Norman conquest of England
William's invasion fleet sails from Saint-Valery-sur-Somme
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Original prompt & settings (JSON) ↗Surviving versions of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle disagree about where and when William's arrival was recorded — so even the day his fleet left France is argued over.
The wind finally turns
William, Duke of Normandy, had been waiting in the Somme estuary for weather he could use. In the conventional reconstruction a favourable southerly arrived on 27 September 1066 and he ordered his fleet out of Saint-Valery-sur-Somme toward England.
A hydrographic study of the crossing allows either 27 or 28 September for the departure. An estimated 700 ships made the passage overnight.
Dawn at Pevensey
In the usual modern reconstruction the fleet entered Pevensey Bay before dawn on 28 September and the army disembarked unopposed. Harold II was in northern England, three days past his victory over Harald Hardrada and Tostig at Stamford Bridge.
The Normans immediately threw up a temporary fortification to protect the troops and the beachhead. English Heritage places it almost certainly inside the walls of the Roman fort.
Why the chroniclers disagree
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle's recensions conflict: version D puts William at Pevensey on Michaelmas Eve, 28 September; version E gives Hastings on Michaelmas Day, 29 September. These are Julian dates kept by historical convention, corresponding to 3–4 October in the proleptic Gregorian calendar.
The best-supported reconstruction has William marching his army the roughly ten miles from Pevensey to Hastings the following day, rather than sailing there as one main force.
Sources
Researched 23 Aug 2026 5 sources 2 audit passes Date disputed
How this was checked
Researched from the web into a fact sheet, rewritten from that sheet, then audited against it by a different model. How the pipeline works →
Date disputed. Sources disagree about when this happened.
What the sources leave uncertain
- Contemporary Anglo-Saxon Chronicle recensions conflict: version D places William at Pevensey on Michaelmas Eve, 28 September, while version E gives Hastings on Michaelmas Day, 29 September.
- A scholarly study therefore permits departure on either 27 or 28 September. The usual modern chronology is departure on 27 September and landing on 28 September.
- These are Julian-calendar dates, retained by historical convention; the equivalent proleptic Gregorian dates are 3–4 October.
- English Heritage describes the Pevensey defenses as “almost certainly” inside the Roman fort, so their exact position should not be presented as archaeologically certain.