The one date in English history that everyone can remember is 1066: the date of the Battle of Hastings, when the conquering Normans vanquished the Anglo-Saxons on 14 October. There is just as much myth surrounding the conflict as known fact. The two armies did not even fight at Hastings, but at the place which became the town of Battle, 6 miles inland. There, on the valley slopes, it is possible to retrace the lines of conflict. In the ruins of the abbey that King William later built to commemorate the battle, you may imagine that you are standing on the very spot where the defeated King Harold fell. The battlefield itself provides an unparalleled chance to absorb the reality of the conquest. It was never a foregone conclusion that William would win. Only days before, Harold had won a famous victory in the north at Stamford Bridge against the King of Norway. William did win, but only after a great struggle.
Today a free interactive audio tour recreates the sounds of the battle, as you stand exactly where the English army stood, watching the Normans advance towards them. With the English occupying the high ground, the Normans were forced to fight uphill. They overcame this disadvantage by fighting both on foot and horseback, while the English dismounted, using swords or their huge two-handed axes. The course of the battle was reversed when the Normans pretended to flee, but then turned back to cut down the English who had broken ranks in pursuit. The final assault by William was preceded by a devastating volley of arrows.

The Bayeux Tapestry depicts an arrow hitting Harold in the eye. He did not die directly from that wound, and some say that he was later cut down by a Norman sword. On Harold’s death his army fled, the Normans in pursuit. In 1070, when William ruthlessly crushed any opposition to his rule, he founded Battle Abbey to atone for the terrible loss of life at the Battle of Hastings.

source: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/days-out/places/ExpandedSearchResults.asp?Id=298