4 little-known facts about the Bayeux Tapestry
The Bayeux Tapestry tells the tale of the Norman conquest. What else do you know about this ancient artwork now set to go on display at the British Museum?
Image: stock.adobe.com
The year 1066 is etched in public minds as one of British history’s most important. It’s when William, Duke of Normandy landed in England and toppled the reigning monarch, Harold Godwinson. For this impressive feat, the new king became known as ‘William the Conqueror’.
The dramatic, tumultuous sequence of events culminating in the Norman conquest is depicted on the iconic artwork known as the Bayeux Tapestry. Housed in France for hundreds of years, it’s now temporarily returning to English soil for a blockbuster exhibition at the British Museum in 2026.
You probably know that the Bayeux Tapestry portrays action-packed scenes from the Battle of Hastings. However, there’s much more to this embroidery (no, that’s not a mischosen word – more on that in a moment) than what initially meets the eye…
1. It’s not actually a tapestry…or is it?
Many scholars will tell you that the name ‘Bayeux Tapestry’ is something of a misnomer. By the strictest definition of the word, it’s not actually a tapestry. The word ‘tapestry’ traditionally refers to textile art handwoven on a loom. The Bayeux Tapestry instead comprises colourful strands of wool sewn into a linen canvas.
So, you could say that the Bayeux Tapestry is embroidery rather than a tapestry. Nonetheless, dictionaries do have broader definitions of the word ‘tapestry’. For example, the Collins dictionary defines a tapestry as ‘a large piece of heavy cloth with a picture sewn on it using coloured threads’.
So, there you go – the Bayeux Tapestry kind of is a tapestry and kind of isn’t. Still, at least the ‘Bayeux’ part of the name isn’t controversial, right? Surely this little corner of northwest France must be where the tapestry was made, since it’s commemorating a French victory over the English? Well, actually…
2. The Bayeux Tapestry was likely made in Canterbury
For hundreds of years, the Bayeux Tapestry has been kept in the French commune it is named after. That’s why it’s such a big deal it’s now coming back to England, where it will be on display from September 2026 to July 2027.
So, wouldn’t it be reasonable to assume that it was made in Bayeux, too? After all, though not all its travels over the centuries can be accounted for, it was rediscovered in Bayeux Cathedral in the 18th century. As William’s half-brother Bishop Odo built this cathedral, he is thought to have also commissioned the tapestry.
However, early in William’s reign, Odo shifted his power base to Kent. The city of Canterbury, at this time, was a thriving hub of needlework. The Bayeux Tapestry also features similar design motifs to other embroidery works from Norman-era Kent. Add two and two together, and Canterbury emerges as the Bayeux Tapestry’s most likely ‘birthplace’.
3. Halley’s Comet features on the tapestry
Harold was crowned as king on 6th January 1066. Within months, his subjects saw an ominous sign in the sky – Halley’s Comet. In these superstitious times, the sight of a comet was thought to be a portent of doom.
So, it’s only fitting that the comet itself appears on the tapestry. In one panel, several Englishmen are seen looking up in horror. It’s clear what they are thinking. Is this celestial spectacle a warning of trouble ahead for Harold’s reign?
Sure enough, later panels in the tapestry show the humiliating defeat of Harold’s army at the Battle of Hastings on 14th October 1066. Curiously, though, the narrative stops somewhat abruptly, with Harold’s men deserting the field.
This has invited speculation that the tapestry, despite measuring almost 70 metres long and 50 centimetres tall, is incomplete. One theory is that a further, final scene was intended to depict William’s triumphant coronation as English king.
4. The tapestry nearly left France decades ago
After months of meticulous preparation, the Bayeux Tapestry arrived in the UK in July 2026. However, the tapestry’s ’homecoming’ could have happened decades earlier. The Nazis could even have got their hands on it.
The French rejected the UK government’s attempt to borrow the Bayeux Tapestry to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953. Less than a decade earlier, when France was under Nazi occupation, the Germans wanted to transfer the tapestry to Berlin. In the event, they didn’t get the chance before the French turfed them out of the Louvre Museum, the tapestry’s home at the time.
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