The Battle of Hastings, fought near the seaside town of Sussex, took place 950 years ago on 14 October 1066. The defeat of the Anglo-Saxon king of England, Harold II, by the Norman army under King William irrevocably changed the course of this nation's history.
The anniversary is commemorated in a spectacular Royal Mail Commemorative Sheet. Ten first class English Definitives with dramatic labels and descriptions chart the events leading up to the Battle, the Battle itself and its aftermath using images from the Bayeux Tapestry.
This pair of covers feature images of King Harold II framed by a 22ct gold-blocked design and carry a 950th anniversary Hastings pictorial handstamp. The images, from the Bayeux Tapestry show King Harold's Coronation in January 1066 and his death on the Hastings battlefield just 10 months later. In addition each cover carries a 1966 900th anniversary commemorative tied by a crossed-swords cachet.