Heathfield Down: An Alternative Location for the Battlefield of Hastings, 1066

Abstract

The exact location of the Battle of Hastings remains a question of debate. We identify previously unknown 18th and 19th-century sources that locate the battle near Old Heathfield in East Sussex, ten miles north-west of Battle Abbey, on land once known as Heathfield Down and ‘Slaughter Common’. We analyse the relevance of the haran apuldran (‘Hoar Apple Tree’) in the ‘D’ text of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as an original name for the battlefield and discuss the survival of this name in medieval deeds concerning a nearby place ‘Horeapeltre’. We consider the military and cultural reasons why the battle might have taken place near here and show that the haran apuldran was probably a military assembly point. Heathfield Down was a likely conflict area due to its communication links, topography and strategic location, and Harold being stationed here could explain why he was taken by surprise, according to English sources.