Hastings: The location of Battle Abbey

 According to the Chronicle of Battle Abbey, there were two building sites for the Abbey. The first site is on the top of the hill at Battle where the Abbey currently stands. The second site is on ‘a lower place on the western side of the hill.” The Abbey was to be located on the battle field where King Harold fell, but the monks required a site more suitable for a monastery and its ancillary buildings and fields and which had access to a good water supply. Accordingly, when the builders arrived from Normandy they selected an alternate site. But this was not acceptable to King William who had made an oath and the Abbey was eventually completed at Battle, on the hill where Harold fell, according to his demands.   

The Chronicle texts.
https://archive.org/details/chronicleofbatte00batt

pp3-4
“while they were helping one another on with their armour, there was brought forth a coat of mail for the duke to put on, and by accident it was handed to him the wrong side foremost. Those who stood by and saw this, cursed it as an unfortunate omen, but the duke's sewer again bade them be of good cheer, and declared that this also was a token of good fortune, namely, that those things which had before kept their ground were about fully to submit them-selves to him. The duke, perfectly unmoved, put on the mail with a placid countenance, and uttered these memorable words
" I know, my dearest friends, that if I had any confidence in omens, I ought on no account to go to battle to-day ; but, committing myself trustfully to my Creator in every matter, I have given no heed to omens ; neither have I ever loved sorcerers. Wherefore, now, secure of His aid, and in order to strengthen the hands and courage of you, who for my sake are about to engage in this conflict, I make a Vow, that upon this place of battle I will found a suitable free Monastery, for the salvation of you all, and especially of those who fall ; and this I will do in honour of God and his saints, to the end that the servants of God may be succoured ; that even as I shall be enabled to acquire for myself a propitious asylum, so it may be freely offered to all my followers.””

p6
“Upon the hill where the Abbey now stands, the English supported their king in a compact body.”

p9
… At length the demands of his conscience from within, and the constant suggestions of the monk William Faber from without, prevailed, and the king acceded to his wish; and inasmuch as he was considered  a proper person, the king committed the erection of the work to him, and ordered him to fetch over certain brethren of his abbey, in order to found, on the field of battle, without further delay, an appropriate monastery. This he cheerfully undertook to do, and going at once to Marmoutier brought over to England four monks of great reputation and piety, namely, Theobald, surnamed Vetulus, William Coche, Robert of Bolonia, and Robert Blancard. These personages having viewed the scene of the battle, judged it an unsuitable site for so noble a building, but thought a lower place on the western side of the hill more eligible ; and there, not to seem remiss in their undertaking, they built some little dwellings. The place is to this day called Herst, and a certain thorn-tree growing there is a memorial of this circumstance.
 

The king on making careful enquiries as to the progress of the work, was told by the monks that the place where he had determined to build the abbey was situated upon a hill with a parched soil, dry, and destitute of water; and they entreated him that a more convenient spot in the immediate vicinity might be chosen for so important a work. Upon this the king grew angry, and commanded them with all haste to lay the foundations of the temple on the very place where he had achieved the victory over his enemy.
… Thus at length were laid the foundations of this most excellent work, as it was then considered ; and in accordance with the king's decree, they wisely erected the high altar upon the precise spot where the ensign of King Harold, which they call the Standard, was observed to fall.”

The location of the second site has been identified as Crowhurst, and the thorn tree as the Crowhurst Yew which is believed to be in excess of 1500 years old.
see the video here:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6D55o0df58

However, Crowhurst is not on the western side of the hill at Battle and is nearly four miles away to the south on flat land. The Crowhurst Yew tree is adjacent to St George’s Church. Also close by are the ruins of the Crowhurst Manor House believed to have been built by Walter de Scotney in the 12th century.
In the video, there is a claim that the manor ruins are actually the second abbey site as mentioned in the Abbey Chronicle. Note that the Abbey Chronicle says that they built some ‘little dwellings’ at the alternate site, not that they commenced the abbey itself or constructed walls similar to those of the manor. Disregarding the fact that the Crowhurst site is four miles from Senlac Hill and that it is on flat land, not on a hill as described in all the other battle descriptions, there is also a claim that Crowhurst is the true site of the Battle of Hastings.