tanged arrow from Fulford

Weather and light on the day of the battle
 Recording the events of September 1066
yorks releif map
 
Home
Up
Methodology
Previous archeology
Arrows
Soil survey
The Ford
Landscape model
Adjusting dates
Tide predictions
Size of the armies
Weather and light on the day of the battle
Still to do

Maps

Timetables

The Final Report

Finding Fulford cover

The Fulford Tapestry

Experts have their say

Weather and light on the day of the battle

The new Moon would be seen two days after the battle, so there was no moonlight the night before the battle. On a clear night, there is sufficient light from a full moon to walk safely along a track. Moonlight would have helped those making their way to Hastings to meet the southern invasion and I have tested the benefit of moonlight when walking Ermine Street to Waltham Abbey.

The Norse army would have to wait for sunrise at 5:54 before making any move. But in late September, it would not be light enough to safely set out before 7. Any earlier and the warriors would have been stumbling about. The sky lights up slowly by the second half of September. Sunset at this latitude comes at 17:47 and it is completely dark before 19:00 in the evening. These figures dictate the window during which the events related to the battle could have taken place.

Cloud cover would reduce the light levels significantly but the little evidence we have, plus long observation of modern weather patterns, suggests that the sky was clear.

 
Last updated May 2012