Peter Rhodes on ponds, bricks and new thoughts on how King Harold perished at Hastings
Thanks to the comical monologues of Marriott Edgar (1880-1951), we Brits know exactly how the Battle of Hastings ended in 1066: “And after the battle were over / They found 'Arold so stately and grand, / Sitting there with an eye-full of arrow / On his 'orse with his 'awk in his 'and.”
But the urge to tinker with history runs deep. In the latest adaptation of the 1066 tale, King and Conqueror (BBC), Harold's demise is blamed not on the famous arrow but on God's own justice.
The sets for this super Saxon saga are deeply impressive, if confusing. One of the castles appeared to be heated by a big log fire, contained in a huge wooden box. I dare say the average Dark Ages earl did not entirely understand the term “health and safety".
