On this day in 1066 Edgar the Ætheling became King!

History! On this day in 1066, Edgar the Ætheling was pronounced King of England, indeed, he was the last in the line of Saxon Kings of England, being the last male descendant in direct line from Edmund Ironside (Edmund II). Image above thanks to BBC.

Although he was never crowned, Edgar was King until 10th December 1066, when William the Bastard (as he was known in those days) took him into custody. Indeed, as natural heir, Edgar should have been King since January 1066, but he was considered too young then, and war was being faced. Instead, Harold Godwinson was chosen as King by the Witenagemot; the Council of the Anglo-Saxon Kings of England that had existed for over 400 years.

Edgar escaped capture in 1068, and led a very eventful life, living into his 70s. Looking him up is well worth the read; eg see the English Monarchs website.

Walk from Hastings to Battle...

We set off on our walk from Hastings to Battle, via Crowhurst, Saturday morning, hence the 5K Hastings Park Run going on in the background in the photograph above, the successful Saturday morning Park Run, which runs along the seafront (from 09.00 every Saturday), and having been held in Hastings for over 4 years now (blog), excellent! Oh yes, and we spotted this amazingly constructed bumble bees and flowers presentation, a good 100 metres to the west of the Royal Victoria Hotel (blog).

Entrance to Filsham Reedbed

We had been walking up by Combe Haven before entering Filsham Reedbed, which I love visiting, and which I have written about before (eg blog). This is the view from the Viewing Platform, which is reached by a raised boardwalk; for more information go to the Sussex Wildlife Trust's Filsham Reedbed Nature Reserve website.

We then carried on north of west, roughly 290 degrees from the north west edge of Filsham Reedbed Nature Reserve (photograph), until we met the 1066 Country Walk - Bexhill Link, where we headed roughly north towards Crowhurst.

After walking under the new bypass we continued northwards into Crowhurst, where we visited St George's Church, whose origins are from early Norman times, probably still the nave and chancel, but has mostly been rebuilt in the following centuries; the tower is 15th century (Sussex Parish Churches website).

In the churchyard of St George's is a historical yew tree over 1300 years old (not to be confused with the yew tree in the church of St George's in Crowhurst, Surrey, or you're well lost, though it is a threefold coincidence indeed!). For more information of the history of this famous yew tree, and more, go to the Forestry Journal website.

Battle Abbey Gatehouse

We then walked further north, through the RSPB's Fore Wood Nature Reserve (website). Soon after exiting Fore Wood we walked up by the 'battle field' below Battle Abbey, which was built by William the Conqueror, or William the Bastard as he was called in 1066, in penance to the Pope due to the loss of lives during the battle, up to 50% of those who took part (of up to 20,000 probably involved), depending on where you source your information (1066 country website).

Anyway, we carried out a similar walk recently, which includes heading back to Hastings via Bexhill, as we did this time too, next blog is about the ales and return...

Robert de Mortain

Earlier today I passed the Robert de Mortain pub up on The Ridge on my way to visiting someone who had been admitted to the Conquest Hospital, which reminded me that Greene King, the pub's current owners, have put the building up for sale, wanting at least £550,000 for it, according to reports. I'd imagine the competition from the new, very close-by, Conqueror's March, has influenced Greene King's decision to sell, and don't be surprised if a request for change of use gets presented to the Council...

 One side of the original pub sign

The building was originally a lodge house, and, before it became a public house in 1946, it was the Ripon Lodge Hotel.

The other side

So, who was this Robert de Mortain? Well, he was half brother to William the Conqueror (known in 1066 as William the Bastard), and one of his most trusted supporters, being given land all over the country by William, notably, Pevensey, where, in the 1070s whilst Robert lived there, a stone castle replaced the 1066 motte and bailey wooden fort built inside the old Roman walls. It is thought that Robert had also been given the task of building the first Norman stone castle built in England, that is, in Hastings, which William ordered in 1070 to replace the Hastings motte and bailey fort, and also the White Tower in London circa 1078 onwards...

Robert de Mortain was a very busy man and important historically for Hastings, indeed!

This Day in 1066, Edgar becomes King!

Just to confuse matters, on this day in 1066, Edgar the Ætheling was pronounced King of England, indeed, he was the last in the line of Saxon Kings of England, being the last male descendant in direct line from Edmund Ironside (Edmund II). 

Although he was never crowned, Edgar was King until 10th December 1066, when William the Bastard (as he was known in those days) had him taken into custody. Indeed, Edgar should have been King since January 1066, but, because he was young and war was being faced, Harold Godwinson had been chosen as King by the Witenagemot., the council (Wise Men) of the Anglo-Saxon Kings of England for more than 400 years...

Edgar escaped capture in 1068, and led a very eventful life, living into his 70s. Looking him up is well worth the read; eg see this website.

The Conqueror's Stone, a Myth, a Hotel, and a Pier!

Tradition has it that William the Bastard first dined in England upon this stone, soon after landing in 1066, hence it being called "The Conqueror's Stone", but aka "Old Woman's Tap" aka "Tapshaw" aka "Tapshore" (because it used to be situated at the bottom of Maze Hill, and a stream flowed over/by it). Of course, there is no provenance for this piece of mythology, and some believe the story was started by James Burton when he wanted to shift the stone, as it was in the way of his development of St Leonards! Anyway, it has moved a few times over the years, and is currently opposite the Royal Victoria Hotel... 

... in St Leonards, which was designed by Burton in the 1820s and 1830s, and the Royal Victoria Hotel, originally called St Leonards Hotel, was built in 1828 as its focal point. St Leonards Pier was later built virtually opposite the hotel, a little to the west, in 1888-1891, sadly hit by a bomb in WW2 and damaged by fire, and later suffered serious damage during a gale in 1851, and was demolished later that year, well outlived by the first Hastings Pier which, thankfully, is re-opening next month!