The ships make their landing on the beach at Pevensey. Legend holds that when William the Conqueror fell over in the sand, whilst disembarking from his ship upon landing in Pevensey Bay. It was his knight-in-attendance, Robert de Saint Leger who supported him by the arm and helped him to his feet. This accident might have been construed as a bad omen but William was able to turn it into a good omen by exclaiming that he had seized England with both hands. The St. Leger family is recorded as the fourth largest landholder in Sussex After the Conquest. The horses are unloaded and the masts removed or ‘unstepped’ upon landing.