Anglo Danish Houscarls
1066

The 'Huscarls' or Housecarls were the elite of the Saxon army.

Professional heavy infantry kept and maintained by their individual lords and sworn to fight and if necessary die for them. It was men such as this who lined Senlac hill to face William's Normans on that October day in 1066. These men were close combat warriors, fighting with spear, sword and the great Anglo-Danish Axe.

His equipment actually differs very little from his Norman adversary and is well illustrated in the marvellous Bayeux tapestry. He wears a conical ' spangenhelm' helmet with a nasal to protect the face. Some were made, as shown here, of a riveted framework filled with plates of iron, horn, or even hardened leather, whilst others were hammered from one piece of metal. His body is protected by a knee length ' byrnie '

or mail shirt, split to the crotch to facilitate movement and riding, since these men generally rode to battle , but fought on foot in the 'Shield wall '. He is armed with a sword and ' winged' spear based on a surviving Saxon spearhead. The Bayeux tapestry shows men such as this fighting and dying around their fallen King in the last stand of Saxon England