William of Jumieges (Dawson)

Considering that Harold was gaining new forces every day, he commanded the building of a fleet of 3000 ships, at the greatest possible speed, and caused them to be anchored at St Valery in Pontieu. He assembled also a great army of Normans, men of Flanders, Franks and Bretons, and his vessels being ready he filled them with horses and vigorous provided with halberds and helmets.

All things being prepared, he set sail with a favourable wind crossed the sea, and landed at Pevensey where he established a camp at once,  surrounded by string entrenchments, the guardianship of which he entrusted to brave knights. Afterwards he came hastily to Hastings, where he caused other fortifications to be made without delay. [missing text] At the same the Duke was on his guard against nocturnal attacks, he ordered his army to remain under arms until the return of daylight.

Therefore Harold, learning that fiercer adversaries were rising against him on another side, prepared himself vigorously for fresh combats ; for he was extremely brave and audacious, very handsome in all his person, agreeable by his manner of expressing himself, and affable with everybody. As his mother and her other faithful friends tried to dissuade him from going to fight, the Count Gurth, his brother, said to him : ' Brother and well beloved lord, thou must allow thy valour to be moderated by prudent councils. Thou hast just returned fatigued by fighting the Norwegians, and thou wishest again to go in haste to measure thyself against the Normans. Rest, I pray thee, and reflect with wisdom on what thou hast promised on oath to the Prince of Normandy. Beware of committing a perjury, lest after so great a crime thou should'st be crushed together with the strength of our nation, branding thereby our race with eternal dishonour. I, who am free from all vows, owe nothing to Count William, am quite ready to march bravely against him to defend our native land. But thou, my brother, vest in peace where thou jobs wilt and await the events of war, so that the fine liberty of the English doth not perish by thy hand.'

Hearing these words, Harold became very indignant. He disdained these counsels which his friends thought salutary, heaped abuse upon his brother who offered him this advice through fidelity, and spurned back with his foot his mother, who was making efforts to detain him. Afterwards and during six days he gathered together a great multitude of English, wishing to surprise and attack the Duke, and, having ridden a whole night, he arrived the next morning on the field of battle.

On a Saturday, at dawn of day, he (the Duke) divided his army into three corps, and marched with boldness to meet his formidable enemies. About the third hour of the day, the battle commenced and was prolonged until the night, in the midst of the carnage, and with losses on both sides, Harold himself, marching in the front rank with his knights, was wounded mortally and fell slain.

The English, after having persisted bravely in the fight the whole day, on learnign that their king was dead, began to tremble for their own safety; and, under the cover of night, they turned away and sought safety in flight. The Normans then, seeing the English escaping, pressed them obstinately during the whole of the night between Saturday and Sunday, but to their own detriment ; for the long grass hid from them and old ditch (or moat) into which the Normans were suddenly precipitated, and into it they fell with their horses and their armour, killing one another as they fell, one on top of the other suddenly, without any warning. We are told that nearly 15000 men perished there.

Thus, on October 14th, Almight God punished in divers ways a great number of sinners in each of the two armies, for, by the raging cry of the Normans, He slew on the Saturday several thousands of the English who long before that time had unjustly put to death innocent Alfred, and the preceding Saturday had butchered without mercy King Harald, Earl Tostig and many others. And, thus, on the following night, the same Judge avenged the English in precipitating the furious Normans into the hidden gulf which swallowed them up for, in spite of orders to the contrary, they plundered the fallen foe with unrestrained passion ; and, as the Psalmist saith 'their feet were swift to shed blood'.

After this, the brave Duke William, returning from the slaughter of his enemies, repaired to the battlefield about the middle of the night. On the Sunday morning, having despoiled the enemy and buried the bodies of his friends, he hastened on his way to London. The place where they fought, so it hath been told,  was called, and is still called, 'Battle'. Moreover, King William there built a monsatery in honour of the Holy Trinity, establishing in it monks of the order of Marmoutier and Saint Martin de Tours, showering on it in abundance all the wealth that it could possibly need, on behalf of the slain on both sides.