In the footsteps of King Harold
Bosham
West Sussex
Bosham is between Portsmouth and Chichester. From the north, take the A3(M) to exit 5, then go east on the A27(M). From the east or west, follow the A27(M) or M27 respectively. Then take the A259 coast road and follow the signposts. Map reference: SU 803039.
Bosham – pronounced 'Bozz'm' – is located on a creek leading off Chichester harbour and is the most westerly town in Sussex. Now a yachting centre, it is said to have been where Cnut (Canute) demonstrated that even he, king of England, Norway and Denmark, did not have the power to order the sea to turn back.
The church of the Holy Trinity was originally Anglo-Saxon and still shows traces of pre-Norman work – including a chancel arch, which is depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry – that King Harold would have been familiar with.
Two tombs in the church gained a certain notoriety over the years. One allegedly contained the body of one of Cnut's daughters, and the other reputedly held the remains of Herbert of Bosham, secretary to Thomas Becket and witness to the archbishop's murder. Both are now thought to be tombs of less interesting people.
However, when heating was being installed in the church in the 1950s, another tomb was discovered next to the one supposedly containing Cnut's daughter. Those who opened it had a shock: not only was the head missing, but the right leg and two-thirds of the left had also disappeared. According to the Bayeux Tapestry and an account by the bishop of Amiens, which he made a year after the Battle of Hastings, Harold suffered these terrible injuries before and after his death. As a result, some believe that the remains in this tomb are Harold's.
This makes sense. William of Poitiers stated that Harold had been buried by the seashore, and the sea is only a short distance from this church. In addition, Bosham became William the Conqueror's personal estate following the battle. Where better to bury his opponent to ensure that the grave did not become the focus of political discontent and of a martyr cult?
About Bosham: Historical and modern articles
www.bosham.org/bosham-magazine/
This section of the Bosham online magazine has a section entitled 'King Harold buried at Bosham?', which includes the 2003 judgement of the chancellor of the diocese of Chichester, refusing the exhumation of the body that might be Harold's.
Holy Trinity Church, Bosham
www.boshamvillage.co.uk/Visitors/holytrinith.htm
Another informative article from the Bosham village website.
