Francis Birrell

“ This method of fighting particularly impressed William at Hastings, and no doubt the English employed it with great skill. But whereas the most important part of William’s army was the cavalry, Harold’s army consisted entirely of foot soldiers. The Thanes and other important men might be able to ride up to the scene of battle on horseback, but they dismounted for the fight. The “packed shield” formation they proceeded to employ consisted, as is seen in the Tapestry, of a thick wedge of men, widening out from about two in front to an uncertain number at the base ”

“ As the work is in essence photographic, I flatter myself you have preserved the negative and other apparatus whereby the thing can be repeated as often as you like and at a moderate expense—in which case it might with evident and great advantage be imparted in the same complete form to all British Colonies, and even in America itself would be precious to every inquiring and every cultivated mind. ”

“ They not only make an admirable framework for the main narrative, but have an object of their own in keeping up a kind of running commentary on the events portrayed within their boundaries; strange birds and beasts, the subjects of fable, hybrids, and human forms, sometimes pursuing their ordinary avocations, sometimes engaged in battle or lying dead, form these borders, teaching by their actions, attitudes or expressions, the import of each scene. ”

“ Harold had always intended to come in to France. He had in the first scene had an interview with Edward in which he is presumably intrusted with a message to William, which he crosses the sea to deliver. If this message were to state Edward’s wish that William should succeed{5} him on the Throne of England, how treacherous becomes Harold’s conduct. Yet this is what the Tapestry silently suggests. ”

“ Also the horses are here quite unprotected, not “tot couvert de fer” as Wace, a 12th century historian of the Conquest, would have had them be. The armour would certainly be very heavy, but lighter than the massive defences of the 14th and 15th centuries.
But the whole question of this early armour raises many points of difficulty and dispute. The subject of Saxon and Norman armour is well treated in Mr. C. H. Ashdown’s “British and Foreign Arms and Armour” (1909) , where special attention is devoted to the body-armour of the Bayeux Tapestry.
Plate XII. The Death of Harold. ”

“ Plate V. Harold enthroned [8] with Archbishop Stigand by his side.
Stigand wears an amice, a pall, a chasuble, gloves, boots, alb, stole and maniple. He is, however, bareheaded, which is an argument for an early date for the Tapestry as the mitre is rare in manuscripts till the 12th century. If the mitre had{22} been known to the designer of the Tapestry he would surely have given it to Stigand for so important an occasion. ”

“ The Normans are being pressed hard when Bishop Odo, armed with a club, exhorts the young recruits and saves a panic (72) . A cry then goes up that Duke William has been killed; he shows himself, however (73) , and confidence is restored. On the left of the Duke is seen Eustace (E ... TIUS is all that remains of the inscription) carrying a standard. According to the mediæval historian Benoît de Saint Maur [5] the Duke’s standard-bearer Eustace, Count of Boulogne, had urged the Duke to leave the field, believing the day to be lost. ”

“ His other difficulties, caused by rivals to his throne and foreign enemies, which had only just been relieved by the glorious victory of Stamford Bridge, and the deaths of Tostig and Harold Hardrada, are omitted by the Norman chronicler. In 60 William exhorts his men to be brave and prudent, and they advance gaily into battle (61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66) , the whole course of events being splendidly exhibited. At last full justice is done to the English enemy. They fight valiantly, and the celebrated “packed-shield” formation is clearly shown (Plate XI.) . ”

“ Exhibited with the photographic copy of the Bayeux Tapestry in Gallery 79 are two plaster reproductions made by Charles Stothard to show the technique of the embroidery. One piece shows the head of Duke William, and is taken from Scene 17. The second shows the head of Harold at his coronation, and is taken from Scene 33. In the Mediæval Department of the British Museum is a third cast, of the head of a soldier, which has been copied from Scene 23. ”

“ The serpent decoration on the prow and stern of this type of boat{23} was often omitted, but is shown in the Tapestry. William’s own ship was called the “Mora,” and was a present to him from Queen Matilda. On the prow was the statue of a boy in copper gilt, who held a bow in his hand in which there was an arrow pointing ever towards England. His ship also flew the “Consecrated Banner” of Pope Alexander II., whose support of the expedition William had secured.
Plate VIII. A Feast is made. ”

“ These horns were not so universal in France, some forms of goblet being in use even during the 8th and 9th centuries, one such being seen on the right-hand end of the main table, where sit the Bishop and those of higher rank. By the 14th century horns seem to have gone completely out of use.
On this right-hand table is a goodly array of knives, goblets and plates of various sizes; some pieces of the Norman pottery shown here are in the British Museum. ”

“ In the year 1724 an archæologist, M. Launcelot, read a paper before the French Academy on this subject. He had, however, only seen a drawing of a portion of the whole, and was only able to conjecture that the original was a fresco or an embroidery. He was strongly of the opinion that the original was made in the time of the Conqueror or his immediate successors. Better results, however, attended the efforts of Père Montfaucon, a Benedictine of St. Maur, who ran the original to earth after much search. ”

“ This moment proves to be the turning point of the battle; the French fight with renewed vigour (73, 74, 75) , and beat their way up to Harold, who is killed by an arrow (76) (Plate XII.) . The English army is discouraged and flies (77, 78, 79) .{9}
Here the Tapestry ends, and it is not quite clear if it had been intended to pursue the subject further. According to Dr. Ducarel the tapestry, when hung, exactly filled the nave of the Cathedral; so that very likely no more was ever designed.
The borders that run above and below well repay study. ”

“ The Latin inscriptions that are placed over most of the scenes are also stitched in wool, and are about an inch in height. It is noticeable that no attempt has been made to give the objects the colours they have in nature, while a difference of colour is the method employed for such effects as perspective.{3} For instance, we see in the case of the horses the difference of the plane of their right and left legs is often suggested by a difference of colour. ”

“ The third was the Norman method of explaining what happened and is apparently the one accepted by the designer of the Tapestry.
Plate II. Harold’s Oath.
William of Normandy, sword in hand, sits on the left while Harold takes a solemn oath of fealty; each hand rests on an altar, supporting a box of relics. The cloths that cover the altars are of embroidery, though in the Tapestry they look like velvet. ”

“ In this plate again there seems to be a rough attempt at a portrayal of Norman domestic architecture. The Norman{25} nature of the work is suggested in the house being of two storeys, the Saxon dwelling usually being of one. A woman and her child escape from the hall, which occupies the whole of the ground floor, and is of nearly as much importance as it would have been in the Anglo-Saxon period. ”

“ This scene is worked in with real humour; the soldiers are hardly able to restrain their appetite till grace has been said (Plate VIII.) . Immediately afterwards (51) are seen Bishop Odo, the Conqueror and his eldest son, Count Robert, the three most distinguished ornaments of the war, seated together in a tent (Plate IX.) .
In (52) it is ordered that a rampart be thrown up: the camp is shown. A messenger arrives giving news of Harold, and a house is burned (53) . ”

“ The representations of Edward and William, for instance, agree with their likenesses as shown to us on their seals and coins. In accordance with the fashion, Harold and his Saxons are given moustaches, while the Normans go clean-shaven. But while Harold and his men are in Normandy they follow the Norman fashion and also go clean-shaven. Again, the English “packed shield” formation, which so much impressed the Conqueror at Hastings, is shown with great clearness. Indeed, the Tapestry corrects many of the errors of mediæval historians, while Mr. ”

“ On the right there is an English warrior, struck down by the sword of a mounted Norman knight.{27}
Figures Nos. 1 to 4. These four figures form part of the borders under numbers X., XI., XII.; three represent scenes from the ordinary life of the peasantry—ploughing, harrowing, and slinging at birds; the fourth shows the figure of a lion.
These rural scenes are extremely frequent in mediæval illustrated MSS. An illuminated MS. of the 11th century in the British Museum shows a good example of slinging (see “Social England,” Vol. I., p. 316) . ”

“ Within{13} two years he had completed his copy of the Tapestry, which is to be seen reproduced in Vol. VI. of the Vetusta Monumenta. Freeman, in Appendix A., Vol. III. (2nd edition) , devotes a long passage to the subject and states his belief in its being made in England, an opinion which has not been generally shared.{14}
Fig. 3. Harrowing (see p. 27) .
IV.—THE INSCRIPTIONS. THE Latin inscriptions above the embroidery run as follows (an English translation has been added, but no attempt has been made to amend or correct) :—
Fig. ”