The Bayeux Tapestry, Scene by Scene

All 58 numbered scenes, in the order you walk past them, with the embroidered Latin above each one and what it means. The numbers are not medieval: they were inked onto the backing cloth around 1800 and have been used to refer to the scenes ever since.

The Latin is given as it is stitched, with the letter forms the embroiderers used. Positions are measured from the start of the cloth, which runs 68.87 metres in total.

The story in seven stretches

Each stretch has its own page, with the scenes in it set out in full.

Do not use the camera here

Photography is not permitted in the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition, so the camera on the audioguide.london home page will not work there. Open audioguide.london/bayeux-tapestry directly instead, before you go in, and keep your phone in your hand.

audioguide.london now covers the British Museum’s permanent galleries too, in beta. This walking guide is separate, made for the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition, where photography is not allowed.

Every inscription, in order

Scene Embroidered Latin English French Position
1 EDVVARD RЄX King Edward Le roi Édouard 0.0 m
2 VBI hAROLD DVX ANGLORVM ET SVIMILITЄS ЄQVITANT AD BOShAM Where Harold, an earl of the English, and his soldiers ride to Bosham Harold duc des Anglais et ses chevaliers se rendent à cheval à Bosham 0.8 m
3 ЄCCLЄSIA The church L'église 1.5 m
4 HIC hAROLD MARЄ NAVIGAVIT Here Harold sailed the sea Ici Harold navigua sur la mer 2.5 m
5 ET VЄLIS VЄNTO PLЄNIS VЄNIT IN TERRAM VVIDONIS COMITIS And, the wind full in his sails, he came to the country of Count Guy Et, ses voiles remplies par le vent, il vint dans la terre du comte Guy 3.3 m
6 HAROLD Harold Harold 4.9 m
7 hIC APRЄhЄNDIT VVIDO HAROLDUM Here Guy arrests Harold Ici Guy se saisit de Harold 5.6 m
8 ЄT DVXIT EVM AD BЄLRЄM ET IBI ЄVM TENVIT And led him to Beaurain and kept him there Et le mena à Beaurain et l’y retint 6.1 m
9 VBI hAROLD ET VVIDO PARABOLANT Where Harold and Guy talk Où Harold et Guy parlent 7.4 m
10 VBI NVNTII VVILLELMI DVCIS VENERVNT AD VVIDONЄM / TVROLD Where the messengers of Duke William came to Guy / Turold Où les envoyés du duc Guillaume vinrent (trouver) Guy / Turold 8.7 m
11 NVNTII VVILLELMI The messengers of William Les messagers de Guillaume 9.6 m
12 † HIC VENIT NVNTIVS AD WILGЄLMVM DVCEM Here came a messenger to Duke William Ici un messager vint (auprès du) duc Guillaume 10.8 m
13 HIC WIDO AD DVXIT hAROLDVM ADVVILGЄLMVM NORMANNORVM DVCЄM Here Guy brought Harold to William Duke of the Normans Ici Guy amena Harold à Guillaume duc des Normands 11.6 m
14 HIC DVX VVILGELM CVM hAROLDO VЄNIT AD PALATIUM SVVM Here Duke William came with Harold to his palace Ici le duc Guillaume, avec Harold, vint à son palais 13.0 m
15 VBI VNVS CLЄRICVS ЄT ÆLFGYVA Where a certain cleric and Ælfgyva Où un clerc et Ælfgyva 14.8 m
16 HIC VVILLEM DVX ЄT ЄXЄRCITVS EIVS VЄNЄRVNT AD MONTЄ MIChAЄLIS Here Duke William and his army came to Mont St Michel Ici le duc Guillaume et son armée vinrent au Mont (Saint) Michel 15.8 m
17 ЄT HIC TRANSIЄRVNT FLVMЄN COSNONIS / HIC hAROLD DVX TRAhЄBAT ЄOS DЄ ARЄNA And here they crossed the river Couesnon / Here Duke Harold pulled them out of the sand Et ici, ils franchirent le fleuve du Couesnon / Ici, le duc Harold les retirait du sable 16.6 m
18 ЄT VЄNЄRVNT AD DOL ЄT CONAN FVGA VЄRTIT / RЄDNЄS And they came to Dol and Conan turned to flight / Rennes Et ils vinrent à Dol, et Conan prit la fuite / Rennes 17.8 m
19 hIC MILITЄS VVILLЄLMI DVCIS PVGNANT CONTRA DINANTЄS Here Duke William’s soldiers fight against the men of Dinan Ici les chevaliers du duc Guillaume combattent contre Dinan 19.1 m
20 ET CVNAN CLAVЄS PORRЄXIT And Conan surrendered the keys Et Conan tend les clefs 20.8 m
21 hIC VVILLЄLM DЄDIT hAROLDO ARMA Here William gave arms to Harold Ici Guillaume donna les armes à Harold 21.7 m
22 hIЄ VVILLELM VЄNIT BAGIAS Here William came to Bayeux Ici Guillaume vint à Bayeux 22.1 m
23 VBI hAROLD SACRAMЄNTVM FECIT VVILLELMO DVCI Where Harold made an oath to Duke William Où Harold fit un serment au duc Guillaume 22.9 m
24 hIC hAROLD DVX RЄVERSVS EST AD ANGLICAM TERRAM Here Duke Harold returned to the English country Ici le duc Harold revint en Angleterre 23.6 m
25 ET VЄNIT AD EDVVARDVM REGEM And came to King Edward Et vint (trouver) le roi Édouard 24.8 m
26 hIC PORTA TVR CORPVS EADVVARDI RЄGIS AD ЄCCLЄSIAM SANCTI PETRI APOSTOLI Here the body of King Edward is carried to the church of St Peter the Apostle Ici le corps du roi Édouard est porté à l’église de Saint Pierre Apôtre 26.1 m
27 ET HIC DЄFVNCTVS ЄST And here he is died Et ici il est mort 27.1 m
28 ET HIC DEFUNCTUS EST and here he died — 27.9 m
29 hIC DEDERVNT hAROLDO CORONAM REGIS Here they have given the crown of the king to Harold Ici, ils donnèrent à Harold la couronne de roi 28.0 m
30 hIC RЄSIDET hAROLD RЄX ANGLORVM Here sits throned Harold, King of the English Ici siège Harold roi des Anglais 28.5 m
31 STIGANT ARChIEPISCOPVS Stigand, archbishop L'archevêque Stigand 29.0 m
32 ISTI MIRANT STELLA These men marvel at the star Ceux-ci admirent l’étoile 29.2 m
33 hAROLD Harold Harold 29.8 m
34 hIC NAVIS ANGLICA VЄNIT. IN TЄRRAM VWILLELMI DVCIS Here an English ship came to the country of Duke William Ici un navire anglais vint dans la terre du duc Guillaume 30.1 m
35 HIC VVILLЄLM DVX IVSSIT NAVЄS EDIFICARE Here Duke William ordered ships to be built Ici le duc Guillaume donna l’ordre de construire des navires 31.0 m
36 hIC TRAhVNT NAVЄS AD MARЄ Here ships are hauled to the sea Ici les navires sont tirés vers la mer 32.0 m
37 ISTI PORTANT ARMAS AD NAVЄS ЄT hIC TRAhVNT CARRVM CVM VINO ET ARMIS These men carry arms to the ships, and here they pull a wagon with wine and arms Ceux-ci portent des armes aux navires et ici ils tirent un chariot avec du vin et des armes 34.1 m
38 † hIC VVILLELM DVX IN MAGNO NAVIGIO MARЄ TRANSIVIT ET VENIT AD PЄVЄNЄSÆ Here Duke William in a great ship crossed the sea and came to Pevensey Ici, le duc Guillaume, dans une grande navigation, franchit la mer et vint à Pevensey 35.3 m
39 hIC ЄXЄVNT CABALLI DE NAVIBVS Here the horses leave the boats Ici les chevaux sortent des navires 38.0 m
40 ЄT hIC MILITЄS FESTINAVERVNT hЄSTINGA VT CIBVM RAPERENTVR And here soldiers have hurried to Hastings to seize food Et ici les chevaliers se hâtent vers Hastings pour y prendre de la nourriture 40.2 m
41 HIC EST VVADARD Here is Wadard Ici est Wadard 41.5 m
42 hIC COQVITVR CARO ET hIC MINISTRAVЄRVNT MINISTRI Here the meat is cooked, And here it has been served ; The servants Ici on cuit la viande et ici les serviteurs servent 42.5 m
43 hIC FECЄRVNT PRANDIVM ET hIC EPISCOPVS CIBVM ET POTVM BENEDICIT Here they made a meal, And here the bishop blesses the food and drink Ici ils firent un déjeuner et ici l’évêque bénit la nourriture et la boisson 43.3 m
44 ODO EPISCOPVS VVILLEM ROTBERT Bishop Odo, William, Robert L'évêque Odon, Guillaume, Robert 44.1 m
45 ISTE IVSSIT VT FODERЄTVR CASTELLVM AD HESTENGA CEASTRA This man has commanded that a fortification should be thrown up at Hastings Ceux-ci ordonnent de faire les terrassements d’un château à Hastings 44.8 m
46 HIC NVNTIATVM EST VVILLELM DE HAROLD Here news is brought to William about Harold Ici on donne à Guillaume des nouvelles de Harold 45.5 m
47 hIC DOMVS INCENDITVR Here a house is burned Ici une maison est incendiée 46.4 m
48 hIC MILITES EXIERVNT DE hESTENGA ET VENERVNT AD PRЄLIVM CONTRA hAROLDVM REGЄ Here the soldiers went out of Hastings and came to the battle against King Harold Ici les chevaliers sortirent de Hastings et vinrent se battre contre le roi Harold 46.8 m
49 HIC VVILLELM DVX INTERROGAT VITAL SI VIDISSЄT EXERCITVM HAROLDI Here Duke William asks Vital whether he has seen Harold’s army Ici le duc Guillaume demande à Vital s’il a vu l’armée de Harold 48.6 m
50 ISTE NVNTIAT HAROLDVM RЄGEM DE EXERCITV VVILLILMI DVCIS This man tells King Harold about Duke William’s army Celui-ci annonce au roi Harold l’armée du duc Guillaume 50.6 m
51 HIC VVILLELM DVX ALLOQVITVR SVIS MILITIBVS VT PREPARARENT SE VIRILITER ET SAPIENTER AD PRELIVM CONTRA ANGLORVM EXERCITVM Here Duke William exhorts his soldiers that they prepare themselves manfully and wisely for the battle against the army of the English Ici le duc Guillaume harangue ses chevaliers pour qu’ils se préparent courageusement et sagement au combat contre l’armée des Anglais 52.1 m
52 hIC CЄCIDЄRVNT LEVVINE ЄT GYRÐ FRATRES hAROLDI REGIS Here were killed Leofwine and Gyrth, the brothers of King Harold Ici tombèrent Leofwine et Gyrth frères du roi Harold 54.6 m
53 hIC CЄCIDERVNT SIMVL ANGLI ЄT FRANCI IN PRELIO Here at the same time English and French fell in battle Ici tombèrent ensemble au combat Anglais et Français 59.3 m
54 HIC ODO EPISCOPVS BACVLVM TЄNЄNS CONFORTAT PVEROS Here Bishop Odo holding a wand encourages the young men Ici l’évêque Odon tenant son bâton encourage les jeunes 61.1 m
55 hIC EST DVX VVILLELM / E[...]TIVS Here is Duke William / E…tius (Eustace?) Ici est le Duc Guillaume / E…tius (Eustache ?) 62.3 m
56 hIC FRANCI PVGNANT ET CЄCIDЄRVNT QVI ЄRANT CVM hAROLDO Here the French fight and have killed those who were with Harold Ici les Français combattent et ceux qui étaient avec Harold tombèrent 63.1 m
57 hIC Harold REX INTERFЄCTVS EST Here King Harold has been killed Ici le roi Harold fut tué 64.5 m
58 ET FVGA VERTERVNT ANGLI And the English have turned to flight Et les Anglais prirent la fuite 66.2 m

The missing ending

The tapestry as it survives stops with the English in flight. Its final section was lost long ago, and what it showed — almost certainly William's coronation, to round the story off as the opening scene with Edward began it — is gone. The last stretch of cloth carries no scene number at all.

Common questions

How many scenes does the Bayeux Tapestry have?

58, as numbered in about 1800 when the numbers were inked onto the backing cloth. The divisions are a convention rather than something the embroiderers marked, and a few sources group one or two of them differently.

What language is the Bayeux Tapestry written in?

Latin, stitched in capitals above and around the figures. The spelling is not classical — you will see V for U, and letter forms like Є — and some inscriptions run on from one scene into the next.

Which is the most famous scene?

Two compete. Scene 32, ISTI MIRANT STELLA, “these men marvel at the star”, is the earliest known depiction of Halley's Comet. Scene 57 carries the death of Harold, and the argument about whether it shows an arrow in his eye has run for centuries.

Can I see the Bayeux Tapestry in London?

Yes, until 11 July 2027. It is at the British Museum on a loan that began on 10 September 2026, by timed ticket. Photography is not permitted in the exhibition.

More on the Bayeux Tapestry