Barlow: The Life of King Edward

 

The Life of King Edward
who rests at Westminster
attributed to a monk of St Bertin

Vita AEwardi Regis
edited and translated by Frank Barlow

download pdf here  [no introduction]
http://x0b.de/The_Life_of_King_Edward.pdf

“And who will write that Humber, vast and swollen
With raging seas, where namesake kings had fought,
Has dyed the ocean waves for miles around
With Viking gore, while Heaven mourns the crime?
What madman write of this, at which the mind
Grows faint and ears are shocked?    …
If you will not describe King Gruffydd’s wars
Or River Ouse with corpses choked, you’ll paint
King Edward fair in form and worth, what he
Did in his life and what when dying said.”

Henry of Huntingdon

The chronicle of Henry of Huntingdon. 

Comprising the history of England, from the invasion of Julius Cæsar to the accession of Henry II. Also, The acts of Stephen, king of England and duke of Normandy
by Henry of Huntingdon, 1084?-1155; 

Forester, Thomas. ed. and tr
Publication date 1853
https://archive.org/details/chroniclehenryh00foregoog/page/n247/mode/2up

page 209

Fulford

Then they [Tostig and Haraldr] joined their forces and came up the Humber, as far as York, near which they were encountered by the Earls Edwin and Morcar ; the place where the battle was fought is still shown on the south side of the city. Here Harold, king of Norway, and Tosti, his ally, gained the day. 

 Stamford Bridge

When this intelligence reached Harold, king of England, he advanced with a powerful army, and came up with the invaders at Stanford Bridge. The battle was desperately fought, the armies being engaged from daybreak to noonday, when, after fierce attacks on both sides, the Norwegians were forced to give way before the superior numbers of the English, but retreated in good order. Being driven across the river, the living trampling on the corpses of the slain, they resolutely made a fresh stand. 

Here a single Norwegian, whose name ought to have been preserved, took post on a bridge, and hewing down more than forty of the English with a battle- axe, his country's weapon, stayed the advance of the whole English army till the ninth hour. At last some one came under the bridge in a boat, and thrust a spear into him, through the chinks of the flooring. The English having gained a passage, King Harold and Tosti were slain ; and their whole army were either slaughtered, or, being taken prisoners, were burnt.

 

Florence of Worcester

The chronicle of Florence of Worcester with the two continuations;
by Florence, of Worcester, d. 1118

Published 1854
=======
 “The chronicle of Florence of Worcester with the two continuations; comprising annals of English history, from the departure of the Romans to the reign of Edward I.” 

Translated from the Latin with notes and illustrations  by Thomas Forrester,

by Florence, of Worcester, d. 1118; John, of Worcester, 12th century; Taxster, John de, d. 1265?; John, of Eversden, 13th century 

Publisher London H.G. Bohn

https://archive.org/details/chronicleofflore00flor/page/166/mode/2up

 There is much debate over how much of this chronicle was completed by Florence of Worcester and how much was completed by John of Worcester.

"The Chronicle of Florence of Worcester, so far as it relates to English history, with its two Continuations, embraces the period from the departure of the Romans in the year 446, to the twenty-third year of the reign of Edward I. in 1295. It is founded on an earlier Chronicle, compiled by Marianus Scotus, one of the many learned Irishmen sent forth from the "Island of Saints," between the sixth and eleventh centuries. ... The rest of his materials for the earlier period of English history are chiefly supplied by Bede, the Saxon Chronicle, the Lives of Saints, and Asser's Life of Alfred."

The Saga of Edward the Confessor

 ICELANDIC SAGAS, Vol. III
THE ORKNEYINGERS SAGA
by George W. Dasent
[1894]
 
Appendix F: The Saga of Edward the Confessor
https://sacred-texts.com/neu/ice/is3/is324.htm

7  For that Harold, Godwin's son, was of great family in England, and a very proper man in himself, but the rulers of the land thought it hard to come under the rule of outlandish lords, then they took Harold to be king, and he was consecrated under the crown as the custom was of English chiefs.  In this design his brother Tosti had no share, but he was older, and so he thought himself nearer to the kingdom.  Then he went to meet his brother Harold and claimed to be even with him, but when Harold said "nay" to that, then he fared out of the land and fled to Denmark to find king Sweyn, Wolf's son, his kinsman, and bade him fare to England and win the land under his rule "as the Dane kings of old had done."  But Sweyn was not ready to do that.  Then Tosti fared north into Norway and egged on king Harold, Sigurd's son, to fare to England and win the land under him.  And that same summer those two, king Harold and Tosti, fared to England with a host and slew Morcar, Godwin's son, but earl Gurth his brother fled out of the battle.  But a few nights afterwards they fought at Stamford-bridge with king Harold Godwin's son, and there they both fell, Harold and Tosti, as is said in the annals of the kings of Norway.
 8         When William heard of the death of king Edward, and that Harold had let himself be chosen king in England, it liked him very ill, and he thought Harold had broken his oath and agreement with him;  then straightway he summoned all the chiefs he could get and a mighty host beside.  He made ready that force for England.  He came there just at the time when the two Harolds had fought.  Then he began to harry the land where he made the coast, and laid it under him wherever he went.  But when Harold, Godwin's son, heard that he fared against him, and their meeting was south by Helsingport, and either side had a very great host;  then earl Gurth spoke to his brother Harold and said, "I am afraid that it will not answer for thee to hold a battle against duke William because thou art bound by oaths to him, and thou hast sworn not to hold England against him."  King Harold answers, "May be brother thou art better fitted to fight with William, but I have not been wont to lie in a lair when other men have fought, and William the bastard shall not hear this that I dare not look him in the face."  After that king Harold made them set up his banner before him and went out to battle against William, and there was the greatest battle, and it seemed uncertain a long time which side would win the victory.  But as the fight went on the loss of men turned on the English side, and a great host fell there, and all fled who chose life.  There fell king Harold and his brother Gurth, but Valtheof their brother fled out of the fight.  William the bastard caused him to be burnt afterwards in a wood, and a hundred men with him.

The Fulford Tapestry

 

 “In the year 2000, a group began a systematic search for the battlefield of Fulford. Fulford was the site of the first battle of the fateful autumn of 1066 that would spell the end of the Anglo-Saxon rule in England.
Because we could not be confident that we would find the site, since nothing had been found at Hastings or Stamford bridge, we had to think of a suitable way to commemorate this forgotten battle.
We decided to preparing a tapestry in the style of the Bayeux Tapestry which would tell of the events taking place in Yorkshire during one momentous week in 1066 when two battles took place that had such a profound effect on the history of England. “
http://www.fulfordtapestry.info/index.htm
 
In 2012 the completed tapestry was displayed at the House of Lords
http://www.fulfordtapestry.info/d_house_of_lords.htm

 On the tapestry website each of the six panels is depicted, and its content explained,  along with some detailed information about the process and materials used.

Unfortunately, the website does not state who drew the design, the names of the embroiderers or where the tapestry is permanently displayed or stored. 

English Heritage Battlefield Report, Hastings

English Heritage Battlefield Report for The Battle of Hastings

https://historicengland.org.uk/content/docs/listing/battlefields/hastings/

 William of Newburgh, writing in the late 1100s, states:-

" In the place where the vanquished English were slain, a noble monastery, called St. Martin of Battle, was built by the victors, to be a lasting monument, at once to man as a memorial of the Norman conquest, and also to God as a propitiation for the effusion of so much Christian blood. "

English Heritage have a 'location certainty' criterion for designating a battlefield.  The legend states that the Abbey was built on the spot that Harold fell, but overlooks the fact that the top of the hill had to be leveled to make room for the monastery. This is why there is a huge visitor centre for the battle of Hastings at the location of Battle Abbey, which no doubt generates substantial revenues for the upkeep of the site. 

When I visited Stamford Bridge I was surprised to find no visitor centre, souvenir shop or even signage designating the site of the battlefield, which is currently believed to be at Battleflats, which is now underneath a housing estate. All that indicates the presence of the second great battle of 1066 is a viking sign on the local pub, and a memorial stone in the town centre.  It reads "1066 The Battle of Stamford Bridge. King Harold of England defeated his brother Tostig and King Hardrada of Norway here on 25th September 1066."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The situation is even worse at Fulford where the only marker is a flagstone concealed by long grass adjacent to a playing field and which is difficult to locate even if its existence is known. It reads " This stone is to commemorate the Battle of Fulford fought in this area between Hardrada and Morcere on September 20th 1066. Fulford Parish Council 1972." 

As far as I can ascertain English Heritage have not published a battlefield report for Fulford.

There is now a new housing estate at Germany Beck, which English Heritage itself admits is “... the most likely location for the Battle of Fulford.” See the recent judgement on the case for Fulford:-
https://cornerstonebarristers.com/cmsAdmin/uploads/charles-jones-v-english-heritage-final-judgment-9-july-2014.pdf

Due to the uncertainty of locating the exact position of the first two battles, English Heritage has declined to designate their locations and thus they are relegated to an underserved obscurity. 

However, the caution in refusing to identify the battlesites may be justified. My research, using previously overlooked primary sources, suggests that Battleflats and Germany Beck are not the locations of the first two battles. The alternate locations and the analysis that determines them are in my forthcoming book.

Symeon of Durham

The historical works of Simeon of Durham,
tr., with preface and notes, by J. Stevenson
Published 1855
https://archive.org/details/historicalworks00simegoog
In plain txt
https://ia601409.us.archive.org/2/items/historicalworks00simegoog/historicalworks00simegoog_djvu.txt

William of Malmesbury

 “William of Malmesbury's Chronicle of the kings of England. From the earliest period to the reign of King Stephen”  by William, of Malmesbury, ca. 1090-1143;
Giles, J. A. (John Allen) 1808-1884,  
Published 1847
“A translation of his Gesta regum Anglorum, and Historia novella, based on the English version of Rev. J. Sharpe.”
https://archive.org/details/williammalmesbu00gilegoog


Book III
https://archive.org/details/williammalmesbu00gilegoog/page/n282/mode/2up

In plain text
https://archive.org/stream/williammalmesbu00gilegoog/williammalmesbu00gilegoog_djvu.txt

Freeman: The History of the Norman Conquest

 Edward Freeman wrote his history of the Norman Conquest in the late 1800s. Every book published since appears to draw directly from Freeman’s, endlessly re-gurgitating his analysis. Freeman, however, was a man of his times and made two major mistakes. Firstly he dismissed the sagas as ‘fairy tales’ and criticised ‘Snorro’ for inaccuracy, taking a jingoistic view of non-English sources. Secondly he gave equal weight to all the other primary sources without consideration of their purpose, intended audience and date of publication. This has led to considerable errors in his conclusions that colour modern interpretations of the events.

Freeman on Internet Archive

The History of the Norman Conquest of England, Its Causes and Its Results
by Edward A. Freeman.

in six volumes.
v. 1. The preliminary history to the election of Eadward the Confessor. 1867.
v. 2. The reign of Eadward the Confessor. 1868.
v. 3. The reign of Harold and the interregnum. 1869.
v. 4. The reign of William the Conqueror. 1871.
v. 5. The effects of the Norman conquest. 1876.
v. 6. Index volume. 1879

 VOL I - pre Edward - reign of Canute
https://archive.org/details/cu31924088007582

 VOL II - reign of Edward
https://archive.org/details/historyofnormanc02free/page/n5/mode/2up

Vol III - 1066
https://archive.org/details/historyofnormanc03free/page/n9/mode/2up

Vol IV - The reign of William
https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_O5EQAAAAYAAJ/page/n7/mode/2up

VOL V - the effects of the conquest
https://archive.org/details/cu31924024572236/page/n5/mode/2up

Vol VI  - the index
https://archive.org/details/cu31924088007632/page/n7/mode/2up

The Three Battles of 1066

 The year 1066 saw three major battles in England.

The Battle of Fulford:                    20th September to the south of York at Fulford
The Battle of Stamford Bridge:     25th September to the north east of York at Stamford Bridge
The Battle of Hastings:                 14th October to the north west of Hastings at Senlac Hill

The following links represent the current view of the three battles.

The Battle of Fulford

At Wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fulford

Battlefields Trust:            Fulford
http://www.battlefieldstrust.com/resource-centre/viking/battleview.asp?BattleFieldId=52

The Battle of Fulford Website by Charles Jones
http://www.battleoffulford.org.uk/

The Battle of Stamford Bridge

At Wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Stamford_Bridge

Battlefields Trust:             Stamford Bridge
http://www.battlefieldstrust.com/resource-centre/viking/battleview.asp?BattleFieldId=41

BBC Podcast Thu 2 Jun 2011:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b011jvlt


The Battle of Hastings

At Wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hastings

Battlefields Trust:            Hastings
http://www.battlefieldstrust.com/resource-centre/viking/battleview.asp?BattleFieldId=17

English Heritage:             Battle
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/1066-battle-of-hastings-abbey-and-battlefield/

Heimskringla

 About Heimskringla on Wiki

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heimskringla

 

Heimskringla on Project Gutenberg

Originally written in Old Norse, app. 1225 A.D., by the poet and historian Snorri Sturlason. 
This translation contains:-

 1.  Halfdan the Black Saga
  2.  Harald Harfager's Saga
  3.  Hakon the Good's Saga
  4.  Saga of King Harald Grafeld and of Earl Hakon Son of Sigurd
  5.  King Olaf Trygvason's Saga
  6.  Saga of Olaf Haraldson (St. Olaf)
  7.  Saga of Magnus the Good
  8.  Saga of Harald Hardrade
  9.  Saga of Olaf Kyrre
  10. Magnus Barefoot's Saga
  11. Saga of Sigurd the Crusader and His Brothers Eystein and Olaf
  12. Saga of Magnus the Blind and of Harald Gille
  13. Saga of Sigurd, Inge, and Eystein, the Sons of Harald
  14. Saga of Hakon Herdebreid ("Hakon the Broad-Shouldered")
  15. Magnus Erlingson's Saga

The full index is here:     https://www.gutenberg.org/files/598/598-h/598-h.htm

This translation is missing the first saga, the Ynglinga Saga:    Ynglinga Saga 

 

Heimskringla on VSNR

Heimskringla I. Tr. Alison Finlay and Anthony Faulkes 

Heimskringla I . Tr. Alison Finlay and Anthony Faulkes. 2nd edition 

Heimskringla II. Tr. Alison Finlay and Anthony Faulkes 

Heimskringla III . Tr. Alison Finlay and Anthony Faulkes