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BAYEUX TAPESTRY (Continued)

PLATE 6

Part Sixteen


PLATE 6
Boat making

At this stage the fleet is being prepared for the invasion. The first apparent difficulty the Tapestry presents us with is the fact that the ships, as embroidered, appear very small. Four men are actually working upon their construction whilst a fifth appears to be holding one of the ships.

In the same sequence ships drawn to the same scale are shown being tied to the top of a high post. The men are shown with their ankles covered in water, whilst the man nearest the boat is up to his knees. The ships themselves are sitting high in the water with three planks above the water line, whilst the earlier frame shows the same ships with four planks. There are holes along the top edge of the ship, to take oars if necessary. I interpret this sequence to mean that at least some of the ships in question were exactly as drawn, being little larger than large war canoes.

A similar scene is used to show the men felling trees, just prior to this plate. I do not believe it was an accident that the trees are drawn approximately twice the size of the men felling them. This same scale is confirmed by the carpenter working on the planks. In the later section where the main fleet crosses the Channel the smaller ships are shown high in relation to the main subject matter. Each accommodates only four or five men with the crew clearly sitting down.

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