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 He pressed south, with all men whom he had managed to draw to his standard, and, on October 13th, encamped on Senlac Hill, which he fortified with a ditch and a palisade.

In the meanwhile, William's reinforcements miscarried. They, too, were probably to have landed at Pevensey, but they went further to the eastward, disembarked at Romney, and were attacked and routed by the inhabitants.

The Normans spent the night in confession and prayer, and in the morning advanced over the high ground of Telham to the valley at the foot of Senlac. The invaders were in three main divisions. On their right were mercenaries under Roger Montgomery and William FitzOsbern, afterwards Earl of Hereford; on the left were the Poitevins and Bretons, under Alan of Bretagne; and in the centre were the archers and men-at-arms of Normandy, under the duke himself. In each division, archers were in the van, footmen in the centre or main body, and cavalry in the rear.

As for the English, who were behind their palisade, the Huscarls, or Thingamen, regular troops of the king, held the centre, while the wings were formed, inefficiently enough, of raw and ill-armed country levies.

The Norman attack was prefaced at nine o'clock by heavy arrow-fire, under cover of which the infantry presently assaulted, but could make no impression. Indeed, the Norman left broke and fled, and the English right got out of hand, in spite of Harold's orders, and pursued. William personally drove back his fleeing Bretons, who, as soon as they had re-formed, easily routed their pursuers, and forced the remnant of them again within the enclosure. But the English held their own on the hill, though whenever they sallied forth they were repulsed. At length the Norman right scaled the slope on the English left; and, seeing all ready for the final onslaught, William bade his archers fire high, so as to drop their arrows over the palisade upon the heads of the defenders. This greatly annoyed the English, who, in addition, were beginning to feel the effects of their prolonged exertions. At the critical moment Harold, the soul of his army, fell, struck by an arrow in the eye. The Huscarls ranged themselves around their fallen leader, and prepared to sell their lives as dearly as possible; the country levies took to flight; and, as the night gathered, ever smaller grew