Bayeux Tapestry

This huge piece of embroidery, some 70 metres long and 50 cm high, depicts the background to the Norman Conquest, the battle of Hastings and William's subsequent enthronement at Westminster. It was probably commissioned by Odo of Bayeux (William's half-brother) and this explains why it is now in Bayeux in Normandy. There are many uncertainties over its origin, but the evidence suggest that it was designed by a single man and then sewn by a group of nuns at Canterbury. As a record of the times it is remarkable, it even shows Halley's comet which appeared in the skies at the time of the Conquest.

This article is based on material taken from A Traveller's History of England (© Christopher Daniell), published by The Windrush Press, and is by kind permission of its author Christopher Daniell.