ORDINARY MEETING OF FELLOWS LECTURE

Heathfield Down 1066: Why this could be the actual site of the Battle of Hastings by Dr Rebecca Welshman & Mr Simon Coleman

Numerous eighteenth and nineteenth-century texts locate the Battle of Hastings near the village of Old Heathfield in East Sussex, ten miles north-west of Battle Abbey, on land once known as Heathfield Down and ‘Slaughter Common’. This lecture discusses the place name ‘the Hoar (or Grey) Apple Tree’ in the ‘D’ text of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (a collection of Old English historical annals) as an original name for the battlefield and the survival of this place at a location near Heathfield. It considers the reasons why the battle might have taken place near here and show that the Hoar Apple Tree was probably a military assembly point. Heathfield Down was a likely conflict area due to its communication links, topography and strategic location. 

Archaeology undertaken at Battle Abbey – where the Abbey’s high altar allegedly marks the “very spot” where Harold fell – has so far produced no verifiable evidence of a battle. An alternative site, if confirmed by archaeological evidence, would improve scholarly understanding of Anglo-Saxon military infrastructure, raise important questions about the interpretation of sources and, naturally, lead to a radical reassessment of the military operations that preceded the battle. 

Dr Rebecca Welshman is an Honorary Research Fellow of the University of Liverpool. She works on projects concerning ‘the literary archaeology of place’ – the study of texts in the context of geography, history and environment. Her PhD (University of Exeter, 2010–13) titled ‘Imagining Archaeology’ focused on nature and landscape in 19th century literature. She has presented papers at the World Archaeological Congress, Archaeology in Conflict (Vienna, 2010), and ‘Theatres of War: The British Commission for Military History’s New Researchers’ Conference’ (Lancaster, 2019) where she presented a new interpretation of ‘The Hoar Apple Tree’ of the Battle of Hastings. She has published in historical, cultural, and literary studies, and her latest essay, which highlights military associations in the works of Shakespeare, appears in Reading the River in Shakespeare’s Britain (Edinburgh University Press, 2024). 
 
Mr Simon Coleman obtained a BA degree in Ancient History and then qualified as an archivist. He has worked in various academic institutions, including the British Library and the universities of Bath and Sussex, and is now at West Dean College in West Sussex. His work has largely focused on archives from the 19th and 20th centuries covering subjects such as literature, art and political history. Outside work he has written articles for the Richard Jefferies Society. Before attending university, he developed an interest in medieval and ancient battles and investigated theories regarding the locations of some Anglo-Saxon battlefields. On moving to East Sussex in 2014 he started to explore the question of the site of the Battle of Hastings, looking at issues around interpretation of sources, landscape changes, and the influence of ‘official’ narratives of events on current debate. 

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This event will be both in person at Burlington House and online. Please select the appropriate ticket below.

Attendance at Burlington House:
Open to anyone to attend.
The event will begin at 5pm, with tea/coffee from 4.30pm.
Pre-registration is essential for non-Fellows but we encourage Fellows to register as well.
Fellows must ensure they sign the guest book.
Sherry is served in the Foyer following the lecture.

Attendance online:
The event will be live-streamed on Zoom (if you register) and recorded on our YouTube channel.
The event will begin at 5pm.
You will receive an email reminder with the link to join the day of the lecture.

If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected].

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