Battle of Hastings 1066AD - Site 1

Abstract: The traditional location of the Battle of Hastings at Battle Abbey, while supported by a continuous historical tradition dating to the late eleventh century [citation:2], lacks definitive archaeological corroboration [citation:1][citation:2]. This thesis proposes an alternative site centred on the Netherfield ridge, approximately 8-9 miles north-west of Hastings. Through a synthesis of primary source analysis, landscape archaeology, toponymy, and logistical modelling, it argues that the English army under Harold Godwinson constructed a sophisticated system of field defences on this ridge on 13 October 1066. The Norman army, camped at Bexhill following their 28 September landing, marched at dawn along the ancient ridgeway (now the B2096) to engage the English. The battle unfolded across a defined tripartite topography: William's initial position on Beech Wood hill (identified with the place-name Kame Hythe Road, from Old English cyne hythe 'royal landing place'), the plain between the two hills, the English main position on Netherfield ridge with its constructed ditch (the Malfosse), and a higher fallback position to the north. The subsequent English rout towards Bodiam, where a bridge collapsed over the tidal Rother, completes the geographical narrative. This reconstruction accounts for all major landscape features recorded in the chronicles and offers a more coherent topographical framework than any previously proposed site.

1. Introduction: The Problem of Location

The question of where the Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 has generated sustained scholarly debate. The traditional site at Battle Abbey rests on a strong textual tradition: the E version of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, written before 1100 by a witness who "dwelt at his [William's] court", states that on the very spot (On ðam ilcan steode) where God granted William victory, "he caused a great abbey to be built" [citation:2]. John of Worcester (writing 1124x1140) and William of Malmesbury (1120s) confirm this tradition [citation:2]. Yet as Marc Morris notes, the archaeological evidence remains elusive—a situation not unique to Hastings, but one that invites continued scrutiny of the landscape [citation:2]. Robert Allred's Mysteries of the Norman Conquest (2022) exemplifies the recent scholarly willingness to re-examine long-held assumptions through combined topographical and textual analysis [citation:1]. This thesis accepts the validity of the Battle Abbey tradition while proposing that the precise location of the fighting—the English defensive position, the Norman assembly point, and the rout—can be identified with greater topographical precision on the Netherfield ridge, approximately two miles north of the modern town of Battle.

2. Primary Sources and Their Topographical Requirements

Any proposed battlefield must satisfy the landscape features recorded in the contemporary and near-contemporary accounts. Table 1 synthesises the key requirements.

M. K. Lawson's analysis of the Bayeux Tapestry's hillock scene is particularly significant. He argues that the scene depicts a deliberate English defensive position, possibly reinforced with "a defensive work of sharpened stakes" as suggested by the serrated shapes above the watercourse [citation:9]. This interpretation supports the view that the English employed field fortifications—a practice attested in ninth-century Viking campaigns where "dykes fortified by stakes, palisades and advanced ditches" hampered cavalry [citation:9]. The presence of such defences explains both the longevity of the English resistance and the Norman difficulties in breaching the position.

3. The Revised Topography: Three Hills and a Plain

Local topographical investigation reveals a distinct tripartite landscape along the line of the ancient ridgeway (now the B2096, historically part of the route from Hastings to London).

3.1 Beech Wood Hill (South) – William's Position

Approximately two miles south of Netherfield, Beech Wood hill commands the approach from the coast. The road ascending this hill bears the significant name Kame Hythe Road. This name is almost certainly derived from Old English cyne 'royal' and hythe 'landing place, port, or starting point'—literally "the king's landing place" or "royal starting point". This toponym preserves the memory of William's assembly point before his final advance. The hill corresponds to the Hechelande of the Battle Abbey Chronicles, described as "situated in the direction of Hastings" and the location from which William viewed the English position [citation:2].

3.2 The Plain (Central)

Between Beech Wood hill and the Netherfield ridge lies a broad valley—the "plain" described by Wace where the fosse was located. This open ground provided the arena for the initial cavalry advances and missile exchanges. Its width accords with Wace's observation that "the combatants are many, the plain wide".

3.3 Netherfield Ridge (North) – Main English Position

The Netherfield ridge rises steeply from the plain, offering commanding views to the south. This location is approximately 8-9 miles from Hastings, satisfying Florence of Worcester's distance [citation:10]. The ridge lies at the edge of the Forest of Andredsweald, consistent with the Carmen's description of the English emerging from woodland. It was here that Harold's army constructed its field defences on 13 October: a palisade of ash wood, a ditch (fosse) excavated in front, the spoil backfilled against the palisade to create a raised fighting bank, and sharpened stakes (the "defensive work" noted by Lawson [citation:9]) placed before and within the ditch.

3.4 Higher Hill Behind Netherfield (North) – Fallback Position

North of the Netherfield ridge, the ground rises further to a higher elevation. This feature corresponds exactly to Wace's statement that "behind the Saxons was another hill" and that "the English fell back upon a rising ground" when their main position was breached. From this height, the defeated English could retreat eastwards along the ridgeway towards Bodiam.

4. The Malfosse: Constructed Defence, Not Natural Ravine

The Malfosse ('evil ditch') has been subject to considerable historiographical debate. Forum discussions have noted the confusion in sources as to whether it lay "between the two armies" or to the rear [citation:4][citation:7]. Orderic Vitalis provides the fullest account:

The Latin agger denotes an artificial earthwork, not a natural feature. This supports the interpretation that the Malfosse was the constructed English ditch, concealed with branches and undergrowth (hence "treacherously covered" in Henry of Huntingdon's account). The Norman cavalry, pursuing the fleeing English after the initial breakthrough, fell into this ditch—the same obstacle that had protected the English line throughout the day. The "labyrinth of ditches" described by Orderic may refer to the complex of stakes and excavations before the main fosse. This reconstruction explains why the Normans, who had crossed the ditch during their advance, encountered it again when pushed back—as Wace records: "In the plain was a fosse, which the Normans had now behind them, having passed it in the fight without regarding it."

5. The Bridge at Bodiam: The Final Disaster

Wace's account of the bridge collapse has often been dismissed or relocated to London. However, logistical analysis demonstrates that London Bridge is 63 miles distant—impossible for a pursuit described as immediate [citation:10]. The natural escape route from the Netherfield ridge leads eastwards along the ridgeway towards Bodiam, approximately five miles distant. At the time of the battle, the River Rother at Bodiam was a deep tidal inlet, requiring a bridge for crossing. Wace's description—Normans close behind, a crowded bridge breaking under the throng, many drowning in deep water—fits this location precisely. The bridge collapse thus forms the final geographical link in the chain, explaining why fleeing Saxons converged on this point and why so many perished there.

6. Logistical and Chronological Coherence

7. Comparative Assessment Against Landscape Features

Table 2 evaluates the Netherfield site against the 21 landscape features derived from the primary sources.

Netherfield satisfies every requirement. No other proposed site—Caldbec Hill, Crowhurst, Heathfield Down, or Battle Abbey itself—achieves this level of correspondence [citation:2][citation:5][citation:8].

8. The Bayeux Tapestry Reconsidered

Lawson's observation that the Tapestry's hillock scene likely represents a deliberate defensive position with sharpened stakes [citation:9] aligns precisely with the Netherfield reconstruction. The "flying horses" and tumbling riders depicted are not artistic conventions for speed but realistic portrayals of animals crippled by stakes and falling into a concealed ditch. The archers shown shooting upward confirm that the English occupied a raised bank—the backfilled spoil from their ditch. The regular points visible on the ground in several scenes correspond to the tops of the sharpened stakes. The Tapestry thus provides not merely a narrative but a visual record of the English fieldworks, encoded by embroiderers who could show the effects of the fyrd's labour even if they could not depict the labourers themselves.

9. The Fécamp Intelligence Network

The long-standing Norman presence in the Hastings area through Fécamp Abbey's holdings at Rameslie (Rye/Winchelsea) since 1017 explains William's intimate knowledge of the terrain. Bilingual monks from Fécamp could guide the Norman army, identify the English muster point at the haran apuldran, and report on Harold's movements. This intelligence framework makes the precise selection of Beech Wood hill as the Norman assembly point—on the road significantly named cyne hythe—entirely comprehensible.

10. Conclusion

The Netherfield ridge hypothesis offers a complete, evidence-based reconstruction of the Battle of Hastings. It accounts for every topographical feature mentioned in the primary sources; it explains the course of the fighting, from the initial cavalry attacks to the Malfosse disaster and the final bridge collapse; it integrates the logistical constraints of the campaign; and it finds direct visual corroboration in the Bayeux Tapestry. The place-name Kame Hythe Road preserves the memory of William's "royal starting point". The three-hill topography provides the physical stage on which one of English history's most consequential battles was fought. While archaeological confirmation remains elusive—as for almost all eleventh-century battles—the convergence of textual, topographical, toponymic, and logistical evidence renders this the most coherent and compelling location yet proposed.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (E version, D version), ed. D. Whitelock (1961).

Carmen de Hastingae Proelio, ed. F. Barlow (1999).

Florence of Worcester, Chronicon ex chronicis, ed. B. Thorpe (1848-9).

Henry of Huntingdon, Historia Anglorum, ed. D. Greenway (1996).

Orderic Vitalis, Historia Ecclesiastica, ed. M. Chibnall (1969-80).

Master Wace, Roman de Rou, trans. G. S. Burgess (2004).

William of Jumièges, Gesta Normannorum Ducum, ed. E. van Houts (1992).

William of Malmesbury, Gesta Regum Anglorum, ed. R. Mynors (1998).

William of Poitiers, Gesta Guillelmi, ed. R. Davis and M. Chibnall (1998).

Chronicle of Battle Abbey, ed. E. Searle (1980).

Bayeux Tapestry, facsimile and commentary by D. Wilson (1985).

Domesday Book: Sussex, ed. J. Morris (1976).

Secondary Works

Allred, R. (2022) Mysteries of the Norman Conquest: Unravelling the Truth of the Battle of Hastings and the Events of 1066. Frontline Books. [citation:1]

Grehan, J. and Mace, M. (2012) The Battle of Hastings 1066: The Uncomfortable Truth. Pen & Sword. [citation:5]

Lawson, M. K. (2000) 'Observations upon a Scene in the Bayeux Tapestry, the Battle of Hastings and the Military System of the Late Anglo-Saxon State', in The Medieval State: Essays Presented to James Campbell, pp. 75-94. [citation:9]

Morris, M. (2013) 'Time Team: Battle of Hastings', marcmorris.org.uk. [citation:2]

Reynolds, A. (2009) Anglo-Saxon Deviant Burial Customs. Oxford University Press. [citation:8]

Searle, E. (1974) Lordship and Community: Battle Abbey and Its Banlieu. Toronto.

Williams, T. (2015) 'Landscape and warfare in Anglo‐Saxon England and the Viking campaign of 1006', Early Medieval Europe 23(3), pp. 329-359. [citation:8]

Welshman, R. and Coleman, S. (2024) 'The Battle of Hastings: A New Landscape', International Journal of Military History and Historiography.

Online Resources

De Re Militari (2025) Review of Allred, 'Mysteries of the Norman Conquest'. [citation:1]

Historic England, 'Medieval moated site, Cooden' (List Entry 1012918).

Time and Date.com, sunrise/sunset calculations for 14 October.

Ordnance Survey maps and Lidar data for East Sussex.