Landscapes of the Norman Conquest

Landscapes of the Norman Conquest written by Trevor Rowley and

published by Pen & Sword Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 368

For a long time, the Norman Conquest has been viewed as a turning point in English

history; an event which transformed English identity, sovereignty, kingship, and culture.

The years between 1066 and 1086 saw the largest transfer of property ever seen in

English History, comparable in scale, if not greater, than the revolutions in France in

1789 and Russia in 1917. This transfer and the means to achieve it had a profound

effect upon the English and Welsh landscape, an impact that is clearly visible almost

1,000 years afterwards.

Although there have been numerous books examining different aspects of the British landscape, this is the first to look specifically at the way in which the Normans shaped our towns and countryside. The castles, abbeys, churches and cathedrals built in the new Norman Romanesque style after 1066 represent the most obvious legacy of what was effectively a colonial take-over of England. Such phenomena furnished a broader landscape that was fashioned to intimidate and demonstrate the Norman dominance of towns and villages.

The devastation that followed the Conquest, characterised by the ‘Harrying of the North’, had a long-term impact in the form of new planned settlements and agriculture. The imposition of Forest Laws, restricting hunting to the Norman king and the establishment of a military landscape in areas such as the Welsh Marches, had a similar impact on the countryside.

This is an extraordinary book, the amount of detail, research and knowledge is fantastic. To me as someone interested in local history and knowledge this book is perfect and packed with detail. It was really good to find out how the Normans would want to put their own stamp on a new country, just like other groups that have invaded previously. Even something little like learning how the Normans wanted a presence in most towns, it was good to read the reasons why and how. Or learning about burghs, hundreds & wapentakes, and how land was divided up on a Norman basis. The book contains a really good number of photographs both black & white and colour, along with good detailed maps. The bibliography was also very useful and I will be diving into that too for more local research. As I said I found this book to be a really good read and very informative, I will definitely be re-reading this one and can only recommend this book to everyone.

Mysteries of the Norman Conquest

Mysteries of the Norman Conquest written by Robert Allred and published by

Frontline Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 248

Recent challenges to the traditional site of the Battle of Hastings have led to a surge of

interest in the events surrounding England’s most famous battle. This, in turn, has

increased speculation that the titanic struggle for the English crown in 1066 did not

take place on the slopes of what is today Battle Abbey, with a number of highly plausible

alternative locations being proposed. The time had clearly come to evaluate all these

suggestions, and Robert Allred decided to take on that task.

Taking nothing for granted, Robert hiked around the sites of the three battles of 1066 – Fulford, Stamford Bridge and Hastings. Armed with medieval sources and much of the current literature, he set out to appraise the evidence and to draw his own unbiased conclusions.

Following in the footsteps of the Viking warriors of Harald Hardrada, the knights of William of Normandy and the Anglo-Saxon soldiers of King Harold, the reader is taken on a journey from Yorkshire to the South Coast and down through the ages to re-examine what has been written about that momentous year – the intrigues, preparations and manoeuvres – which culminated on 14 October 1066, on a bloody hill somewhere in Sussex.

Whether this will settle the debate over the site of the Battle of Hastings or prompt further investigations remains to be seen, but it will be a book which cannot be ignored and that the reader will be unable to put down!

This was an interesting book in which the author Robert Allred attempts to look at the Battle of Hastings and try to establish the correct battlefield site for this battle, in amongst all the various bits of medieval evidence. The author establishes the real histories and reasons such as the Anglo-Saxon background, the Norman Invasion and also looks at three key medieval battle sites at Fulford, Stamford Bridge and Hastings. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and enjoyed how it was broken up into specific sections throughout the book which made it easier to read and believe each argument. I must admit to agreeing mostly with the conclusion in the book, but would it settle all the arguments, well you just have to read it and see what you think.