Stitching Idyllic

Stitching by Ann Bernard

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Spring Flowers
  • Summer Flowers
  • About Ann

December 5, 2017 by Ann Bernard

The Battle of Stamford Bridge, the second battle of 1066

Stamford Bridge

Having won the Battle of Fulford, the Vikings took some 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 eastern sides of the River Derwent. In this portion of one of fifteen panels, the Viking army is relaxing. The leaders, King Hadrada and Earl Tostig, gave the men permission to leave off their mail shirts which they returned to their ships. The dust storm created by the arrival of the Saxon army is indicated on the upper right.

Meanwhile, in the south of England, Earl Harold Godwinson (King Harold) had his army trained and ready to meet the expected invasion from Normandy. In Normandy, Duke William had spent all summer building boats, making armour, collecting horses and training men for his invasion army but the wind and tides had been unfavourable all summer for such an undertaking. They waited, as did King Harold and his army in England.

King Harold heard about the Viking invasion in Scarborough. The Vikings had a bad 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 216 miles (347 kms) and the roads were not as they are today. It is said that they did this march in four days but, this is so remarkable that I can only think that they started out before the Battle of Fulford on September 20.

Their arrival at Stamford Bridge and their attack on September 25 was unexpected. The Vikings on the western (wrong end) of the narrow, wooden bridge were trapped. The bridge 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 in the manner that was traditional for the time and 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) 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, this photo, taken in July 2017, shows visitors viewing the work-in-progress. The tapestry is stitched on linen 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 have some kits available if you would like to stitch a small piece for yourself or to contact them, go to publicity@stamfordbridgetapestry.org.uk

Enjoy a post from the past

  • The Country Wife Mural 4
    The central area of the Country Wife Mural appears to be inside a Church Hall judging by the shape of …

The final picture is of the longboats returning to Norway. Out of the 300 boats that landed, only 24 were needed to take the survivors home. Two generations of men were in that invasion army. We have also experienced this huge loss of men in more recent times. The Vikings promised to never, ever invade England again. The days of Viking supremacy were over. They stayed home, recovered, and became Norwegians.

The information here may or may not be correct. Brevity is not always the best sieve for historical information. The videos below are recent and were filmed on location and will be more accurate.

Battle of Stamford Bridge Tapestry Project 1066 – 2016

Battle of Stamford Bridge Tapestry Project 1066 – 2016

Baz Battles. Historical informational video

BATTLE OF STAMFORD BRIDGE TAPESTRY PROJECT 1066-2016

Although Stamford Bridge was a great triumph for King Harold and the Saxons, their strength was sadly depleted by the fight. And now they faced an even greater foe as news arrived that Duke William of Normandy had landed in Sussex on September 28. The weary Saxons turned south once more and marched back as quickly as they had come.

Read the third and final episode to hear what really happened at the Battle of Hastings.

ShareTweetGoogle +PinterestPocketMail
❮❮ Previous Post
Next Post ❯ ❯

Comments

  1. Marg Gillies says

    December 5, 2017 at 20:53

    Thanks Anne for forwarding this interesting bit of history – an interesting project too for these women to undertake.

    Reply
    • Ann Bernard says

      December 28, 2017 at 13:41

      Hello Marg,

      Thank you for your comments. The cover for Spring Flowers was a challenge to both design and stitch but I was really pleased at how well it turned out.
      The Battle of Stamford Bridge was a biggy and really did effect the outcome of the Battle of Hastings. I am now posting on the Bayeux Tapestry and it is a fascinating insight into history at a time when there were no cameras to record any of the events.
      Happy New Year wishes, Ann B.

      Reply
  2. Sarah Jackson says

    December 8, 2017 at 02:22

    Your work has sparked an interest in stitching a tapestry of the Battle of Marianna, Florida which occurred during the American Civil War in which my great great grandfather fought.

    How would I achieve such a project? The size, placement of figures? I don’t know the questions to ask. Your advice is needed

    Reply
  3. Ann Bernard says

    December 28, 2017 at 13:32

    Sarah, What a wonderful idea. are you a member of an embroidery group/guild? Do you know oa an artist who would design it for you?
    Get started with a pencil and paper – write down all the facts that you know and place them in sequence. Try drawing something to go with each fact. Do some research into the clothes and armaments that your great great grandfather would have used.
    As you work with your ideas, they will grow to become something that an artist and stitchers can use to create an embroidered tapestry.
    Every best wish on your venture and please keep me posted on your progress.
    Ann B.

    Reply
  4. Heather Cawte says

    February 19, 2018 at 09:07

    Hi, Ann – thank you for featuring our project! I can confirm that all the photos here are of our project, and that more can be seen on our website, http://www.stamfordbridgetapestry.org.uk. We don’t have as much time as we would like to update it, but the photos there give a flavour of our work.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search the web site

stay up to date. Subscribe to our newsletter!

Name

Email


Connect with us socially

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed

Hand Stitch Recognizable Spring Flowers Ebook

Stitching Spring Flowers

Hand Stitch Recognizable Summer Flowers

Stitching Summer Flowers

Recent Posts

  • How to stitch Snowdrops. Quick and Easy!
  • Inspirations, All Stitched Up! from Australia
  • Newsletter Märchenhaftes Sticken – Jessica Grimm
  • Cotton Quartet 1: Preliminaries & First Stitches
  • Hand and Lock. London Craft Week. May 9 -15 2022

Recent Comments

  • Rosemary Norman on How to stitch Snowdrops. Quick and Easy!
  • Ann Bernard on September 20, 1066 The Battle of Fulford Gate
  • Mrs M Moverley on September 20, 1066 The Battle of Fulford Gate
  • Kathleen (Kate) Simeri on Stitches Sampler from The Royal School of Needlework
  • Ann Bernard on The Changi Quilts

Archives

  • February 2023
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • April 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • November 2015
  • June 2015
  • March 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • May 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • November 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012

Categories

  • Royal School Of Needlework
  • Stitching Colleagues
  • Stitching Equipment
  • Stitching History
  • Stitching Materials
  • Stitching Techniques
  • Stitching Tutorials
  • Uncategorized

Tag Cloud

Acid Damage And Mounting Canada 150 Chain Stitch Coral Stitch Couched Thread Crewel Designs Cross Stitch East India Company embroidery Jacobean Period Stitching Mary Corbet Masonite Medici Wool Queen Mary RSN Student Shading In Stitching Stem Stitch stitching Water Damage Stitching Worsted Wool Thread

Pretty Chic Theme By: Pretty Darn Cute Design