Warenne Chronicle

ln the year of the Lord's incarnation 1066, a comet appeared in Normandy in the month of August, striking the utmost fear into those who saw it, and extending its rays towards England. At the same time, Count William, having assembled an arny and readied his fleet,
around the feast of Saint Michael entrusted his sails to the winds and crossed to England; with out any resistance, between the forts of Hastings and Pevensey he entered the land of the English . This event is in accord with the lines said to have been written by Lord Lanfranc at the time; here they are: "In the year one thousand and sixty six, the English hounds saw the comet".

At the same time, Harold, king of the English, had gone to the northern parts of England and in fighting against his brother at the City of York unhappily he escaped, a fratricide. For - to abridge the sum ot these deeds briefly - one of his brothers, named Tostig, by birth and inclination, rash in spirit, as soon as he realized that his brother had secured royal office, with the consent of God who persued the perjurer everywhere, after some argument had arisen between them, he left England and went to Saint-Omer in Flanders, so they say, with a great army and much treasure. After securing the wealth of his treasure there, he boarded a ship and headed for the island of Norway formerly called Scanzia, which as the history of the Goths bears witness, is the forge of many peoples. When he had arrived there, both by entreaties and promises, he enticed its king, Harold, nicknamed Hervard, that is, beautiful-haired - for he had both bodily stauture and beauty's form - to come quickly with an assembled army and a prepared fleet with him to England to fight King Harold. Thereafter they entered England and laid siege to York, a most wealthy City and the seat of an archbishop, and finally seizing it, they were so sacge in slaughtering there that from the number of the priests who died to the massacre one might be able to guess how great was the number of others who died on both sides. For two hundred and twenty priests are said to have been killed there. But the number of others has not been counted. And so when the city had been captured, as if unconcerned about bringing the whole of England into subjection,

they dispersed the army and kept their weaponry more incautiously than they should have. But King Harold, having assembled the people of all of England, rushed against them unexpectedly with a great assault on York and attacked the city with all his might. There on that day a dreadful and atrocious battle took place, with much blood spilled un either side. In fact, King Harold of Norway and Tostig, brother of Harold, king of the English, who had brought him, were overcome and met their death, and their severed heads were brought to King Harold. To those men who had survived, King Harold granted the body of the dead king, to be borne back to his own kingdom, and Magnus, that man's son, ruled instead of him. These events took place, by God, dear judgement, in the northern parts of the island in the month of September, so that King Harold, occupied by this battle and exhausted, should allow the Normans free rein to land in the month of October in the southern parts of England and to invade the land. Accordingly, while Harold was at York and catching his breath a little after his great labour and detestable fratricide, the news about the Normans flew quickly and announced that they had gone out of their ships and gone into the land of the English. Soon Harold, infuriated with anger and impatient at any delay, leaving his magnates there, went to London with utmost speed, and after he had held counsel and had assembled people from everywhere, he rushed with a powerful force to the Normans in the place where there is now an abbey called Battle after the outcome of that same battle. It is said that on that journey he went into a church in order to pray, and after he left, its tower collapsed to the ground, and that this was a sign that the kingdom of the English would fall just as quickly. When Count William heard that Harold was approaching at speed, he roused the minds of the Normans with prayers, now with examples, now with promises, and so that there would remain no reason to flee or any hope of escape he had ships destrroyed on the very shore. Then he sent envoys to Harold, asking that at least out of respect for divine majesty he might  keep the faith that he swore, and that he should realize that he was attacking the Normans unjustly in battle.