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Norman knight | Anglo Saxon History 
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| | Battle of Hastings 1066AD - Site 1 - The Hoar Apple Tree |
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| | Who suggested this site and where is it ? ▲ |
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A site proposed by Rebecca Welshman and Simon Coleman on their website, the Battle of Hastings at Heathfield.
We analyse the relevance of the haran apuldran (‘Hoar Apple Tree’) in the ‘D’ text of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as an original name for the battlefield and discuss the survival of this name in medieval deeds concerning a nearby place ‘Horeapeltre’. We consider the military and cultural reasons why the battle might have taken place near here and show that the haran apuldran was probably a military assembly point.
Please take a look at the above website, there seems to be some valuable research carried out for this website.
| | Site Concept ? ▲ |
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The argument is that the Saxons forces mustered at Horeapeltre which is where North Down in Heathfield is currently located, this is approximately at the junction of Newick Lane with the A265.
And then the battle took place just outside Cade Street in an area to the North east of Punnets town known as Slaughter Common, this is about 1.5 miles (2.5Km) from the mustering point at Horeapeltre.
| | Slaughter Common ▲ |
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The name Slaughter Common seems to have been recorded in:
The Highways and Byways of Sussex - V.E.Lewis 1904
Slaughter Common, near Heathfield, is said to be the scene of a more wholesale carnage, Heathfield people claiming that there Caedwalla in 635 fought the Saxons and killed Eadwine, king of Northumbria. Sylvan Harmer, in his manuscript history of Heathfield, is determined that Heathfield shall have the credit of the fray, but, as a matter of fact, if Slaughter Common really took its name from a battle it was a very different one, for Caedwalla and Eadwine met, not at Heathfield, but Hatfield Chase, near Doncaster.
From a historic point of view, the only recorded Battle that could even possibly have been here from the 6 or 700's was the battle between King Offa and the Haestingas in 771AD, where the Haestingas were defeated and absorbed into Mercia.
This battle site has never been found, but would have needed to be on the border of the Kingdom of the Haestingas, so this is a possible site but not for Caedwalla and Eadwine but this would seem the only possible reason for this legend.
| | Landscape details effecting the site ▲ |
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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.
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.
Master Wace
and they had moreover made a fosse, which went across the field,
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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Overall map of the Area ▲
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This map is a lidar map of the area, and shows the ridges in the area, the ridgeways described by Ivan D Margary in maroon, Roman Roads again as described by Margary in red. The different locations are numbered and Slaughter Common is number 1
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Detailed Lidar Map of the Area ▲
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This map is a lidar map of the area, please click on the image for a larger version.
The land profile of the yellow line is shown in the following image .
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The land profile ▲
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As you can see the land profile for the area is a gentle slope starting where the Normans would have to arrive from if they were based in Hastings, and carries on fairly flat until you get to Heathfield.
So with a maximum slope of 21% this site doesn't seem to reflect a steep hill, and the hill behind the saxons seems too gentle to until the final hill, furthermore this is 2.2 Km from the proposed battle site, which implies a long fighting retreat for men on foot which would seem unlikely if there were cavalry involved.
| | 1. ❌ The Saxons were near a forest ▲ |
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This area was inside the Forest of Andedsweald, and although there were heathland areas inside the forest, probably Heathfield and Frant, getting to these heathlands would mean that the armies had to march through forest where they could be easily ambushed.
We also have information from the Domesday book that Dallington was in the Forest, this would mean that the Heathfield area must have also been inside the forest, even if it was open heathland.
Please see our The Great Forest of Andredsweald - Anglo Saxon Chronicles for the position of the Forest Boundary from the Domesday book in 1087AD.
Also if the troops were inside the forest then the visibility would be limited along with open ground big enough for a battle.
| | 2. ✅ Harold ascended a hill ▲ |
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This is prior to the Battle and going up to North down to muster would require Harold to ascend a hill, but this holds true for the majority of the sites, the hill up to North Down is a gentle slope.
This site would require Harold to reach the Battlefield by taking the London - Lewes Roman road and cutting across the old ridgeways to Heathfield.
| | 3. ✅ The Saxons were on a hill ▲ |
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Slaughter Common is on a hill so this is true
| | 4. ❌ The Saxons were on level ground ▲ |
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Slaughter common is a gentle hill but it can't really be described as level.
| | 5. ❌ The Saxons fortify their position ▲ |
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There is no evidence or even Lidar traces to imply this is true, however this is not proof.
| | 6. ✅ The terrain was rugged and uncultivated ▲ |
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This is very likely as the area was probably Heathland as derived from the etymology of Heathfield.
| | 7. ❌ The Saxons fortify their position ▲ |
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| | 8. ❌ The Battlefield was quite wide and not restricted ▲ |
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| | 9. ❌ The Battle was 9 miles from Hastings ▲ |
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| | 10. ❌ The Norman camp was at the seaside ▲ |
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| | 11. ❌ The Battle raged from the 3rd Hour ▲ |
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| | 12. ❌ William was initially on a hill ▲ |
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| | 13. ❌ The hill William was on was called Hecheland ▲ |
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| | 14. ❌ The Normans advanced over a ridge ▲ |
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| | 15. ❌ Behind the Normans was another hill ▲ |
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| | 16. ❌ There was fosse between the forces ▲ |
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| | 17. ❌ There was a steep slope up to the Saxons ▲ |
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| | 18. ❌ Behind the Saxons was another hill ▲ |
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| | 19. ❌ The sea was behind the Normans ▲ |
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| | 20. ❌ Fleeing Saxons were killed when a bridge collapsed ▲ |
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Local Interest
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![Norman knight](javascript:launch_resize("/images/1066AD/norman_knight_lft.png",900,1000);)
![](javascript:launch_resize("/images/boh/slaughter_common.png"))
![](javascript:launch_resize("/images/boh/1_slaughter_down.png"))
![](javascript:launch_resize("/images/boh/1_slaughter_down_profile.png"))
