The conversation regarding washing fabrics, marking the design on fabrics both now and historically has led to some ‘THINKING”.  Thinking is not a bad idea, in fact, it is a good habit and can be productive.

Heather Grief tells us there are no indications of design lines on the fabric of the Bayeux Tapestry.  There will be holes in the fabric and damage to the threads caused by the needles and wool, but under that, there are no black, blue, brown lines or any other indication of how the embroiderers knew where to place their stitches.  With its size, detail and complexity, I cannot believe that a large number of people were able to stitch the Tapestry without the input of a gifted artist/ designer and guidelines on the fabric.  My mind and my stitching experience cannot accept this.

Sheila McCoy has entered this debate with an excellent article which you can read for yourself.

https://www.historyextra.com/period/norman/bayeux-tapestry-where-make-how-long-who-when-stitch-penises-visit/

Here are my thoughts on the Bayeux Tapestry for those who are as increasingly perplexed by it as I am.  There has been a lot of research on it over a large number of years.  It is hard to know the truth about something that was stitched so long ago.  It is hard to know the truth about something stitched only a few years ago unless the stitcher has left notes to tell us.

This is what I think!  I am not a historian.  I am a stitcher and I write this blog.

The Bayeux Tapestry was stitched in France.  This was the age of Opus Anglicanen in Saxon England.  Those professional embroiderers were unbelievably skilled. They would have not easily or willingly reverted to the basic embroidery skills used in the Bayeux Tapestry.  Please don’t shout at me about this observation but there is no comparison in the skills required.

It chronicles the defeat and colonization of their country.  Why would the Saxons do that?  William the Conqueror was a cruel and absentee ruler. There were riots and civil unrest. He built prisons and castles instead of Churches. He built the Tower of London.  This speaks of slave labour.  Saxon England had been rural and prosperous.  It fed itself with enough to export.  William took over Saxon owned land and gave it to his Norman followers.   He wiped out the Sazon culture and language in a generation and that takes determination. The Domesday book was an inventory for taxation purposes.

My belief is that he was a horrible and vindictive man.  When he died, no one wanted to bury him.  His body lay around until, finally, it exploded.  Do you really think that good ladies of England or the male professionals would have created the Bayeux Tapestry under these circumstances?  I think that the takeover of Saxon England by the Normans was so traumatic that the English/British grew an extra gene which has been particularly evident in the last century. In both World Wars, the country was determined to not allow a foreign invader onto English/British soil.  Brexit is another example.  Have you read the text of the Lisbon Treaty?  The future for Britain as outlined in this document is appalling.  If you have not read it, you should.  My next posting will be the article I have about the Lisbon Treaty.

The Bayeux Tapestry is a record of the events that led up to the battle, the battle and of victory. A Norman-French victory.  It is not a story of defeat.  Just to add a little background, Edward the Confessor died without an heir.  This created the opportunity for the Vikings and the Normans to try to take over a peaceful and prosperous country ripe for the picking.  The Viking invasion of York sent half of the Saxon army north to fight the Battle of Stamford Bridge which the Saxons won.  This was only a few weeks before the Battle of Hastings.

Returning to marks on fabric.  Is it possible that there was a herbal extract or product that could have been used to mark the design on the fabric for the Bayeux Tapestry?  Something that would have faded over time and not damaged the linen fabric, the wool threads or the natural dyes.  I have no idea if there is, or is not.

If a naturopath or a herbalist should read this, do you have any suggestions on what could have been used to mark the stitching lines on the Bayeux Tapestry?  We would love to hear from you.

Sorry, no pictures!

June 6, 2019 marks the 75 Anniversary of the D – Day landings on the beaches of Normandy.  As we all know, the massive invasion of Allied troops eventually brought a conclusion to the war in Europe.  We owe our lives and our civilization to the sacrifice that so many young men of all nations made during World War ll.  Few of the survivors are still alive.  But we, the following generations, are alive, and we thank all the participants for their courage and the sacrifices they made for us during those years.  We are grateful and honoured to be alive and able to, once again, say thank you to the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and all the support staff, both men and women, that made D-Day a success.

The D-Day Museum in Portsmouth, England and has been renovated. It reopened in early 2018.  There you can see artifacts from the war and videos about the war effort and victory.

You will also see the Overlord Embroidery.  Commissioned by Lord Dulverton, designed by Sarah Lawrence, it was stitched by The Royal School of Needlework in the years after they completed the Hastings Embroidery.  It is large and it is graphic in its perspective and detail.  There are articles on the web which include pictures.

There is also the blog I wrote for Remembrance Day November 11 2017 which includes both pictures and information.

There are three embroideries/tapestries that record the events in England  in 1066.  The first was the Battle of Fulford Gate which was won by the invading Vikings.  The second was the Battle of Stamford Bridge which the Saxons won and which ended the Viking’s career of invading and marauding communities in the northern hemisphere.  These two battles affected the outcome of the Battle of Hastings and changed the course of medieval history.

The Stamford Bridge Tapestry Project is progressing well as you can see..  Sarah Hart took these photos at their display in early September.

To see more photos, go to Facebook Stamford Bridge Tapestry 1066 page.

Sarah’s photos are copyrighted but I do not know how to communicate with her to ask if I may post these two for you.

You can read more about lO66 and this Embroidery/Tapestry in the August 2018 postings on this site.  It was a pivotal year in history.  When I  learned history many years ago nothing was mentioned about these other battles. It always puzzled me why an invading army who had to bring all their men, horses and supplies was able to defeat a determined and hostile Saxon army on their own land. The significance of these other two battles has only been recognized in recent years.  Yes, I am totally aware of the D Day landings but the defenders of France were not French citizens.

History is an intriguing subject.  Events that happened hundreds of years ago affect our lives now.  That is today’s truism!

This is Thanksgiving weekend in Canada.  Our first thanksgiving was in 1578 when Sir Martin Frobisher and his crew arrived back in Newfoundland after surviving a perilous voyage looking for a North West Passage.  In the following centuries, the thanks have been for surviving hardship and wars. It is now a thanksgiving for the harvest and for becoming Canadian.

Best wishes to all readers and thank you for following and reading this blog.

Here is a new video that updates us on the progress made to the Stamford Bridge Tapestry.  I wrote about this project a few months ago.  The video will tell you and show you the embroidery in progress. Here is a repeat of  the historical background.

1066 was a bad year for England.  Very bad in fact.  King Edward the Confessor died in January.  There were three contenders to the throne of England which, at that time, was a prosperous agricultural country.  First, there was Duke William of Normandy to whom King Edward had promised the throne.  Secondly, there was King Hadrada of Norway who was a Viking and was eager to increase his territory.  Thirdly, there was Duke Harold of England who was a statesman for King Edward.  He had no royal blood in him but had run the country for many years.

In Duke Harold’s travels as chronicled in the Bayeux Tapestry, he vowed allegiance to Duke William and said that he would not make a claim to the throne in England.  Well; that was famous last words.  No sooner had King Edward died than Harold did just that.

It was a summer of unrest in England.  Duke William  in Normandy prepared an army and fleet to invade England and claim his throne.  He was ready to invade but had to wait for the tides and winds to be right.

In England, Duke/King Harold also prepared for battle.  They both waited. It also happened to be a very hot summer,

In Norway, King Hadrada of the Vikings took advantage of the weather and tides which happened to be favourable for him.  In early September, he landed on the Yorkshire coast and invaded the city of York and fought the English/Saxon army at the Battle of Fulford Bridge.  The Vikings won. This historical event has been recorded in the Battle of Fulford Bridge Tapestry.

The Norwegian/Viking army withdrew to the area of Stamford Bridge which is east of York. They were resting before proceeding to London to claim the throne for their king.  King Hadrada was abetted in this by one Duke Harold’s brothers.

Duke/King Harold was waiting in Sussex for the Norman invasion.  Upon hearing of the rout at Fulford Bridge, he took some/all of his army and rode north to Yorkshire.  This took him four days – which for the time, transportation available, and road conditions, was an incredible achievement.  The Viking army was taken by surprise.  What followed was the Battle of Stamford Bridge which is now being chronicled in the tapestry. It was a decisive victory for Duke/King Harold.  The Vikings retreated back to Norway and never invaded anywhere again.

The video will show this panel which now completed.

Meanwhile, the Norman army had landed on the coast of Sussex and were  preparing for battle.  This battle, the Battle of Hastings, together with the Norman preparations, are the subject of the Bayeux Tapestry.

Duke William and the Norman army won the the Battle of Hastings. Duke/King Harold and his brothers were killed leaving England without a leader.  Duke William had himself declared King of England and was crowned in the newly built Westminster Abbey.  The English population were not happy about this and only the participating officials were present at his crowning.  There was essential crowd control outside the Abbey.  King William built many fortresses and prisons around England including the Tower of London.

It is possible that, if King Hadrada of Norway had not invaded England and diverted the English/Saxon army north to Yorkshire, that the Normans would not have won the Battle of Hastings and history of the western world would have been different..

Interestingly, King William returned to Normandy and visited England infrequently during his reign.  He had a large number of children whom he married off all over Europe.  It is said that King William’s blood flows in all the royal families of Europe.

Chris Maudsley, videographer, has re-edited and added to the original video.    It is good to see the progress, the stitching up close, how well the colours all blend and contrast and, to hear how much more remains to be done.  It is going to be a fabulous Embroidery that Records History.  I hope that there will be more video updates in the future.

Thank you Heater Cawte for posting the video and giving me permission to share it with you.