Senlac hill – the morning of the 14th October 1066.
The last uninvited army in England
“My son,” said the Norman Baron, “I am dying, and you will be heir
To all the broad acres in England that William gave me for share
When he conquered the Saxon at Hastings, and a nice little handful it is.
But before you go over to rule it I want you to understand this:–
“The Saxon is not like us Normans. His manners are not so polite.
But he never means anything serious till he talks about justice and right.
When he stands like an ox in the furrow – with his sullen set eyes on your own,
And grumbles, ‘This isn’t fair dealing,’ my son, leave the Saxon alone.
From: Norman & Saxon by Rudyard Kipling.
David A Lockwood 
Oh yeah! Oh Yeah! Kipling forever!
Good on yer for remembering the date – strangely was reading about it just yesterday for no other reason than digging deep in viking history re St Cuthbert/Lindisfarne…and just kept on reading up to 1066.
My favorite lines ex Roman Centurion:
“……………..but will you e’er forget
The scent of hawthorn in the sun and bracken in the wet.”
I love his work, he could get right to the point…
Ha, Viking history – just recently finished: The Northmen’s Fury: A History of the Viking World by Philip Parker.
David.