HistoryExtra Long Reads How many Bayeux Tapestries were there?
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Jan 26, 2026 A detective-style inquiry into whether the famous Bayeux embroidery was one of many copies. Experts debate workshop templates, production methods and materials. Discussion covers survival strategies like cathedral storage and public display practices. The conversation considers how multiple versions would change how we read 1066 and medieval material culture.
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Survival, Not Singularity
- The Bayeux Tapestry's survival makes it feel unique, but similar embroideries likely existed and were commonplace in the 11th century.
- Professor John Blair argues its rarity is due to preservation, not uniqueness of production.
Hidden In A Chest For Centuries
- The tapestry likely stayed in Bayeux Cathedral and was recorded in a late-15th-century inventory listing annual display.
- Its survival may owe to being kept in a chest and shown only once yearly.
Stock Designs And Custom Inserts
- Workshops may have produced standard designs that were customised for patrons, making multiple similar tapestries plausible.
- Blair suggests named figures like Odo's followers could be inserted into a stock sequence for different patrons.
