BATTLE, urban district, Sussex, England, 541 m. S.E. by S. from London by the Southern railway and 7 m. from the sea at Hastings. Pop. Its name is derived from the conflict in 1066, which ensured to William the Norman the crown of England (see also BATTLE ABBEY ROLL). Before the battle, in which King Harold fell, William vowed to build an abbey on the spot if he should prove victorious, and in 1094 the consecration took place. The gatehouse at the end of the main street is Decorated ; and parts of foundations of the Norman church, Perpendicular cloisters, and Early English refectory re main. A mansion incorporates some of the ancient building. The church of St. Mary is transitional Norman and later. The interests of the town lie in agricultural trade and in a considerable tourist traffic.