The Danes and the Northumbrian Rebels

The Danes were forced to retreat across the water after William's charge turned into more of a wade. Historians generally disregard that statement as blatant propaganda, and an attempt to cover for the fact that William had pretty clearly been outmaneuvered. The Normans did somehow manage to destroy some of the rebel marsh camps. We aren't told how. And my guess is these were minor outposts that they happily left behind. It was around that same point that a messenger would have reached the Norman army, and delivered quite a shock.