Battle of Northam

The Two Battles of Northam

Background

While William besieged Exeter, Harold Godwinson's sons, Godwin, Edmund, and Magnus, raised an army in Ireland. William then traveled to Winchester for Easter, leaving a large force to defend Exeter.

Harold's sons sailed from Ireland with 52 ships and raided southwest England. Eadnoth the Staller, an Anglo-Saxon landowner with lands in several counties, led the defenders for the King. At the Battle of Bleadon, Eadnoth led a combined Anglo-Norman force but was killed. The brothers retreated to their ships, raided Devon and Cornwall, and returned to Ireland.

Battle

In June of 1069, Godwin and Edmund returned to England with their army and 64 ships, landing at Appledore, north Devon. Magnus did not take part in this second expedition. They raided Northam, targeting an area held by Queen Matilda, William's wife, making it a symbolic target.

Quickly arriving in the area, a Norman army under the command of Brian of Brittany, the King's cousin, who had fought with him at Hastings, and William de Vauville, attacked the Anglo-Saxon army. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle stated:

"After this came Harold's sons from Ireland, at Midsummer, with 64 ships into the mouth of the Taw, and there heedlessly landed; and Earl Brian came against them unawares with no small band and fought against them."

The sizes of the forces are unknown. The Normans, supported by Breton knights, reportedly included William de Vauville, Sheriff of Devon, who likely summoned the fyrd. This gave the Normans a larger force than the Anglo-Saxons and Irish.

The Anglo-Saxons were pushed back to Appledore, where they rejoined their army. However, with the tide out, they could not board their ships or return to Ireland.

Waiting for high tide, the Anglo-Saxons prepared as the Normans arrived, and a second battle soon began between the two sides. For several hours, repeated Norman attacks struck the Anglo-Saxon shield wall. At this battle, unlike at Hastings, the shield wall held firm and never broke. As night fell on Devon, Godwin, Edmund, and their army escaped to sea, thereby ending the conflict.

Aftermath

According to William of Jumièges, the Anglo-Saxons lost 1,700 men. Godwin and Edmund returned to Ireland, where Diarmait, King of Leinster and High King of Ireland, refused further support. The brothers moved to Denmark and faded from history.

The Battle of Northam ended Harold Godwinson's successors' efforts to reclaim the throne. The Norman victory secured southwest England and demonstrated that resistance from Harold's line was futile. Soon, however, trouble would emerge in the north.

Brian of Brittany was rewarded with lands in Cornwall, but later fell out with William.