A medieval tapestry conveying an 11th-century tale of Norman conquest may have surprising origins, according to a new interpretation of the enigmatic ancient work of art by a University of Bristol historian.
The famous Bayeux Tapestry, a large 11th-century embroidered linen illustration depicting the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, may have been designed for St. Augustine’s Abbey’s refectory, where monks would have read it as they consumed their meals.
Professor Benjamin Pohl revealed his findings in a recent paper published in Historical Research, illuminating how this new interpretation of the work helps modern scholars better understand its original context, revealing how it was intended to fit into the changing power structure of medieval Britain.
The Bayeux Tapestry
The famous Bayeux Tapestry recounts major military and political events that shaped the power structures of medieval Britain. To convey its elaborate story, it stretches for approximately 224 feet, yet is only 20 inches tall. Reading similar to a modern comic book, the tapestry presents individual scenes to tell the tale. In those scenes, the events leading up to the Norman conquest are depicted, concluding with the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and the victory of the Norman King William II, as he removed Harold II from power in Britain.
Although the tapestry was made in Britain, it has been held in France for centuries. Telling the story from a Norman point of view, some scholars believe that William’s half-brother, Bishop Odo of Bayeux, initially commissioned the piece. The tapestry was discovered hanging in the Bayeux Cathedral in Bayeux, Normandy, in 1729. Soon, the tapestry will be displayed at the British Museum, the first time it is known to have been showcased publicly in the UK since its creation.
LongStanding Questions
Historians have long been puzzled over the tapestry. Records of placement, or any mentions of it at all from before the fifteenth century, are nonexistent. The consensus among scholars is that the tapestry was first designed sometime in the 1080s, within about two decades of the events it depicts.
Scholars believe it was most likely created at St. Augustine’s Abbey, when Scolland of Canterbury was the abbot, the first to head the monks following the Norman conquest. Scolland himself was a Norman, previously a member of the Mont Saint-Michel monastery, located on an island one-half nautical mile off the coast of France.
Odo’s role in the affair is unclear, with some believing he initially commissioned the piece, while others dispute this. Odo was connected to William the Conqueror as his half-brother, while also serving politically as Earl of Kent and, while William was away, as Regent of England.
The Bayeux Tapestry’s initial display location is also unknown. Significantly, no record of the tapestry from prior to 1476 survives today, with one possibility being that it was never displayed publicly until around that time. However, Professor Pohl has now offered another possible solution to this curious aspect of the tapestry’s “missing” history.
Reconsidering the Tapestry of Bayeux’s Placement
During a seminar session, Professor Pohl and his students conducted a careful, critical examination of the theories surrounding the Bayeux Tapestry’s creation and initial display, as well as considering alternative ideas that had not been previously proposed.
“The more we talked about this, the more I wondered whether a refectory setting could help explain some of the apparent and puzzling contradictions identified in existing scholarship, Professor Pohl said. “[F]or example, was the Bayeux Tapestry intended for a religious or a secular audience? Did this audience have to be literate in order to engage fully with the artefact and its narrative? Does it tell an English or a Norman story, or both/neither?”
Professor Pohl says that placing the Bayeux Tapestry in St. Augustine’s rectory resolves many of the contradictions and inconsistencies that have long accompanied existing narratives about its origins. He notes that the circumstances around the refectory may be responsible for the lack of records. Around the time the tapestry was created, the refectory was redesigned, perhaps specifically to display the tapestry. However, those changes dragged on until the 1120s, spanning a period of four decades. The Bayeux Tapestry may have been placed in storage for that time and eventually forgotten before resurfacing in Bayeux 300 years later.
“There still is no way to prove conclusively the Bayeux Tapestry’s whereabouts prior to 1476, and perhaps there never will be,” Professor Pohl concludes, though adding that “the evidence presented here makes the monastic refectory of St Augustine’s a serious contender.”
“Just as today, in the Middle Ages mealtimes were always an important occasion for social gathering, collective reflection, hospitality and entertainment, and the celebration of communal identities,” Pohl said.
“In this context, the Bayeux Tapestry would have found a perfect setting.”
The paper, “Chewing Over the Norman Conquest: The Bayeux Tapestry as Monastic Mealtime Reading,” appeared in Historical Research on December 12, 2025.
Ryan Whalen covers science and technology for The Debrief. He holds an MA in History and a Master of Library and Information Science with a certificate in Data Science. He can be contacted at ryan@thedebrief.org, and follow him on Twitter @mdntwvlf.