Hastings (/ˈheɪstɪŋz/ HAY-stingz) is a seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England,24 mi (39 km) east of Lewes and 53 mi (85 km) south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place 8 mi (13 km) to the north-west at Senlac Hill in 1066. It later became one of the medieval Cinque Ports. In the 19th century, it was a popular seaside resort, as the railway allowed tourists and visitors to reach the town. Hastings remains a popular seaside resort and is also a fishing port, with the UK's largest beach-based fishing fleet. The town's estimated population was 91,100 in 2021.
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👉 Hastings in the context of Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William, Duke of Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, beginning the Norman Conquest of England. It took place approximately 7 mi (11 km) northwest of Hastings, close to the present-day town of Battle, East Sussex, and was a decisive Norman victory.
The background to the battle was the death of the childless King Edward the Confessor in January 1066, which set up a succession struggle between several claimants to his throne. Harold was crowned king shortly after Edward's death but faced invasions by William, his own brother Tostig, and the Norwegian king Harald Hardrada (Harold III of Norway). Hardrada and Tostig defeated a hastily gathered army of Englishmen at the Battle of Fulford on 20 September 1066. They were in turn defeated by Harold at the Battle of Stamford Bridge on 25 September. The deaths of Tostig and Hardrada at Stamford Bridge left William as Harold's only serious opponent. While Harold and his forces were recovering, William landed his invasion forces in the south of England at Pevensey on 28 September and established a beachhead for his conquest of the kingdom. Harold was forced to march south swiftly, gathering forces as he went.
In this Dossier
- ⭐ Core Definition: Hastings
- 👉 Hastings in the context of Battle of Hastings
- Hastings in the context of East Sussex
- Hastings in the context of James Burton (property developer)
- Hastings in the context of St Leonards-on-Sea
- Hastings in the context of Battle, East Sussex
- Hastings in the context of Cinque Ports
- Hastings in the context of High Weald AONB
Hastings in the context of East Sussex
East Sussex is a ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement is the city of Brighton and Hove.
The county has an area of 1,792 km (692 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 844,752 in 2024. The largest settlements are located on the coast, and include Brighton and Hove in the south west, Eastbourne in the south, and Hastings in the south east. Away from the coast the county is largely rural, and its major settlements include Crowborough in the north, Halisham in the south-centre, and Lewes in the west. For local government purposes East Sussex comprises a non-metropolitan county, with five districts, and the unitary authority area of Brighton and Hove. East Sussex and West Sussex historically formed a single county, Sussex.
Hastings in the context of James Burton (property developer)
Lieutenant-Colonel James Burton (né James Haliburton; 29 July 1761 – 31 March 1837) was an English property developer. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography identifies him as the most successful property-developer of Regency and of Georgian London, in which he built over 3000 properties in 250 acres.
Burton built most of Bloomsbury (including Bedford Place, Russell Square, Bloomsbury Square, Tavistock Square, and Cartwright Gardens), and St John's Wood, Regent Street, Regent Street St. James, Waterloo Place, St. James's, Swallow Street, Regent's Park (including its Inner Circle villas in addition to Chester Terrace, Cornwall Terrace, Clarence Terrace, and York Terrace). He financed, and his company built,the projects of John Nash at Regent's Park (most of which were designed by his son Decimus Burton) to the extent that the Commissioners of Woods and Forests described him, not John Nash, as 'the architect of Regent's Park'. Burton also developed the town of St Leonards-on-Sea which is now part of Hastings.
Hastings in the context of St Leonards-on-Sea
St Leonards-on-Sea (commonly known as St Leonards) is a town and seaside resort in the borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England. It has been part of the borough since the late 19th century and lies to the west of central Hastings. The original part of the settlement was laid out in the early 19th century as a new town: a place of elegant houses designed for the well-off; it also included a central public garden, a hotel, an archery, assembly rooms and a church. Today's St Leonards has extended well beyond that original design, although the original town still exists within it.
Hastings in the context of Battle, East Sussex
Battle is a town and civil parish in the district of Rother in East Sussex, England. It lies 50 miles (80 km) south-east of London, 27 miles (43 km) east of Brighton and 20 miles (32 km) east of Lewes. Hastings is to the south-east and Bexhill-on-Sea to the south. Battle is in the designated High Weald National Landscape. The parish population was 6,673 according to the 2011 Census and 6,800 in the 2021 census. Battle contains the site of, and is named after, the Battle of Hastings, where William, Duke of Normandy, defeated King Harold II to become William I of England in 1066. For some 250 years after 1066, official documents referred to the town as (Latin) Bellum or (French) Bataille.
Hastings in the context of Cinque Ports
The confederation of Cinque Ports (/sɪŋk pɔːrts/ sink ports) is a historic group of coastal towns in south-east England – predominantly in Kent and Sussex, with one outlier (Brightlingsea) in Essex. The name is Old French, meaning "five harbours", and alludes to the original five members (Hastings, New Romney, Hythe, Dover and Sandwich). At its peak in the Late Middle Ages, the confederation included over 40 members. There is now a total of 14 members: five "head ports", two "ancient towns" and seven "limbs".
The confederation was originally formed for military and trade purposes, but is now entirely ceremonial. The ports lie on the western shore of the English Channel, where the crossing to the European continent is narrowest.
Hastings in the context of High Weald AONB
The High Weald National Landscape is in south-east England. Covering an area of 1,450 square kilometres (560 sq mi), it takes up parts of Kent, Surrey, East Sussex, and West Sussex. It is the fourth largest Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in England and Wales. It has an attractive landscape with a mosaic of small farms and woodlands, historic parks, sunken lanes and ridge-top villages.
The area consists of 99 parishes and a total population of approximately 120,000 persons. The main communities are Royal Tunbridge Wells, Crowborough, Hastings and Haywards Heath.