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See here for Youtube Introduction -

Harold Godwinson was crowned on 6th January 1066 at Westminster Abbey, his crown having being passed down through the generations, symbolising the Anglo-Saxon dynasty.

After his death on the battlefield at Hastings, the crown disappeared from history.

When William the Conqueror won the Battle of Hastings and seized control of England, he was crowned at Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1066… but not with Harold’s Anglo-Saxon Crown.

So where did it go?

It has long been understood that the crown was buried with the fallen King Harold.

But is there more to the story?

At the start of his reign, William demanded a count of all people and buildings in England to be written down in what became known as the Domesday Book.

The Anglo-Saxon writers who were still loyal to Harold hid secret messages and puzzles amongst the pages.

They spoke of the location of many valuables, hidden from the Normans in sites all across ancient England.

The existence of messages were not known until recently, with the unearthing of a sacred chest at Waltham Abbey - the rumoured final resting place of Harold Godwinson.

We know from the Domesday Book messages that the crown was NOT buried with Harold… and its likely that inside the chest is the final location of the lost crown of England’s fallen king.

If we can solve the remaining mysteries and open the Seven Locks, we will be able to find out the resting place of this incredible piece of history and symbol of the Anglo-Saxon monarchy.

Session Details
Complete activities to find the combinations to the locks to the chest and discover the secret of The Lost Crown

60 - 90 Mins

Suitable for small groups up to whole classes of 30

7-11 Years

Downloadable Resources -
Video Files to set the scene and close the activity

7 Themed Activities for your class to tackle
Tapestry Algebra, Measure the Arrows, Battlemap Places, 1066 Timeline, Arrow Maths, ZigZag Wrodsearch, 1066 Word Scramble

All presented in a Pupil Pack (PDF)

Teacher’s Pack including: -
Introduction
Background and Activity narrative
Context for each activity (PDF)
Answer Sheet (PDF)