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Battle of Hastings 1066AD - The Normans - Dives sur Mer to St Valerie
 
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Dives to St Valerie ▲

There is very little documentary evidence for this part of the journey, however the following is from the 'The Gesta Guillelmi of William of Poitiers':

Presently the whole fleet, equipped with great foresight, was blown from the mouth of the Dives and the neighboring ports, where they had waited for a south wind to carry them across, and was driven by the breath of the west wind to moorings at Saint-Valery.

There too the leader, whom neither the delay and contrary wind nor the terrible shipwrecks nor the craven flight of many who had pledged their faith in him could shake, committed himself with the utmost confidence of prayers, gifts and vows, to the protection of heaven.

Indeed meeting adversity with good council, he concealed (as far as he could) the loss of those who drowned, by burying them in secret; and by daily increasing supplies he alleviated want. By divers encouragements he retained the terrified and put heart into the fearful.

The trip from Dives appears to have been very bad, so most likely the wind started from the South which would take the fleet into the Channel and then the wind veered to the West and built up into a storm which blew the fleet along the Normandy Coast to St Valerie, where a large number of ships were destroyed.

The daily increase in supplies could have meant that the fleet support ships had been wrecked and that William was desperately trying to get supplies from the towns near to St Valerie. These would all take time to reach the port, but as time passes more and more would reach St Valerie.

Master Wace has a different version

The duke rejoiced greatly at receiving the gonfanon, and the license which the apostle gave him. He got together carpenters smiths and other workmen, so that great stir was seen at all the ports of Normandy, in the collecting of wood and materials, cutting of planks, framing of ships and boats, stretching sails, and rearing masts, with great pains and at great cost. They spent all one summer and autumn in fitting up the fleet and collecting the forces; and there was no knight in the land, no good Serjeant, archer, nor peasant of stout heart, and of age for battle, that the duke did not summon to go with him to England: promising rents to the vavassors, and honors to the barons.

When the ships were ready, they were moored in the Somme at St Valeri, and there delivered to the barons. Many were the ships and boats in the river there, which is called the Somme, and separates Ponthieu and Vimou. Vimou extends as far as Ou, which separates Normandy from Vimou, a country under different government. Ou is a river, and Ou is also a fair castle situate upon that river.

Master Wace Chronicle was written some time after the event so the story of the storm and loss of life may have been removed by William. As St Valerie was not part of Normandy then it would seem unlikely that William would risk his ships being brought together in a foreign country, and Dives would seem more likely.

There is another issue with St Valerie, as it is close to the coastal cliffs of Northern France the wind needs to come from the South or South East for sailing ships to leave the Somme estuary safely, whereas in Dives you can leave the harbour with a South West, South or South East breeze. The prevailing wind in the Channel is South West hence Dives is a better harbour to sail from.

Channel storm in 1066AD
The above map shows a possible scenario that explains why William's fleet landed at St Valerie sur Somme.

The first piece of information is that the storms in the Northern hemisphere rotate in an anti-clockwise manner.

The Normans leave Dives with a South West wind heading towards Pevensey (orange line) as they reach the Channel the storm moves quickly up the channel (purple line). The wind would then veer to the West and push the ships along the Alabaster Coast. As they start to get towards St Valerie, the storm would then make the wind direction change from West to North West pushing the ships towards the cliffs on the French Coast (shown in red). The faster ships with rowers carrying the troops would probably made it to St Valerie, but the slower non oared supply ships would have been wrecked probably between Dieppe and Le Treport by being blown onto the cliffs.

Damage to the Fleet between Dives and St Valerie ▲

There are two sources of information regarding the vessels sailing to Britain, the first is the The Ship list of William the Conqueror which describes the Williams Fleet presumably before leaving Dives with 777 ships.

The second reference is from Master Wace who reports'but I heard my father say I remember it well, although I was but a lad that there were seven hundred ships, less four, when they sailed from St. Valeri ; and that there were besides these ships, boats and skiffs for the purpose of carrying the arms and harness. I have found it written (but I know not whether it be true) that there were in all three thousand vessels bearing sails and masts. Any one will know that there must have been a great many men to have furnished out so many vessels.'

If the above two records are true then the fleet would have lost 81 ships between Dives and St Valerie, this would have been over 10% of the fleet, which would make the concealment of the drowned fairly important as there would have been a significant number possibly in the hundreds.
This is what the DeepSeek AI output ▲

My Question:
Is it probable that the Norman fleet in 1066AD was blown by a storm from Dives sur Mere to St Valerie ?

The Norman fleet's journey in 1066, as part of William the Conqueror's invasion of England, is a well-documented historical event. According to historical accounts, the Norman fleet did experience a storm that forced it to divert from its original departure point at Dives-sur-Mer to Saint-Valery-sur-Somme. This storm is often cited as a significant event in the lead-up to the Battle of Hastings.

Key Points:
Departure from Dives-sur-Mer:

William the Conqueror assembled his fleet at Dives-sur-Mer in Normandy, where they waited for favorable winds to cross the English Channel.

The Storm:
Historical records, such as the Bayeux Tapestry and chronicles like those of William of Poitiers, mention a storm that scattered the fleet and caused significant delays.

The storm likely occurred in September 1066, forcing the fleet to seek shelter and regroup.

Relocation to Saint-Valery-sur-Somme:
After the storm, William moved his fleet north to Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, a port with better wind conditions for crossing the Channel.

This relocation was strategic, as Saint-Valery was closer to England and provided a more favorable launching point for the invasion.

Historical Probability:
The storm and the fleet's diversion are considered historically probable, as they are supported by multiple contemporary sources.

The English Channel is known for its unpredictable weather, and storms in this region are common, especially in late summer and early autumn.

Impact on the Invasion:
The delay caused by the storm allowed Harold Godwinson, the English king, to mobilize his forces and prepare for the Norman invasion.

However, Harold's army was later weakened by the need to march north to repel Harald Hardrada's invasion at the Battle of Stamford Bridge, just before facing William at Hastings.

Conclusion:
It is highly probable that the Norman fleet was blown off course by a storm in 1066, forcing it to relocate from Dives-sur-Mer to Saint-Valery-sur-Somme. This event is well-documented and aligns with the known weather patterns of the English Channel. The storm played a crucial role in the timing and logistics of William the Conqueror's successful invasion of England.

Continuation of the Story ▲


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Author Simon M - Last updated - 2025-02-10 21:00:36
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