The Battle of Hastings in 1066 changed the course of English history and many of the events of that year, played out in or around Sussex and the South East. In the 960th anniversary year since that momentous event, join us as we embark on our Sussex Exclusive 1066 Trail ©, visiting some of the key places that feature in that incredible story and moment in time. In this article, we are nearly at the end of the year. The Normans have defeated the Saxons at what has become known as the Battle of Hastings. King Harold is dead. And now William must secure the rest of the country to be sure of securing the Crown.
The morning after
In the days after 14 October 1066, the fields around Battle would have been eerily quiet. Yet whilst that battle was won, the fight for the English crown wasn’t over. There were many power struggles waiting ahead, and if William was hoping for the remaining Anglo-Saxon leaders to immediately surrender to him, he was wrong.
The Battle of Hastings 1066: the Battle that Changed Sussex & History
Battle, Crowhurst and Hastings
Start this leg of your 1066 tour at Battle in East Sussex. Standing on the battlefield at Battle Abbey on a quiet day, it’s hard to imagine the roar of the battle that took place here, or the bloody devastation and loss of life that must have been apparent the next day. Battle Abbey and the battlefield will take at least half a day to fully explore.
On all accounts, William may have been a devout man and the bloodshed of the Battle of Hastings may not have sat well with him. The founding of Battle Abbey was framed as an act of atonement, a religious counterweight to the violence abd loss of life. Whether driven by genuine remorse or political necessity, the abbey fixed memory to place. It ensured that the battle and what followed it could not simply fade into legend and today the abbey ruins remain remarkably enigmantic.
On the day after the Battle of Hastings, William’s army made the seven-mile journey back to Hastings. They needed to tend to their dead and wounded and catch their breath. They would have passed through what is now the small village of Crowhurst, which had been part of a manor held by Harold. Indeed, Crowhurst may well have also been a strategic point in the build-up to the battle and the manor was, at some point, destroyed by the Normans. And legend has it that Harold’s reeve or magistrate was hanged from the yew tree there after refusing to reveal where Harold’s treasure was hidden.
The yew tree still stands today, next to the church and the ruins of a later manor. An eerie silence echoes back through time in its shade. Take a moment to imagine Harold, his wife (who lived here at one time) or William and his men standing here under this tree. Perhaps in quiet contemplation or conversation. Perhaps in a state of murderous outrage. A detour here won’t take long and provides a poignant moment of reflection. Both great men may have stood here too.
Hastings
William and the Norman army rested at Hastings for just shy of a week, and if you haven’t already, now is the time to visit Hastings Castle. It stands in ruins but still proud on West Cliff above the town and it soon becomes clear that William knew how to choose good strategic positions for his fortifications. The views are far reaching and you can stand here knowing William was here before you.
Although the castle will only take a couple of hours to explore, there is lots to see in Hastings Old Town, so you may want to spend at least a day here. NB. Travel from Battle to Hastings is by car or by bus.
The march to Dover
On about 19 October, six days after the Battle of Hastings, the Norman army marched east from Hastings towards Dover. This 50-mile journey included interesting terrain, first with the steep and protected but wooded gills and cliffs between Hastings and Rye, and then with the flat, open marshlands to Romney. Stand on the marshlands in late October and the wind slaps at your face with a salty relentlessness. You’ll be glad not to be a soldier camping here.
NB. There are trains from Hastings to Dover (via Rye). Although there is no Hastings to Dover trail, you can walk via the King Charles III Coastal Path.
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle tells us that as the army marched, they “wasted” the countryside and Anglo-Saxon resistance was quickly defeated at the fortified town of Romney. As the marshlands gave way to the chalk ridge of the North Downs, Dover must have come into view at last: a town that has always had strategic importance. It’s not clear whether there was a castle there before the Normans arrived, but it was a fortified town and there was a large Saxon church where it is thought Harold’s father may have once worshipped. William arrived at Dover on or around 21 October and the town, which had been thought to be impregnable, immediately surrendered. William set fire to existing fortifications and churches.
The Norman army then stopped here for about a week, refortifying the town as rearguard protection. A wooden Norman motte and bailey castle was built either next to the Saxon church on the hill within Dover Castle or where the impressive 12th century castle tower now stands.
Whilst William’s influence at the castle is no longer visible, visit Dover town and you’ll find at least three Norman churches, two of which replaced Saxon churches destroyed by the fire. While you’re here, visit the Great Tower at Dover Castle, built to replace William’s fortifications, and soak up more than a 1000 years of history.
Then take a moment to stand beside the windswept Saxon church within the castle ramparts, where the Godwins may have worshipped. William would have also probably stood here, looking out to sea and along the coast, face perhaps turned towards Normandy, watching the autumn waters below, all churn and turmoil against the chalk cliffs.
Dover Castle covers a much greater period than just 1066 and you could easily spend a full day at the castle. Other things in the area worth exploring are the White Cliffs area and the Redoubt fortifications on the west side of the town. All of which means, you could easily spend two days in Dover.
From Dover to Canterbury
William and his army actually stayed in Dover for about a week, possibly because William had dysentery. But at some point between 27 and 29 October, the Norman army marched north to Canterbury. The road to Canterbury leaves the harsh openness of the chalk cliffs and coast behind and moves into softer, more enclosed country.
Canterbury was not simply another town to be taken; it was a strategic, wealthy, and symbolic town. Submission came quickly and in due course, William installed a new Archbishop at Canterbury Cathedral, Archbishop Lanfranc. He began rebuilding the Cathedral in the Norman style with Caen stone, which took seven years to complete. It was extended and rebuilt in later centuries.
The march paused again, briefly, in Canterbury, probably because William was still ill. He ordered a wooden motte-and-bailey castle to be built by the Roman city wall. In the early 12th century, the castle was rebuilt with stone, some of which is still visible today although it is currently closed to the public. The nearby Dane John Gardens may be named after a corruption of the French word ‘donjon’, or keep.
St Augustine’s Abbey was founded shortly after AD 597 as a burial place for the Anglo-Saxon kings of Kent and is now part of the Canterbury World Heritage Site (along with the cathedral and St Martin’s Church). It was rebuilt by the Normans in resplendent Romanesque style although there was further rebuilding as a result of a fire in 1168.
There is much history to reflect on in Canterbury, particularly at the cathedral, which is vast and impressive. You can easily spend at least a day here and it’s a last chance to take a moment on your travels, and reflect on the incredible events of 1066.
Wallingford, Winchester and back to Westminster
From Canterbury, William marched north and west again and left Sussex and Kent behind. Reinforcements landed further west, and Winchester submitted. Other Saxons and Stigand, the Archbishop of Canterbury, also surrendered as William prepared to cross the Thames into London at Wallingford. By around the beginning of December, most other English leaders had submitted to William at Berkhampsted in Hertfordshire, where William later founded a castle. William I was finally crowned on Christmas Day 1066, less than a year since Harold’s fateful coronation in January. The crown was won, though even that ceremony was marred by fire and fear.
By the end of 1066, a new era had dawned in Sussex and across england, and the landscape would never be quite the same again.
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