One part of the story caught my eye. The building of St Mary’s church, the ruins at Bulverhythe. An Abbey of the same name being built across the water from it, and St Peter’s church from the same time.
St Mary’s church Bulverhythe was built on an Island. Not much good for people to go to church, but useful if you want to keep people away from Harold’s tomb, under the altar in the chancel. Yes the chancel is the only part remaining. The ancient writings speak of William burying Harold on a cliff by the sea to guard. Guarding (in death) the very place William had invaded England, looking down on Glyne Gap.
Next we have the Abbey of the same name, St Mary’s, across the water of the estuary. You walk up Hastings road and find St Mary’s junior school, and St Mary’s special school, and the old convent Nazareth House, now residential housing. The Abbey of St Mary’s stood at the traffic lights where Hastings Road these days meanings turning, but originally just continued to the Old Town. The Abbey covered the whole area of St Mary’s junior school, Bexhill college, Battle Abbey prep school (the Bexhill site), and St Mary’s special school.
Then there is St Peter’s church looking down on the Abbey. William got the pope’s permission to invade England. Carried his banner or flag. The pope gave forgiveness of sins to all who died fighting on William’s side. In return it make’s sense that in victory William would build a church of St Peter, as the Vatican is St Peter’s, the pope’s church.
As we know the Abbey was built on the battlefield of the Battle of Hastings 1066. No archaeological evidence has been found at Battle Abbey, or any other suggested site. The best archaeological evidence would be a mass grave of Norman soldiers. I suggest that grave is The Mount, near St Mary’s special school and opposite the new houses being built.
I have lived for 15 years in this location. The past 11 years in Constable Way and four years in Dorset Road before that. I even went to Crowhurst to look at a suggested different site for the battle. Then it hit me, the Battle of Hastings happened right near my house! St Mary’s Abbey was the battlefield, the small part of Hastings road and Wrestwood Road by St Mary’s special school.
The aim was the hill of Bexhill Old Town, Bexhill Manor one mile from Glyne Gap. They had taken Bullington Manor (same root as Bulverhythe) at the bottom of the hill where Ravenside now is.
There has to be a logical reason why after the Battle of Hastings 1066, a church was built on an Island, a big Abbey with the same name just across from it, and St Peter’s church looking over them. I wish I could claim to have found the site of the Battle of Hastings, but it found me!
There is more detail but I will pause there.