William of Poitiers

Along with Orderic Vitalis and William of Malmesbury, William of Poitiers also wrote accounts of the Battle of Hastings.

The "Order of the Norman Conquest" website lists companions of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings. They list 2 medieval historians and the Bayeux tapestry.

William of Poitiers

Robert de Beaumont (+)
Eustace of Boulogne (+)
William of Evreux
Geoffrey of Mortagne (+)
William FitzOsbern (+)
Aimery of Thouars (+)
Hugh de Montfort (+)
Walter Giffard (+)
Ralph de Toeni (+)
Hugh de Grandmesnil (+)
William de Warenne (+)
William Malet (+)
Geoffrey de Mowbray

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The (+) is supposed to indicate (on the Wikipedia page on Poitiers) that there is a documented connection to the battle. However, this means that there is a Wikipedia page for them that mentions a connection!

Additional names are added as they feature on the Bayeux Tapestry. Again, this is largley due to the fact that various Medieval Historians mentioned the names in their reports of the Battle of Hastings. Whether the knights they refer are actually depicted in the embroidery is a matter of speculation.

Bayeux Tapestry

Eudes (Odo) of Bayeux (+)
Robert of Mortain (+)
Wadard - scene 39?
Vital

Orderic Vitalis also has accounts of the Battle of Hastings and the actual events as they are depicted on the tapestry are subject to interpretation.

Orderic Vitalis

Turstin FitzRou
Engenulf de l'Aigle (+)
Goubert d'Auffay (+)

Whatever the case with respect to the interpretation of the various sources, the list from "Order of the Norman Conquest" list provides a good starting point for furture research.

The Wikipedia page on William of Poitiers says:

William of Poitiers (Latin: Guillelmus Pictaviensis, French: Guillaume de Poitiers; c. 1020 – 1090) was a Norman priest who served as the chaplain of Duke William II of Normandy (William the Conqueror), for whom he chronicled the Norman conquest of England in his Gesta Willelmi ducis Normannorum et regis Anglorum ("The Deeds of William, Duke of the Normans and King of the English").
He had trained as a soldier before taking holy orders.

Life

Little is known about William of Poitiers, with most information coming from Orderic Vitalis in his Historia Ecclesiactica, written in 1114–1115 and 1125. He was apparently born in Les Préaux, France, near Pont-Audemer to an influential knightly Norman family, probably about 1020.[4] According to Orderic, William originally trained as a knight, which gave him a much greater insight into the details of war than the typical medieval clerical writer. About 1049 he decided to enter the church, turning away from his knightly duties. Once he turned to the priesthood, William studied at the renowned school of Saint Hilaire-le-Grand in Poitiers and was said by Orderic to have returned to Normandy 'more learned than all his friends and neighbours'.

William of Poitiers

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