1. What is it that draws you to the ‘Anglo-Saxon period’?
King Arthur! Ok, I can see your puzzled expression from here! [laugh]. In 1998 I had finished the third of my Arthurian Trilogy (Shadow of the King) and the publisher – William Heinemann – wanted something else. I toyed with various Arthurian related ideas, but nothing really appealed. Then, one day, I visited Waltham Abbey (a town ‘next door’ to where I lived back then).
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| Waltham Abbey |
I was looking around the actual abbey grounds and realised that the original building had been built by King Harold II – he of 1066 fame. Within a couple of weeks I then found myself on a Towns Women’s Guild coach outing to Hastings and Battle. (My Mum was outings organiser, so I got a free ride). We got to Battle which is a nice little town in East Sussex, and it was raining.
All the ladies made a bee-line for the tea shops and cafes, but I decided to brave the weather and walk round the battlefield. Yes, the town is called ‘Battle’ because of the battle – the 1066 Battle of Hastings, where King Harold was defeated by Duke William of Normandy. (Tip: if you ever want to explore somewhere outdoors on your own – go when it’s raining!) I had the entire battlefield to myself and it was an amazing experience.
I genuinely felt the presence of ghosts. Walking down the hill I had the overwhelming feeling that were I to turn round I’d see the Anglo-Saxon men of the shield wall ranged along the ridge...
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| the ridge, (in front of the abbey building) where the Saxons fought in the Shield Wall |
I didn’t have
the courage to turn round and look (which I regret now!) but I knew, there and then, that my next novel was going
to be the story of the events that led to that fateful day, 14th
October 1066 – written without the Norman propaganda and from the English point
of view. Harold the King (titled I Am The Chosen King USA/Canada) is the
result.
2. Who is the person from
this period that you feel more people should know about or has suffered from an
unfair reputation?
Harold! Another deciding factor for my novel was the annoyance that so many history books – and TV documentaries come to that – start at the Norman Conquest, and/or state how 'wonderful' Duke William was. Well he wasn’t.
He had no right to the English throne, he invaded England and took command by military coup. He tossed out the Anglo-Saxons laws, more-or-less enslaved the English people, took the land and estates from the rightful owners and established his feudal system.
In my opinion William was little more than a usurping, dictatorial, psychopathic terrorist! (I guess you’ve now realised I can’t stand the man!)
Harold died on that battlefield defending his kingdom and his people from foreign invasion. He is a hero and should be remembered, and honoured, as such.
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| King Harold II Waltham Abbey |
3. If you could go back to
that period and ask one question, what would it be?
I would ask “Where is King Harold II buried?”
The answer is controversial: Waltham Abbey or Bosham (West Sussex) where Harold’s family home was situated.
There has never been any evidence beyond one entry in a manuscript, many years after 1066 for Waltham Abbey, but the remains of an unmarked grave and a partial torso were discovered beneath the chancel arch of Bosham church.
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| Bosham Church Does Harold lie beneath the chancel arch? |
Only important people were buried in that particular position... I think this is Harold's resting place. But I would like to know for certain.
Helen for Annie to answer
***
What If?
a collection of alternative short stories
changing the course of the year 1066
includes stories by Helen and Annie
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| Buy the book (now also available in paperback) We hope you have enjoyed stepping back into Anglo-Saxon England with us Thank you for journeying with us! |
Thank you Annie - I loved your posts, and enjoyed the tour.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you, Helen - amazing how we can both have such a love for the period but still find such different things to talk/research/write about. Just goes to show how much there is to love about the Saxon era!
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