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Year 10
AQA

Pevensey and the Bayeux Tapestry

I can describe how the Bayeux Tapestry shows the Norman landing at Pevensey.

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Year 10
AQA

Pevensey and the Bayeux Tapestry

I can describe how the Bayeux Tapestry shows the Norman landing at Pevensey.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Pevensey is named in the Bayeux Tapestry.
  2. The first Norman motte-and-bailey castle was built at Pevensey.
  3. The Normans were well-prepared for their invasion of England.
  4. After landing at Pevensey, the Normans devastated the towns of Sussex.
  5. Robert, Count of Mortain, was given control of Pevensey Castle and the surrounding land.

Keywords

  • Motte-and-bailey castle - a type of castle built by the Normans, with a high earthen mound (motte) and a courtyard (bailey) protected by a strong timber palisade (fence)

  • Pillaging - robbing a place using violence, especially in wartime

Common misconception

The Bayeux Tapestry was created by Franco-Normans in Bayeux.

The Bayeux Tapestry was commissioned by Odo, the Bishop of Bayeux, for Bayeux Cathedral, but historians are now almost certain that it was created in Canterbury by English seamstresses.


To help you plan your year 10 history lesson on: Pevensey and the Bayeux Tapestry, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Encourage students to think of the Bayeux Tapestry like a cartoon strip telling a story for people who probably could not read. You can print off sections of the tapestry and get them to draw vertical lines through the tapestry to indicate the ending of one scene and the beginning of the next.
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Adult supervision recommended

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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What natural features made Pevensey Castle a difficult site to attack?
Thick forests and high cliffs
Correct answer: Surrounding marshland and natural harbors
A deep river and steep hills
An impenetrable forest and mountains
Q2.
How did William the Conqueror reinforce Pevensey Castle upon his arrival?
By adding a stone tower
Correct answer: By repairing the Roman walls and digging a ditch across the spit
By building a large wooden bridge
By constructing a moat around the castle
Q3.
What role did Pevensey Castle play during the Rebellion of 1088?
It served as a royal residence.
It was the base for an Anglo-Saxon rebellion.
Correct answer: It was used by rebel forces and later besieged by King William II.
It was abandoned and fell into disrepair.
Q4.
Which of the following best describes the reason why William’s half-brother, Robert, was given control over Pevensey Castle?
He was the only noble available at the time.
William wanted to reward his brother with land.
Correct answer: William trusted Robert completely to protect this key frontier region.
Robert had experience in building castles.
Q5.
What effect did the sight of the Norman castle within the Roman fort at Pevensey have on the local Anglo-Saxon population?
It encouraged them to attack.
It led them to ally with the Normans.
Correct answer: It discouraged rebellion due to its intimidating presence.
It made them abandon the area.
Q6.
Pevensey Castle was part of the former earldom of , which had been the domain of the Anglo-Saxon king Harold II.
Correct Answer: Wessex, wessex

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Who commissioned the Bayeux Tapestry?
King Harold II
Correct answer: Bishop Odo of Bayeux
Robert, Count of Mortain
William the Conqueror
Q2.
What was the primary purpose of the Bayeux Tapestry?
To serve as a map of England
To decorate a palace in Normandy
Correct answer: To tell the story of the Norman Conquest from the Norman perspective
To commemorate the coronation of William the Conqueror
Q3.
Which of the following towns is mentioned in the later part of the Bayeux Tapestry?
London
Winchester
Correct answer: Pevensey
York
Q4.
How many transport ships did the Normans build for their invasion of England?
100
250
400
Correct answer: 600
Q5.
The Normans transported approximately specially-trained warhorses across the Channel for the invasion.
Correct Answer: 2500, two thousand five hundred
Q6.
What was the impact of the Norman pillaging on Sussex during the Conquest?
The value of the land increased by 40%.
Correct answer: The value of the land fell by 40%.
The land value remained unchanged.
The land was abandoned by the Normans.

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