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Indoor Toilet Pinpoints King Harold’s 950-Year-Old Timber Palace

Archaeologists believe they may have identified the site of King Harold's palace in Sussex, thanks to its indoor plumbing.


Thu 30 Jan 25

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Archaeologists are confident they have pinpointed King Harold’s palace, all thanks to one unexpected clue—the indoor toilet. Located within the former remains of a wooden building dating back to the late Saxon period, experts said the find provides compelling evidence of a high-status building, “highly likely to be the final palace of the last Anglo-Saxon king of England.”

First unearthed in 2006, the remains of the Bosham, Sussex building had a built-in latrine, a feature reserved for the upper class: “Indoor latrines integrated into timber structures were exclusive to the highest ranks of society,” according to Dr Duncan Wright, a senior lecturer from the University of Newcastle, who spoke to BBC Sussex Radio about the discovery. “Around the 10th century, we start to see Anglo-Saxon en suites appearing in grand residences.”

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The owners of the modern-day house (garden wall, pictured), who have asked to remain anonymous, commissioned the firm West Sussex Archaeology to see what they could dig up in 2006. (Photo Credit: Newcastle University)

“A latrine was the killer clue to find what was, essentially, the palace of King Harold,” Dr Wright said. “These wood-lined pits can be found easily as they are often still green and can smell bad all these centuries later.”

“That is absolutely key in identifying a high-status building,” Dr Wright continued. “We’re as sure as we can be that this is the site of King Harold’s residence. You find latrines in other places, but these built-into grand timber buildings are very much the top end of society.”

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The exact location was unclear, although people in Bosham often suspected that King Harold had lived on an estate in the same area as a private house near a church. (Photo Credit: Holy Trinity Church, Bosham)

Reigning from January 1066 until his death at the Battle of Hastings in October 1066 – in what is considered the decisive battle of the Norman Conquest – Harold’s death marked the end of the Anglo-Saxon rule over England, with his rule succeeded by William the Conqueror – starting the line of succession that continues through to King Charles III today.

In addition, experts are also supremely confident that the Bayeux Tapestry, the 900-year-old artwork that depicts the Norman Conquest, show Harold sailing from Bosham and attending a feast and church, both thought to come from the small coastal town: “The church is almost certainly that of Bosham, and it is still standing today,” Dr Wright said, “so we’ve identified that binary complex that we see on the tapestry. It would have been his principal residence and his dad’s principal seat before him.”

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  • Wood Central

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