I remember before my addiction to family history research, my understanding and interest in history were somewhat vague beyond one hundred years or so; English history was a foggy mix of Roman occupation, the War of the Roses, Kings and Queens, and the Battle of Briton. Mostly learnt through historically obscure movies or documentaries over the years, I now only give historically accurate programs my attention. England has such a rich, well-documented history that goes back many hundreds of years and because of my ancestry research, I have come to a richer and more objective understanding of past events. Through my ancestral journey, I have discovered ancestors who forged history as we now know it.
During the last few days prior to ending my 2000 visit to the UK, I found myself exploring towns, and villages reasonably close to Gatwick. One day I found my way to Hastings and exploring the area I discovered the town known as Battle. Located northeast of Hastings in East Sussex, approaching the town in my rental I was thinking how ominous the name Battle seemed. With my limited knowledge, I'm thinking maybe the town of Battle had something in common with the Conquest and the Battle of 1066.
After driving around town for a short while I found myself at Battle Abby at first I was under the impression that I was parking in the car park of a tourist gift shop, and really didn't expect much more. My visit to Battle Abby was one of the most memorable tourist attraction visits in my 2000 UK activities.
I soon became aware that I was at the 1066 battlefield where English history changed with the outcome of the battle between King Harald of England and William of Normandy. I saw that for a small fee, I would be able to take a self-guided stroll out onto the actual battlefield, an opportunity that I took up without hesitation.
For a full Hour, I wondered about the battleground taking in the imaginary images of men on foot, men on horseback glinting weaponry and armour the sounds of battle and death all over this place 14h Oct 1066. Standing at the place where King Harold of England lay dying is confronting, but then I realised when standing at almost any place on the field many men may have died at that very spot more than nine hundred years ago.
Some years have passed since the day I visited the 1066 battlefield and I am now even more thankful that I had the opportunity to spend time on the field. Today thanks to the following years spent researching, studying and documenting my family history, I have been successful in identifying some ancestral relationships to men at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and my Bond family line. Each person was individually researched, not for their connection to the battle but their connection to my Bond family line; and serendipitously connected to the battle. Knowing now that I acutely have ancestors who survived the carnage at
The Battle of Hastings gives me a whole new perspective on the history surrounding the battle.
King Harold of England / Husband of 29th Great grandmother.
Gyrth Godwinson / Brother-in-law to 29th Great grandmother.
Leofwine Godwinson / Brother-in-law of 29th Great grandmother,
William of Normandy / 27th Great grandfather.
Robert Deaumont / 25th Great grand uncle.
Walter Giffard / 27th Great grandfather.
William De Warren / 26th Great grandfather.
Hugh De Montford / 28th Great grandfather.
Recommended reading:
The Battle of Hastings, by Jim Bradbury.
1066, by Kelly Devries.
The Norman Conquest, by Mac Morris.
Copyright © Noel Bond. Researched and written by Noel Bond, No written part of this Blog may be reproduced in any form, by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author.
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