Chronicles of Worcester

The Chronicles of Worcester were written by an English monk in Worcester Priory including his best known work Chronicon ex Chronicis (Chronicle of Chronicles) featuring a world history up until 1140. The first part of this work was attributed to Florence of Worcester but recently changed to John of Worcester due to stylistic continuity after the death of Florence in 1118.

The text for the year 1066 says:

‘While these events were passing, and when the king might have supposed that all his enemies were quelled, he received intelligence of the arrival of William, earl of Normandy, with an innumerable host of horsemen, slingers, archers, and foot soldiers, having taken into his pay auxiliary forces of great bravery from all parts of France; and that he had moored his fleet at a place called Pevensey. Thereupon the king led his army towards London by forced marches; and, although he was very sensible that some of the bravest men in England had fallen in the two [recent] battles, and’ that one half of his troops was not yet assembled, he did not hesitate to meet the enemy in Sussex, without loss of time; and on Saturday, the eleventh of the calends of November [22nd October], before a third of his army was in fighting order, he gave them battle at a place nine miles from Hastings, where they had built a fort. The English being crowded in a confused position, many of them left their ranks, and few stood by him with resolute hearts: nevertheless he made a stout resistance from the third hour of the day until nightfall, and defended himself with such courage and obstinacy, that the enemy almost despaired of taking his life. When, however, numbers had fallen on both sides, he, alas! fell at twilight. There fell, also, his brothers, the earls Gurth and Leofric, and almost all the English nobles. Earl William led his army back to Hastings.’

Pevensey is named as the place where the fleet was moored, but remains silent in regards to the landing or any other aspects of the battle, location or camps. The assumption by historians is that the reports confirmed Harold died late in the day, suggesting transcription from spoken rather that written sources. It in one of the lesser reliable reports featuring the Battle of Hastings.