Bayeux Castle

Picture Its taken almost 3 days to complete this part of the panel.
I’ve not colored it… I will do that when its appliqued… however, sometimes I fell the need to draw and add the color…. just because I want to see how it looks.

The knight on the dark horse appears to be riding a gelding. Five or possibly six earlier examples of non-stallion mounts appear to be mares (almost exclusively ridden by Englishmen). Although stallions were preferred by the vast majority of milites, yet the poorer sort would settle upon any suitably trained mount that was affordable. The social stigma of riding a lesser beast is something they would have to put up with. And as is the nature of any skilled group, some knights would not excel at horsemanship and would find a more docile mount less of a burden. The choice of a gelding would then be deliberate.

The lead horseman is obviously William because the hem on his mail is the same pattern.

Superimposed on the motte of Bayeux castle are two back to back birds, holding a double-ended scepter in their beaks, signifying the shared fealty of Harold and William, and the impending oath taking which will legally unite their two realms (which in Williams mind, will include the kingdom of England in a united Anglo-Norman empire, with Harold as his right-hand man).

There is no surviving castle, but the site is noted and I need to photograph it when I go back to Bayeux.
However, it probably looked very similar to this re-constructed image.
 They were made of wood and


Picture Picture

One Comment Add yours

  1. To complete this panel in just here days is amazing and I must say that you have an amazing speed of work. I am not speedy in work so I am really admiring your work speed right now and you have done some mesmerizing work.

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