Hugo*2 Le Bird

http://ecctechservice.com/Byrds/Bird-Byrd%20Genealogy%20Book.pdf

Generation No. 2

2. HUGO *2 LE BIRD (CARLTON HUGO *1) was born Bet. 1040 - 1050 in Normandy, France, and died in England. He married UNKNOWN.

Notes for HUGO LE BIRD : Military Service: 1066 Fought w/the Conqueror at Hastings Event: Coat of Arms Heraldic Coat of Arms- England

Child of HUGO LE BIRD and UNKNOWN is: . i. HUGO *3 LE BIRD, b. Bet. 1070 - 1080.  

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The Battle of Hastings

A very brief Synopsis

Duke William of Normandy left St.Valery in Normandy with about 600 ships and 10 to 12,000 men Sept 27th in 1066. William and his barons had been recruiting and preparing the invasion of England since early spring of that year. He was a seasoned general and master tactician, using cavalry, archers and infantry and had fought many notable battles. Off Beachy Head, his ship, the Mora, arrived ahead of the fleet.. William waited and ate a hearty breakfast. As his fleet straggled into place behind him they moved eastward to the first sheltered bay to provide protection for his armada. Pevensey and Bulverhythe were the villages on each promontory. Pevensey, to the west, was protected by an old Roman Fort and behind the fort there was much flat acreage to house his large Army. To suggest this landing was not pre-planned, is not in keeping with the preparatory time taken by William, or his track record. There had been much intelligence gathering in the past few months.

The bay, wide enough for maneuverability of this large fleet, was flat shored. William is said to have fallen on the beach, grasped the sand, and declared "This is my country" or words to that effect. Next, the ships were disembarked without resistance. They included 2,500 horses, prefabricated forts, and the materiel and equipment was prepared for any contingency. The ships shuttled in and out of the bay with the precision of a D Day landing.

A Fort was built inside Pevensey Roman Fort as an H.Q, while the army camped behind it. William and FitzOsborn scouted the land He was unhappy with the terrain but it had proved to be a satisfactory landing beach. Taking his army around Pevensey Bay he camped 8 miles to the east, north of what is now known as Hastings all of which was most likely preplanned. He camped to the east outside the friendly territory of the Norman Monks of Fecamp who may have been alerted and were waiting for his probable arrival. William waited. Perhaps he was waiting to know of the outcome of the battle to the north. In those two weeks William could have marched on London and taken it. He was obviously waiting for something?

(Further info at http://www.infokey.com/hon/hastings.htm)