Some Norman ships blown off course reached Romney before the main invasion force fought at Hastings.
William, Duke of Normandy, crossed the English Channel in September 1066 with a large invasion fleet. The main force landed at Pevensey on 28 September, but several ships were separated from the fleet by wind and arrived at Romney, on the Sussex coast.
The local fyrd—an English levy raised for military service—attacked the Norman troops there. This clash was a small episode rather than the decisive battle of the invasion. William soon established a fortified base in the area, built a castle at Hastings, and began raiding nearby territory while waiting for King Harold Godwinson.
Romney is often confused with Dover or Pevensey. Dover was another important Channel port, while Pevensey was the principal Norman landing site. Rye was also a nearby medieval port, but it was not the place named in this account of the off-course ships.