1066 and all that, or a warm, summer's day in Hastings - Pt. One

At the start of 2026, I made an all too brief visit to the historic, seaside town of Hastings, a settlement situated on the sunny south-east coast of Sussex and famed for a battle that took place 960 years ago. The Battle of Hastings took place between the Anglo-Saxon forces of Harold Godwinson, and the French-speaking invaders, of Duke William of Normandy. Both Harold and William had a claim to the English throne following the death of King Edward the Confessor, who died childless, and without naming a successor. This was a bad move on his part, but “shit happens” as they say, and worse still for the Anglo Saxons, William’s Norman forces won the day. This bloody event took place seven miles inland from the town that gave the battle its name, although a new town grew up close to the site of William’s victory. Battle is not the most imaginative of names, but given the significance of William’s victory, and Harold’s defeat, it is perhaps an appropriate one. The event changed the face…