By Sarah Pont – Group Retention Manager

“Where is it you’re from?”
“Battle”
“Sorry – where?”
“Battle – as in ‘The Battle of Hastings’?’”
“Oh of course”

This is a conversation that residents of Battle, East Sussex will be all-too familiar with… I grew up in a village in Battle and whilst I don’t claim to have any extensive knowledge of the Battle of Hastings, it’s something that I have been made fully aware of from a very young age.

I remember walking around the village as a child and being shown the spot where historians believe William the Conqueror placed his flag after victory against King Harold. As well as taking part in many Bonfire Night celebrations and concerts in the Battle Abbey grounds. The school I attended has houses named after the four places where the battle was fought. Even the name of the school was adopted from the pre-Norman invasion description of the area. The history of this famous battle is simply everywhere. (Some may argue that this is because nothing of historic significance has happened since… But I’m less cynical).

Here at World of Rare Books we have a passion for history – one we like to celebrate – as many local history books pass through our headquarters as well as first-person recollections, research and text books. So the Battle of Hastings is one that is of keen interest to us – as it’s not only local but we have some interesting titles about it.

This year marks the 950^th anniversary of the battle which took place on 14^th October 1066. It was during the Anglo Saxon period when William, the Duke of Normandy, landed in the southern town of Pevensey in late September 1066. King Harold had been facing difficulties around the country; having fought off invasions from his brother Tostig and the King of Norway Harold III and then had to make his way down the country, amassing troops en route, to face the Norman fleet.

Harold had hoped to surprise the enemy however a Norman scout discovered the amassed English forces and alerted the Duke who gathered his forces to march north.

The Normans and the Anglo-Saxons faced each-other seven miles north of Hastings, in a battle that lasted less than 12 hours. Local historians claim that Harold was killed after an arrow was shot into his eye – and a replica of the skull with the perceived damage was on display in the local museum throughout my childhood. Very gruesome, but something that captivated the imaginations of young local children! After the fall of King Harold, William was crowned King of England just a few months later. To find out more about the man behind the invasion – check out a couple of our titles, William the Conqueror: The Norman Impact upon England and The Story of William the Conqueror.

The stunning Battle Abbey was built in later years to commemorate the Battle that was fought and it is believed that the High Altar of the church marks the exact spot where Harold fell. This year, a large re-enactment of the battle will be taking place to mark its 950^th anniversary on 15^th and 16^th October. Over 600 soldiers will take part in the re-enactment across the two days, with opportunities to have a go at archery, to meet medieval traders and sample life back in these times.