pevensey are as follows.

Bayeux Tapestry- 'to(towards) Pevensey'
William Sails from Normandy in 1066AD


The big ships are loaded with fighting troops and the smaller ones carry provisions, horses etc


The armada sails towards modern Pevensey(Pevenesæ)

please click here to visit Reading Museum for further details of Britains Bayeux Tapestry.


The Carmen de Triumpho Normannico
(usually known as the Carmen - this extract comes from Kathleen Tyson's translation)

You give the order and they strike for the greater depths of the sea,
Hitherto confined, the ships spread along the coast evenly,
And form themselves into a tidy fleet,
The days already short, the setting sun now inclines,
When your flagship sets the course,
When the dark night's gloomy shadows overspread the sky,
And the veiled moon refuses you service,
You fill the waves otherwise with torches reddish glow,
Just as the stars fill the sky in place of the fallen sun.
As many are the ships, so many lights you disperse.
The sails rule a straight course through the sea.
But cautious lest dark imposes losses,
And contrary wind and current disturb the sea,
You order the fleet to halt course, form up and drop anchor.

On the open sea you moor offshore.
And as the sun casts its rays over the horizon,
You order the sails set to the wind to make way
While the ships raise anchor.
The third hour of the day overspreads the earth
Since leaving the sea behind when you seize a sheltered strand.
The land belonging to you had been stripped of terrified tenants.
You rejoice as you and yours seize a peaceful arc of strand.

The Ecclesiastical History of Orderic Vitalis
(this extract comes from Marjorie Chibnall's translation)

When at last by Gods grace the favorable wind sprang up in answer to so many prayers, the duke, impatient to set out, called all his men forthwith to the ships and commanded them to set sail with courage.
So the Norman army crossed the sea on 29th September, the night when the universal church celebrates the feast of St Michael the archangel, and reaching the coast of England where they met no opposition, gladly came ashore.
They took possession of Pevensey and Hastings and gave them into the charge of chosen soldiers as a base for the army and shelter to the fleet.

Roman de Rou - Master Wace
(this extract comes from Edgar taylor's translation)

The duke placed a lantern on the mast of his ship, that the other ships might see it, and hold their course after it. The ships sailed to one port; all arrived and reached the shore together; together cast anchor, and ran on dry land; and together discharged themselves. They arrived near Hastings, and their each ship ranged by the other's side.

Chronicle of Florence of Worcester

and he had moored his fleet at a place called Pevensey.

Chronicle of Henry of Huntingdon

William Duke of Normandy, had landed on the south coast, and had built a fort at Hastings.

Anglo Saxon Chronicles – A,B,C,D,E and H

A.D. 1066.(Version D)
Meantime Earl William came up from Normandy into Pevensey on the eve of St. Michael's mass; and soon after his landing was effected, they constructed a castle at the port of Hastings.

Chronicles of Battle Abbey

The duke, therefore, with a prodigious army, and attended by the divine favour, arrived safely near the castle called Pevensey. The soldiers leaped joyfully upon English ground at intervals along the shore.

Not a lot to go on - The Carmen ▲

It looks like the Carmen gives the only detailed report, so lets use that

The days already short, the setting sun now inclines,
(So they are starting to sail after 12:00)
When the dark night's gloomy shadows overspread the sky,
(and they sail until the sun sets - sunrise 05:56 ->sunset 17:51 in Sept 1066)
And the veiled moon refuses you service,
(no moon so very dark)
You fill the waves otherwise with torches reddish glow,
Just as the stars fill the sky in place of the fallen sun.
(So navigation by the stars may have been possible)
As many are the ships, so many lights you disperse.
The sails rule a straight course through the sea.
But cautious lest dark imposes losses,
And contrary wind and current disturb the sea,
(This may imply that the fleet moved over a shoal with the current changing and lapping around the ships)
You order the fleet to halt course, form up and drop anchor.
(So they anchor up not too late so lets assume no more than about 20:00)

On the open sea you moor offshore.
(Mooring offshore in the Channel is a bit awkward as the anchor lines for Viking vessels would not have been more than about 11 metres)

A Viking age anchor has been found in Ladby(Denmark) the anchor is 1.26 m long and 0.83 m wide is made mostly of iron and equipped with an iron anchor chain which is estimated to have been ca. 11 m long. The original Ladby anchor can still be seen today in situ – in its original resting place – in the remains of the ship-grave at Vikingemuseet Ladby.

The majority of the sea in the channel is deeper than 11 metres, and as the sea was probably about 4 metres higher in Norman times then the only places they could anchor were the few banks and shoals in the Channel that are currently no more than 7 metres deep.

Continuing to England

And as the sun casts its rays over the horizon,
(up and sailing before sunrise, so possibly 05:00)

You order the sails set to the wind to make way

While the ships raise anchor.

The third hour of the day overspreads the earth

Since leaving the sea behind when you seize a sheltered strand.
(so about 4 hours sailing and arrive about 09:00)

The land belonging to you had been stripped of terrified tenants.

You rejoice as you and yours seize a peaceful arc of strand.
 
Overall Journey Time ▲

The Fleet leaves after midday, so assume 12:00 and anchors up at about 20:00 which means they sail for about 8 hours.

They weigh anchor at about 05:00 and arrive by 10:00 so another 5 hours sailing.

Their overall sailing time is from 12:00 to the following 10:00 about 22 hours overall.

Viking ships could sail at an average of about 7 mph, which would give an overall distance of 56 miles(90 km) from St Valerie to the anchor point, then a further 35 miles(56 km) to Pevensey. So the overall journey would be a maximum of 91 miles(146 km).

As an aside, when a fleet in the middle ages anchored in the sea, all the ships were tied together, with a few throwing out anchors, this made a large platform that people could walk across, and in the case of the Norman Invasion probably allowed the horses to be fed and watered while at anchor.(sorry cant find any images to illustrate this).

The New Romney issue ▲

There are reports of Romney being destroyed after William defeats Harold that may also have some bearing on the route.

Master Wace

Of so large a fleet with so many people, only two ships were in any peril, and those perhaps from being overloaded.

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.

My Comments

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. From Master Wace only two ships were in any peril, and those perhaps from being overloaded so these may have been the vessels that arrived at New Romney.

 
Viking Anchor rope/chain length ▲

The length of the Ladby Ship Anchor chain was about 11 metres, this would mean a maximum depth of water that could be anchored in was about 6 metres.
Further details of the Viking Longboat and Transport ships is on our Battle of Hastings 1066AD - Norman ship facts pages.

If we now look at the sandbanks/shoals in the Channel we can see where the anchorage could have been.

Shoals and Sandbank in the English Channel (La Manche) ▲

To try and define where possible anchorage places for the Fleet we now look at the Shoals and Sandbanks in the English Channel that could be used to anchor the fleet. It would have been very risky anchoring near to the shore in the dark, so we will only look at the places in the Channel itself.

There is a high probability that the sea level could have been at least 4 metres higher in Norman times - see (Landscape - High Tide changes in the last 2000 years), so will comment against the individual shoals below.

Details of shoals and sandbanks in the English Channel
extracted from https://www.sea-seek.com/en/Pas-de-Calais-Dover-Straight.
The Varne (50°58'N., 1°20'E.), a dangerous steep-to and narrow shoal, lies 11 miles NW of Cap Griz-Nez and extends for about 8 miles in the middle of the traffic lane heading SW in the Pas de Calais TSS. It is possible to pass on both sides of the bank. Strong tide rips occur in the vicinity of this shoal and a heavy sea breaks over it during bad weather. This shoal has a least depth of about 3m and is marked by lighted buoys to the W, E, and S.

If the sea level was the current level, then this shoal would have been about 3 metres deep,well within the length of anchor chain at the time, so we can't eliminate this shoal.

If the sea level was higher, then this shoal would have been about 7 metres deep, just about the maximum length of anchor chain at the time, so we can't eliminate this shoal.
The Ridge (Le Colbart) (50°53'N., 1°20'E.), a dangerous steep-to and narrow shoal, lies about 10 miles W of Cap Gris-Nez. It extends for about 10 miles and forms a natural separation between the traffic lanes of the TSS. This shoal, which is composed mostly of sand with mud and shells in places, has a least depth of 1.5m and is marked by lighted buoys. The sea breaks heavily on this shoal, especially with the wind against the tidal current.

If the sea level was the current level, then this shoal would have been about 2 metres deep,well within the length of anchor chain at the time, so we can't eliminate this shoal.

If the sea level was higher, then this shoal would have been about 5 metres deep, so this is a comfortable anchor length, so we can't eliminate this shoal.
Bullock Bank (50°45'N., 1°05'E.), a steep-to and narrow shoal, lies about 20 miles WSW of Cap Gris-Nez. It extends for about 7 miles and is marked by a lighted buoy. This bank has a least depth of 14m and is usually marked by strong tidal rips.

If the sea level was at the current level, then this shoal would have been about 14 metres deep, this is much deeper than the normal anchor could go to, so this shoal should BE ELIMINATED.

If the sea level was higher, then this shoal would have been about 18 metres deep, this is much deeper than the normal anchor could go to, so this shoal should BE ELIMINATED.
Les Ridens (50°45'N., 1°18'E.), lying about 13 miles SW of Cap Gris-Nez, is an area consisting of several shoals. These shoals are formed of sand, gravel, and shells disposed irregularly on a rocky bottom. The area has a least depth of 13m and is marked by a lighted buoy. The sea breaks heavily on this area and strong eddies occur in bad weather.

If the sea level was at the current level, then this shoal would have been about 13 metres deep, this is much deeper than the normal anchor could go to, so this shoal should BE ELIMINATED.

If the sea level was higher, then this shoal would have been about 17 metres deep, this is much deeper than the normal anchor could go to, so this shoal should BE ELIMINATED.
Bassurelle (50°38'N., 1°05'E.), a sandy shoal with a least depth of about 7m, lies 24 miles SW of Cap Gris-Nez. Strong eddies and a dangerous sea occur during bad weather, especially with the wind against the tidal current, in the vicinity of this shoal. The shoal extends for about 9 miles and the depths over it frequently change.

If the sea level was at the current level, then this shoal would have been about 7 metres deep, so this is a bit tight for an anchor length, but is close so we can't eliminate this shoal.

If the sea level was higher, then this shoal would have been about 11 metres deep, this is deeper than the normal anchor could go to, so this shoal should BE ELIMINATED.
Vergoyer (50°33'N., 1°15'E.), a narrow sand bank, lies 23 miles SSW of Cap Griz-Nez. It extends for about 15 miles and is marked by lighted buoys. A shoal patch, with a least depth of 4.2m, lies near the NE extremity. The E side of this sand bank is steep-to, while the W side slopes gradually. In bad weather the sea breaks over this bank.

If the sea level was at the current level, then this shoal would have been about 4 metres deep, so we can't eliminate this shoal.

If the sea level was higher, then this shoal would have been about 9 metres deep, so this is a bit tight for an anchor length, but is close so we can't eliminate this shoal.
Bassure de Baas (50°27'N., 1°20'E.), a narrow bank of sand and shells, lies with its N end located about 4.5 miles SSW of Cap Griz-Nez. This bank has mostly depths of less than 7m and extends for about 35 miles. During bad weather the sea breaks heavily over the entire bank. Numerous unmarked wrecks lie in the channel leading between the mainland coast and the N part of Bassure de Baas.

If the sea level was at the current level, then this shoal would have been about 7 metres deep, so this is a bit tight for an anchor length, but is close so we can't eliminate this shoal.

If the sea level was higher, then this shoal would have been about 11 metres deep, this is deeper than the normal anchor could go to, so this shoal should BE ELIMINATED.
Battur, a shoal extending for about 9 miles, lies parallel with and SE of the SW extremity of Bassure de Baas. It has a least depth of 8.9m and is formed of sand, gravel, and shells. During strong W winds the sea breaks heavily on this shoal.

If the sea level was at the current level, then this shoal would have been about 9 metres deep, this is much deeper than the normal anchor could go to, so this shoal should BE ELIMINATED.

If the sea level was higher, then this shoal would have been about 13 metres deep, this is deeper than the normal anchor could go to, so this shoal should BE ELIMINATED.
Sandettie (51°15'N., 2°00'E.), a shoal bank extending for about 15 miles, lies with its SW end located 11 miles NNW of Calais. It has a least depth of 5m and is marked by lighted buoys.

If the sea level was at the current level, then this shoal would have been about 5 metres deep, so this is fine for anchor length,so we can't eliminate this shoal.

If the sea level was higher, then this shoal would have been about 9 metres deep, so this is a bit tight for an anchor length, but is close so we can't eliminate this shoal.

and this is taken from https://www.sxbrcmapping.org.uk/ifca/mSNCICitation.php?SiteRef=13.
The Royal Sovereign Shoals lie between 10-13 km ENE of Beachy Head, and 8-10 km off Langney Point, NE of Eastbourne. The reef covers an area of about 1 km2 and is marked by a buoy (the Royal Sovereign) at its southern end. The reef rises from a surrounding sea bed of gravel, muddy sand and sand, and the area is sµbject to strong tidal currents which reach 2.6 knots at spring tides. Its minimum depth is about 4.8 metres.

If the sea level was at the current level, then this shoal would have been about 5 metres deep, so this is fine for anchor length,so we can't eliminate this shoal.

If the sea level was higher, then this shoal would have been about 9 metres deep, so this is a bit tight for an anchor length, but is close so we can't eliminate this shoal.

Map showing the Shoals and Sandbanks in the English Channel ▲

So we are looking for areas which are no more than 7 metres down for safe anchorage points.

The bathymetry map shown below shows the depth of the sea and all the sandbanks and shoals in the English Channel today(2024) together with their shallowest depth in metres.

Yellow is deepest, with the shading going to red for the shallower water.

The shape of the shoals may have been different in Norman times, but these changes would probably be minimal, however the sea level could have been up to 5 metres higher - see Landscape - High Tide changes in the last 2000 years.

Emodnet mapViewer
This map is derived from the European Marine Observation and Data Network please click the map for their website.

The banks and shoals that are currently less than 7 metres down are Basurelle, Vergoyer, The Varne, Colbart Ridge, Sandettie and the Royal Sovereign shoal. The first four of these are sand and shingle banks, so are the most likely.

The Royal Sovereign shoal consists of rocky outcrops, so is much more dangerous to anchor over and is less likely to be the anchorage point.

The Basurelle is also probably unlikely as the anchor chains would have been at full stretch to hold the fleet.

The Sandettie which is much too far north if you are landing at Pevensey or Hastings, but might work if you were sailing to Dover.

This just leaves The Varne and the Colbart Ridge as potential anchorages.

The Varne is further up the channel than the Colbart Ridge so would have taken more time to get to or from so it was probably not here either.

This just leaves the Colbart Ridge as the most likely anchor point.
Routes to cross the Channel ▲

To see how they could sail across channel we need firstly to look at the tides that flow through the Channel, these maps have been extracted from pages provided by VisitMyHarbour.com. The red dot shows the invasion starting point at St Valerie sur Sommme, the blue dot shows the approximate landing point at Hastings.
 
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The slideshow above shows the tides as they rotate from 2 hours before high tide at Dover for 24 hours.

The map slides show deep water in blue, which is at least 50 metres deep so unsuitable for anchoring a fleet.

As you go through the slides which are 1 hourly intervals based around the high tide at Dover you will see the plots extending as the fleet moves. the distances shown are based on a viking ship sailing at 7mph + or - the tidal flows. The numbers against each segment of the plot show the time in hours using a 24 hour clock.

Final Map ▲
Various routes Duke William may have taken to cross the Channel in 1066AD
This map is derived from Google My Maps to show possible routes across the Channel, the darker the shoal, the shallower it is at its shallowest point.

There are four plots to show potential differing routes from St Valerie to Hastings.
The main ports are shown, Pevensey, Hastings and Romney in England and St Valerie in Northern France.

The coloured dots over the various shoals show where the fleet would need to anchor overnight, they are all set to leave St Valerie at 13.00, sail until 18.00 and then anchor.

  • Green plot showing the most likely route as this matches with the Carmen time description.
  • Yellow plot showing a second route which stays nearer to land, which makes it more likely the ships will be blown onto the French Cliffs between St Valerie and Boulogne, but will not have time to get to Hastings/Pevensey within the time available.
  • The red plot is a theoretical route across the Channel, but the vessels arrive too early for the Carmen Description and anchoring on the Basurelle may have been difficult due to the depth of the shoal, however this is a possibility.
  • The purple plot is based on an article by Christine and Gerald Grainge in which they describes a direct route across the Channel to Beachy Head(our thanks to Johnathan Starkey who brought this to our attention), this does however show the fleet arriving at Pevensey about 7am which appears too soon according to the Carmen.
    Click here for the full Grainge article

The red line along the French Coast near Bolougne shows the dangerous chalk cliffs.


Please Note tide tables for 1066 are unknown, but the flows imply the only likely routes.

The various sand/shingle banks in the Channel where the fleet could have anchored are shown together with their depth in 1066.

The red circles show possible locations where the sea is shallow enough for fleet anchoring locations.

The thick coloured lines show potential routes for the fleet to take to reach Britain, the thin coloured lines show the routes the few ships that landed at New Romney would have had to have taken.

Further information can be found on the Admiralty Map of 1915 on Wikimedia.
 
Conclusion ▲

The Carmen provides the only details of the journey

From the Carmen the only logical route is from St Valerie to the Colbart Ridge off the coast from New Romney to anchor till dawn, then sail along the coast towards the west, this measures approximately 146km.

This also provides an explanation for the New Romney issue, as overloaded or sinking vessels would aim for the nearest shore which would have been New Romney.



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Author Simon M - Last updated - 2025-01-28 17:38:00
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