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A day out in Sussex yesterday yielded a significant discovery:
The Battle of Hastings did not take place in Hastings. In fact it was in Battle.
This raises a number of questions I will need to seek the answers to in Battle, such as:
1) Why does Hasting claim all the credit?
2) Why is isn't it the Battle of Battle?
3) Was this the first battle, and thus is the source of the phrase?
Another question is how come William the Conq hung around the area for so long, giving Harold the chance to get back from Stamford Bridge (the problem being finding people to go south of the river, I guess). Which leads us to:
5) How did Harold know to go to Battle?
6) Did someone send a message to Fulham Broadway?
7) Would he know that Battle was the sort of place to go to have a battle (if he had the word)?
8) Was this the Anglo-Norman equivalent of "See you after school"?
I've never worked out how the beacons work. They lit them to signal the arrival of the Armada. Then lit them to celebrate victory. Is this like porch lights which come on to welcom friends but deter intruders? What if the firend is intruding?
Next: Thermos Flasks. How do they know how hot their contents need to be?
The Battle of Hastings did not take place in Hastings. In fact it was in Battle.
This raises a number of questions I will need to seek the answers to in Battle, such as:
1) Why does Hasting claim all the credit?
2) Why is isn't it the Battle of Battle?
3) Was this the first battle, and thus is the source of the phrase?
Another question is how come William the Conq hung around the area for so long, giving Harold the chance to get back from Stamford Bridge (the problem being finding people to go south of the river, I guess). Which leads us to:
5) How did Harold know to go to Battle?
6) Did someone send a message to Fulham Broadway?
7) Would he know that Battle was the sort of place to go to have a battle (if he had the word)?
8) Was this the Anglo-Norman equivalent of "See you after school"?
I've never worked out how the beacons work. They lit them to signal the arrival of the Armada. Then lit them to celebrate victory. Is this like porch lights which come on to welcom friends but deter intruders? What if the firend is intruding?
Next: Thermos Flasks. How do they know how hot their contents need to be?
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From:
no subject
Would they have heard of it if the battle that wasn't there had been somewhere else?
2. Tautology.
But cf. Kings of Kings. Song of songs. Queen of puddings.
3. I believe they named Battle after the battle.
Stamford Bridge presumably being happy to keep the name.
4. Once you invade, you find an advantageous place to have your battle and sit and wait. Otherwise you might have to fight on ground that's advantageous to your enemy. Or isn't named correctly.
You might have a very long wait. Though I think something simiar happened in Bosworth, although I gather we actually have tours round the wrong field as the farmer was rather canny
5. Spies.
Very speedy spies.
6. By pigeon.
That's a lot of pigeons to have. One for Stamford Bridge, one for Loftus Road, one for Brammall Lane. And not to be combined with beacon network unless you want pigeon roast.
7. If he knew the enemy was there, yes (see 5).
So tactics suggest he should have put his feet up at Stamford Bridge, send out for a pizza, hand out the orange slices and the magic sponge, then wander down to Battle when he was ready, on the off chance some one wanted a battle.
8. Definitely!
Is my kingdom. My kingdom. Shotgun!
Still, I'm glad they called it battle. The Hastings of Hastings is too silly. The Hastings of Britain. Hastings of the Bands. Hastings for the Planet of the Apes.
From:
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If Harold had waited for Wessex and Mercia's muster to catch up, he'd probably have won the Battle of Battle :).