The Norman Conquest of England

This video shows how evidence of the Norman Conquest can be found all around us in our landscape, our buildings and our language.

To mark the spot where King Harold fell in the Battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror built a monastery on the site where Battle Abbey now stands. The Normans worked hard to protect their conquest, building a vast number of motte and bailey castles like Berkhamsted Castle in Hertfordshire. Many other Norman castles survive today. One of the greatest is Rochester Castle in Kent, built overlooking the River Medway to defend vital supply route to Dover and France. We see Rochester Cathedral, a fine example of the distinctive Norman style of architecture, with features to look for such as beautiful decorative carvings.

Even today, Norman doorways can be found on many village churches. The landscape also holds many clues to the Norman conquest. Ditches and earth banks on the edge of a village may be the remains of small motte and bailey castles. Ridges and furrows are the remains of the Norman open fields. Royal forests such as the New Forest were created as private hunting land. Finally we see how the Norman Conquest was recorded in the Domesday Book, a great property survey of the kingdom.