Sworn Sword (56 page)
More recently a claim for Harold’s resting place has been put forward by John Pollock in his pamphlet
Harold: Rex
(Penny Royal, 1996) for Bosham, Sussex, the home of the Godwine family, after a stone coffin was uncovered beneath the chancel arch of Holy Trinity Church during repair work in 1954. Inside this coffin were the partial skeletal remains of a man, the condition of which Pollock contends matches the description of the injuries sustained by Harold at Hastings, as related in the
Carmen
and depicted in part on the Bayeux Tapestry. The fact that no contemporary account makes any mention of Bosham is a problem, admittedly, though at the same time it is entirely consistent with the notion that King Guillaume might have wanted to keep the location of Harold’s tomb a secret to prevent it becoming a focus for rebellion. Unfortunately, while Pollock presents a compelling argument, it is difficult to prove for certain. The true fate of Harold’s body, now as in 1069, remains a mystery.
As a final note, the poetry recited by Ælfwold and translated by Eudo in chapter twenty-two is excerpted from an actual Anglo-Saxon text known to scholars as ‘The Wanderer’. Perhaps appropriately, the poem tells the tale of a warrior whose lord and comrades have been killed in battle, and deals with his sorrow and his struggle to find redemption.
Sworn Sword
reaches its climax with King Guillaume’s successful relief of York in March 1069. But as will soon become clear, this is only the beginning of the unrest that the Normans will face, and so Tancred’s fight will continue.
Acknowledgements
WRITING A NOVEL
can at times seem like a solitary affair, but the truth is that I could not have managed without the help and support of a great many people.
I first became fascinated by the period surrounding the Norman Conquest while I was an undergraduate at Cambridge, and my particular thanks go to Dr Elisabeth van Houts of Emmanuel College for helping to nurture that interest, which continues to this day.
For assistance with the various passages of Old English that occur in the novel, I am grateful to Dr Richard Dance of St Catherine’s College, Cambridge, to Olivia Mills and Cherry Muckle.
Thanks also go to Tricia Wastvedt and Dr Colin Edwards, my tutors on the MA programme at Bath Spa University. Early readers Beverly Stark, Gordon Egginton, Liz Pile, Jules Stanbridge, Michelle Burton and Manda Rigby all gave feedback on the novel at various stages in its development. Their observations and detailed advice proved invaluable as I worked to hone the manuscript, and I am indebted to them.
I would also like to take the opportunity to thank my editor, Rosie de Courcy, together with Nicola Taplin and everyone else at Preface, and my copy-editor, Richenda Todd, all of whom have been instrumental in bringing this novel to publication.
Finally, and most especially, heartfelt thanks to my family and to Laura, without whose support and belief this novel would not have been possible.
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Published by Preface Publishing 2011
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Copyright © James Aitcheson 2011
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