On what date did William's invasion force land at Pevensey?

William’s invasion force landed at Pevensey on 28 September 1066. The landing followed weeks of delay while William’s fleet waited for favourable weather and assembled troops from Normandy and elsewhere.

Pevensey, on the Sussex coast, offered a useful entry point because it had a sheltered harbour and the remains of a Roman fort. William’s troops established a beachhead there and began constructing fortifications. The army then moved toward Hastings, where William built another castle and raided the surrounding countryside for supplies.

The landing came only three days after Harold Godwinson defeated Harald Hardrada and Tostig Godwinson at Stamford Bridge in northern England. Harold therefore had to march his surviving forces roughly 240 miles south, gathering troops as he went, to meet the new invasion.

Most modern historians give 28 September as the landing date, though a few medieval sources record 29 September. That minor source discrepancy does not make the stored answer wrong: 28 September is the standard date used in modern accounts and reference works. The landing itself preceded the Battle of Hastings by just over two weeks.