Stitching Idyllic

Stitching by Ann Bernard

Archives for February 2018

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Saturday, October 14, 1066 The Battle of Hastings.

Saturday, October 14, 1066 was another beautiful day after a summer of excellent weather. Better to have a battle on a dry day rather than when it is raining!! The armies were well matched in numbers, around 8000 men each. The Saxon army formed up on the top edge of a hill leaving the Normans the lower ground and having to fight uphill. This sounds like a good strategy to me as I am routing for the Saxons but then, I am English, or rather a Canadian, in this lifetime. The battle started around 9 am and lasted all day. Breaks to eat were taken.

The Saxons formed a shield wall using their left arms which was the accepted procedure in those days. It was a very strong defense and hard for an enemy to break. It would appear fro
m the above picture that they threw spears and wielded battle axes with their right arms.

The Normans had horses. 174 horses are portrayed in the tapestry. Their army was well mounted, well armed and protected by coats of mail. They were also rested as they had been camped for two weeks whereas the Saxon army had walked all the way up to York and back and had fought the Battle of Stamford Bridge.

Riding up the hill towards the Saxon army, they must have been a formidable sight. As was the custom, the leader rode in the front of his army. The fighting was furious but the Saxon shield wall held firm. That is, until; the Normans staged a retreat and the Saxons, against orders, broke their wall and ran down the hill after them. With the wall broken, the Normans came round the ends and through the line.

From then on, it was a matter of individual battles. It was carnage of both men and horses. The horses had no protective armaments. Notice the fallen men in the lower border.

In this scene, Duke William riding a beige horse, and Bishop Odo, riding the blue horse are leading and encouraging the Norman army. Notice the archers in the lower border.

The armies are well matched and the bludgeoning and bloodshed went on hour after hour. A rumor circulated that King Harold had been killed. To show that he was still alive, he lifted the visor of his helmet and an arrow went into his eye. The battle was over.

The Saxons retreated. The Norman army was victorious. Thus ended 600 years of Saxon rule in England. The Bayeux Tapestry ends at this point.

There are plans to bring the Bayeux Tapestry to London where it will be displayed, possibly in the British Museum. This will not happen before 2020. But; if you happen to be in Paris, there are Day Trips to the city of Bayeux and you can see the tapestry in its own gallery. Bayeux is close to the invasion beaches of Normandy. A two day trip from Paris will include both.

Both Brittany and Normandy are very interesting areas of France to visit. Enjoy.

The Bayeux Tapestry – Seven Ages of Britain. Watch it on BBC One !

It is under 5 minutes in length and is an excellent tour of the whole Bayeux Tapestry in it ‘s gallery in France. You will recognize parts and see a broader view of this historic event

Hot news today Feb 06, 2018, from the city of York.
Fulford Tapestry off to Bayeux in France. Mike Laycock Chief reporter – The York Press

A TAPESTRY depicting the 1066 Battle of Fulford is to go on temporary display in France, near the home of the famous Bayeux Tapestry.

But before it crosses the channel, York residents and visitors will get a chance to see it when it is displayed for two days in Barclays Bank on Parliament Street during bank opening hours on Friday and Saturday, February 16 and 17, during the annual Jorvik Viking Festival.

But archaeologist Chas Jones, who designed the Bayeux-style work about the Fulford battle, has already made arrangements with the French authorities for it to go on tour in Normandy next month.

He said it was set to go on public display in Saint-Valery-sur-Somme (which is where Duke William built his armada) from March 13 to 20, before being shown to conservators in Bayeux itself and then to academics at the University of Caen.

Enjoy a post from the past

The 5.6 metre long tapestry, which has already been shown to MPs at Westminster, took a team of York embroiderers about seven years to complete.

It tells pictorially the story of the Norse invasion of 1066, from King Harald Hardrada’s landing at Scarborough, where cottages were burnt, to their traveling down the coast to Holderness and then sailing up the Ouse before landing at Riccall.

The tapestry then recounts their victory at Fulford, followed by their entry into the city of York.

The Fulford battle was followed by another at Stamford Bridge and then the crucial Norman victory at Hastings, which changed the course of British history.

The plans to take the tapestry to France were welcomed by two women who were involved in the lengthy project to embroider it, which involved complicated stitches such as ‘laid work’ as well as cross stitch and stem stitch.

Mary Ann Dearlove said: “I think it’s wonderful,” while Dorrie Worrall, who lives in Fulford, said she was pleased by the news but said it was more important in the longer term for it to be put on permanent display somewhere in York. With Chas Jones.

Tomorrow: The sequel to the Battle of Hastings including some thoughts and questions on the artist/artists who designed it.

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The Sequel to the Battle of Hastings.

King William’s victory was not welcomed by the Saxon population but it would be have been surprising if it had been.  The next months were stormy and he was crowned king on Christmas Day, 1066 in a deliberately empty Westminster Abbey.  England was a country of separate areas and each one had its own Saxon government.  There were rebellions and after each one, King William confiscated land and gave it to his Norman supporters.  By the end of his 20 year reign, the countryside was owned and governed by Normans.  He introduced some very sensible laws.

Curious?  Look them up on Wikipedia.

He also built multiple castles and fortresses including the Tower of London.  Civilian building included St Albans Abbey and Winchester Cathedral.

King William moved back to Normandy. He was illiterate but made an attempt to learn Olde Englyshe.  He was too busy and he gave up.  He had 8 children who he married off all over Europe.  It is said that every European royal family is descended from King William.

If the Saxons had won the Battle of Hasting, King Harold would have been a HERO big time.  The Saxon nation seems to have been more peaceful than either the Vikings or the Normans.  It was also isolated and backward compared with the Normandy.  The Normans modernized it.

There were several factors that contributed to the Saxon defeat.  They were battle weary after Stamford Bridge.  Both the Viking and Saxon armies were largely foot soldiers.  The Saxons lost highly trained fighting men and there were injuries. Reading today tells me that the Saxons had horses which they rode to battle: but, they fought on foot.

Then, they had another major battle to fight and its location was long way from  Stamford Bridge.  The Norman army was rested, mounted on horseback, were well drilled and disciplined.  An example of superior technology winning the war.  King Harold made some strategical errors including having both his surviving brothers involved in the battle.  When all three were killed it left a leadership vacuum.

Consequences of William the Conqueror’s Victory at the Battle of Hastings.
http://michaeltfassbender.com/nonfiction/other

The Animated Bayeux Tapestry

King William ordered a survey of the assets of England in 1086 primarily as a basis for taxation. The results were compiled into the Domesday Book. About the same time, Bishop Odo commissioned the Bayeux Tapestry.  This was to make sure that the Saxon population really did know who won the war.

Many scholars have studied the Bayeux Tapestry and many books written on the subject.  My reference was by Eric Maclagan C.B.E. and published in 1943.  I have owned this small book since I was a student at RSN.  As I looked at photos on the web, I have marveled at the artistic rendering of so many men, horses and scenes from everyday life.  The design is amazing in that there is an understandable order in each scene and a continuity between one scene and the next.

It all makes sense.  What does not make sense is a discrepancy between the design and drawing between the prequel scenes and the actual battle.  They all have a a life and energy to them but nothing prepares for the confusion and mayhem of the battle scenes.  The soldiers are larger than life and graphic in death.  Did the same artist draw the final scenes?  Whoever the artist was, he/she was as conversant with battle action as with everyday life.

I am going to raise a question that I have not seen anywhere in my reading.  The Tapestry definitely had an artist/designer.  The logical and graphic sequencing of events could not have been randomly stitched. But, there appears, to me, to be a different eye and hand portraying the battle scenes.

Go back and look at it again.  The battle scenes are graphic, chaotic and bloody.  Could one artist have portrayed the daily life and adventures of the 11th century and then changed his/her style for the battle?  One noticeable difference is that the faces in the early scenes are squarish or round and the bodies are normally proportioned. In the battle scenes, they are elongated and individual facial differences are less obvious.  Yes, I know that a man standing in the stirrups of his horse is tall.  The change in style seems to happen after the Normans army leaves its camp and continues on to the end of the Tapestry. (scenes 60 – 79).

Were there two artists?  Did the second artist quit or was he no longer available for some reason?

Enjoy a post from the past

Go online and look at Bayeux Tapestry Images. I could not find a specific picture to include here.

The quality of the stitching is remarkable.  The stitchers retained the energy of the action which is palpable almost 1000 years later.  The main characters are recognizable and facial features are distinctive. Horses, often in a mass, are individually distinctive and that takes some doing.

If it really was Queen Mathilda and her ladies who stitched the Bayeux Tapestry, they did a wonderful job.  Embroidery was a profession in those days and if the best of their best stitched the Tapestry, I am dazzled by their prowess.

The stitchers would seem to have continued their work until they ran out of a design,

What do you think about the artist/s and design?

I do not know, but, I am wondering.

Tomorrow:  The Hastings Embroideries. Unlike the Bayeux Tapestry which everyone has heard of, I bet you are unaware of these.

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The Bayeux Story continues

The wind direction changed allowing the Norman armada to sail.  On September 29, 1066, Duke William with his army, equipment and a multitude of horses landed in Pevensey Bay on the south coast of England and then moved east to the area of Hastings where they set up camp. They built defenses plus a castle and burned the buildings of local residents. Here is shown a woman leaving her burning house with her son. She is one of only three women depicted in the tapestry

The Norman army settles in. Food is prepared and Duke William has a feast. Bishop Odo, William’s half brother, is seated third from the right and is saying grace. He was also present at the Battle of Hastings. His religious vows prevented him from shedding blood so he was armed with a mace which is a good bludgeoning weapon. It was he who, about 20 years later, commissioned the creation of the Bayeux Tapestry.  As general literacy was not then established, the story in pictures is thought? to have been commissioned to educate and justify Dukes William’s actions to the Saxon population of England.  They were not happy with his succession to the throne and there was civil unrest for 10 years or longer subsequent to 1066.

Note the features of the two men setting fire to the house in the first picture.  Take a look at the faces of the Normans at their feast. Bishop Odo is recognizable each time he appears in the narrative.  I am not sure which one is Duke William.  Possibly, he is the one on the right hand side of the picture with his arm raised.

Enjoy a post from the past

A little out of context but look closely at this rendition of King Edward in the picture below.  Note the details such as his beard and hands. Look at his crown and his clothing. He is recognizable as the same person each time he appears in the narrative. Faces are difficult to stitch as anyone who has tried will know. Not only is King Edward recognizable but he also has a personality.

Amazing design and amazing stitching.  The Bayeux Tapestry has been repaired over the years as the threads have disintegrated over time. Even though it is now housed in a climate controlled gallery, the fabric is very fragile.  I have read that its length was designed fit all round the entire inside of Bayeux Cathedral.  There is an empty space at the end which gives an idea of the length of the uncompleted portion.

I have read extensively about the Bayeux Tapestry and related history.  Every source says something different.  I have aimed for accuracy but it is hard to know what ‘accurate’ is.

Tomorrow:  October 14,  Battle Day.

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The Battle of Stamford Bridge

Having won the Battle of Fulford Gate, the Vikings took time off. They did not burn the City of York as they had Scarborough but, as victors, they collected tribute in the form of goods and hostages. For late September, the weather was unseasonably hot. The Vikings made camp on the western and the eastern sides of the River Derwent.

In this portion of one of fifteen panels, the Viking army is relaxing.

They are fishing, talking and sleeping.  King Hadrada gave them permission to leave off their chain mail protection because of the heat.

Meanwhile, in southern England Earl Harold Godwinson (King Harold) had his army trained and ready to meet the expected invasion from Normandy. In Normandy, Duke William had his invasion army ready but the wind and tides had been unfavourable all summer. They waited, as did King Harold and his army in England.

King Harold heard about the Viking invasion in Scarborough. The Vikings had a poor reputation which made them unacceptable immigrants. King Harold gathered some/all of his army and marched them north to York. The distance between London and York is 215 miles (350 kms) which is about the distance between here, Guelph, and Ottawa. The roads were not as they are today. It is said that they did this march in four days but, this is so remarkable as to be unbelievable, that I can only think that they started out before the Battle of Fulford on September 20.  This is surmise on my part.

Their arrival at Stamford Bridge and their attack on September 25 was unexpected. In the first panel, their arrival is indicated by the dust storm you can see in the upper right section of the first picture.   The Vikings on the western (left, wrong end) of the narrow, wooden bridge were trapped.

The bridge (same bridge as above), was a bottle neck being defended by one elite Viking warrior known as a berserker. A berserker wore a bear fur collar (baer sarkr or bear shirt). They were fed psychedelic mushrooms before a battle, and killed anyone in front of them until they were killed, or ran out of enemies – hence our modern word berserk! (Thank you, Heather Cawte for this information). The beserker was finally felled by a Saxon who floated down the river and speared him from below. These figures are not yet completely stitched.

After that, the armies formed up on the east side of the river in the manner that was traditional for the time. A bloody battle was fought with huge losses on both sides. Both King Hadrada and Earl Tostig died. The section of the army left guarding the boats, led by King Hadrada’s son-in-law (who was also killed later in the battle), arrived in haste but the victory went to the Saxon army.

I was unable to locate a stitching that I was sure was of the battle. Instead, the photo below, taken in July 2017, shows visitors viewing the work-in-progress.

The lower photo also shows stitching in progress. Note the positions of the panel and the stitchers.  They are working upside down which is necessary on an embroidery of this width.

The tapestry is stitched on linen twill fabric, a cotton backing and uses Appletons wool threads. The design is placed on the cotton backing, marked through the front linen with running stitch. It is then outlined with stem stitching and filled with Bayeux stitch. Chris Rock designed the tapestry, the volunteer stitchers are under the leadership of Shirley Smith. They are raising money for the cost of the fabric and threads by preparing and selling kits.

If you would like to stitch a small piece of the Stamford Bridge Battle for yourself or be a stitching volunteer go to [email protected]

These final stacked pictures are of the longboats returning to Norway and of meal preparation. Out of the 300/240 longboats that landed, only 24 were needed to take the survivors home. Two generations of men were in that invasion army.  While researching I read that the Viking women fought alongside the men so their loss was enormous too.  One of their leaders was allowed to return home with the survivors.  This was a young boy who was possibly the grandson (supposition on my part) of King Hadrada.  The Vikings promised to never, ever invade England again.

The days of Viking supremacy were over. They stayed home, recovered, and became Norwegians.

The latest news is that a book will be written about the design and stitching of this tapestry –

Enjoy a post from the past

  • THE MAGNA CARTA PANELS
    The Magna Carta Embroidery Panels were commissioned by Runnymede Borough Council and designed and created by Rhoda Nevins, a member …

Tapestry Project Brought to Book (search this phrase for more information). Published by Laura Mary on Facebook.

Battle of Stamford Bridge Tapestry Project 1066 – 2016 Interesting videos.

Hippytstitch: Battle of Stamford Bridge Tapestry for more pictures and information.

Apologies for the long spaces –  am still trying to figure out how to do this.

Tomorrow: The Bayeux story continues.

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September 20, 1066 The Battle of Fulford Gate

The Fulford Gate Tapestry

King Hadrada (Harald) was a Viking and a fierce and experienced warrior. The Vikings had a long history of marauding, pillaging and plundering. In 1066 they were well equipped with about 7000 men and 300 longships. In mid September, they landed on the eastern shores of England near Scarborough, which they burned, and then moved on to the city of York. Earl Tostig, (King) Harold Godwinson’s estranged brother, joined the Viking forces bringing more men. Tostig hoped to claim Northumbria as his own domain. Their combined forces were around 10,000 fighting men though the number varies depending on the source. The Saxon army was about half the size.

The weather that summer was hot and dry and lasted through September and into October.   What ensued on September 20 was the first battle of 1066, the Battle of Fulford Gate, which was won by the Vikings. It was a fierce encounter with heavy losses on both sides. There was a marsh on one side of the battle field and a river with an embankment on the other. A lot of men were lost in the marsh. King Hadrada is the lone figure on the right side (below) with his sword above his head. Their prize was the City of York which the Vikings agreed not to pillage or burn. The local Saxons also agreed to join the Vikings on their trek south to London where King Hadrada planned to claim the throne of England.

In the panel below, King Hadrada, with blond hair and beard, followed by Tostig, is shown entering the city of York.  Note the shape of Tostig’s head and his features.  He is obviously the brother of King Harold.

The names of the protagonists is confusing.  King Harald was the Viking leader whereas King Harold was the Saxon leader.

The embroidery, like the Bayeux Tapestry, is a continuous strip of linen fabric about 18 feet long. The upper and lower friezes contain scenes from everyday life and battle casualties. It was designed by Charles Jones. Embroiderers from the area of Fulford Gates and York dyed their wool threads using traditional methods. The continuous strip is divided into six sections for photography of which three are included here.

Enjoy a post from the past

The Fulford Tapestry was completed about seven years ago but I do not know where it is stored or is on display. I have read as much as I can find about the Battle of Fulford Gate and have condensed it to a few sentences which may, or may not, give you an accurate picture.

The final photo is of the ladies who stitched on the Fulford Gate Tapestry. This is the first of the contemporary embroideries that add to our understanding of the eventful year of 1066 and fleshes out the story told in the Bayeux Tapestry.

Congratulations ladies.  It is a job well done.  I would love to meet you  but age and an ocean are in the way.

For more information on the battle and the tapestry, connect with these links.

http://www.britainexpress.com/History/battles/Fulford.htm

http://www.fulfordtapestry.info

Hippystitch: The Fulford Tapestry

The creation of the Fulford Tapestry – Images

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1066. During the Spring and Summer Duke William of Normandy prepares his Armada.

1066. During the Spring and Summer Duke William of Normandy prepares his Armada.

Duke William of Normandy has been betrayed by Harold and considers himself to be the rightful King of England. He prepares an armada of ships to carry the men, horses and the armaments he will need to defeat King Harold.

Trees were felled and boats built.

Armour and spears were made. Provisions were collected and loaded on to the boats.

Horses were acquired and loaded onto boats.

The wind and tides were against the armada sailing for England. William and his army waited in France while Harold and his army waited for them in southern England. The English army became bored and restless and some went home for the harvest. The wind and tides, however, had been helpful to the Vikings who attacked in north east England leading to the battles of Fulford Gate and Stamford Bridge.

The tapestry is really an embroidery. It is stitched on linen fabric using seven dominantly coloured wool threads. The stitches used are stem stitch, Bayeux stitch, (which is a form of laid work), and satin stitch. Notice the style of the design. The artist was gifted at showing detail and realism and in connecting the various scenes into a continuous flow. There is also a lot of energy and action in each scene which does not get lost during the process of stitching.

Enjoy a post from the past

It is 230 (or 270) feet long and 20 inches wide,  The borders, top and bottom, are each 3 inches wide.  They show birds, animals and incidents from Aesop’s fables.  In the battle scenes, they show archers in action, fallen soldiers and horses. There are 8 lengths of fabric stitched together to achieve the total length of 230/270 feet. There are 50/74 different scenes depicted.  You will observe that the information is variable according to source. It is all of interest to historians who see it as a revealing glimpse of life in the era before the Middle Ages.

Yes, it is all very interesting but you have to know what you are looking at to appreciate the details.

Kits are available from various resources if you would like to create a replica of a section of the Bayeux Tapestry.

Tomorrow: September 20, 1066. The Battle of Fulford Gate.