Battle of Hastings

Battle of Hastings
1066

Bayeux tapestry

When William the Conqueror won the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and took the English Crown, he had many Norman soldiers with strong connections to Jersey

The Bayeux Tapestry was never completed, or a section was lost, and in 2014 a team of embroiderers in Alderney created panels which they believed would be what the original creators would have inded. After initially being displayed in Alderney, they were then sent to join the tapestry in Bayeux

Jerseymen who travel abroad spend a not inconsiderable amount of time explaining to foreigners that they come neither from England, nor the United Kingdom or Great Britain, but from the British Isles.

The distinction is usually lost on their audience, but where the English themselves are concerned, Jerseymen are quick to point out to them that, not only are they in no way English, but they helped conquer the English the last time England was invaded.

Jerseymen, or at least close relatives, serving under their Normandy lords, were present with William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, as depicted in the famous Bayeux Tapestry displayed in the Normandy town of that name.

Just who was and was not at Hastings has been the subject of argument for centuries, but Onfroi, Mauger and Roger de Carteret, the sons of Godefroi de Carteret, are believed to have fought in the battle. It is likely that Onfroi's son Renaud was the first de Carteret to become established in Jersey, and was thus the founder of the dynasty which ruled Jersey for such long periods over the centuries.