Throughout the summer of 1066 Harold maintained a large army and fleet along the Sussex coast in anticipation of William's invasion. The watch lasted from April to September and involved the mobilisation of the southern fyrd on an unprecedented scale. Provisions ran out before William could cross, forced by winds, and the dismissal of the fyrd left England briefly vulnerable. The watch demonstrated Harold's organisational ability but could not be sustained indefinitely.
Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any location in Britain — drawing on Domesday records, scheduled monuments, Victorian OS maps, geological data and archaeological archives to tell the full story of a place.
Research a location near this battlefield