WHEN Chris Rock moved to Stamford Bridge from his native Middlesbrough in 2001, he was keen to find out more about the famous battle once fought here.

To his surprise, he could discover little about it. He couldn’t work out where the battlefield had been and couldn’t find any guides or leaflets. A simple solution presented itself. “I thought, I’ll do it myself!” the 49-year-old says.

It’s taken a while – partly because, in 2005, he and his new partner Lyn decamped to Scotland for a few years.

There, the former graphic artist found himself working for the National Trust for Scotland, leading guided tours of St Andrews Castle. He loved it – so when he and Lyn moved back to Yorkshire a couple of years ago, there was no further excuse. He had to get on with that guide to 1066’s forgotten battle.

He is now a leading light of the Battle of Stamford Bridge Society, and leads regular guided walks of the battlefield. And, at long last, that guidebook is out.

The Battle of Stamford Bridge 1066: Harold Godwineson’s Final Victory, he’s called it. And that’s precisely what it was.

Harald Hardrada, the Norwegian Viking king, invaded northern England in early September 1066. After burning Scarborough, and then sailing up the Humber to Riccall, Hardrada defeated the Saxon earls Morcar and Edwin at Fulford on September 20. York surrendered, supplied hostages, and the Vikings returned to their camp at Riccall.

But unknown to them King Harold, England’s Saxon king, who had been waiting on the south coast for an expected invasion by Duke William of Normandy, had force-marched his Saxon army up north after hearing about the defeat at Fulford. On September 25, Harold took Hardrada’s men by surprise.

The Viking king was one of the most feared warriors of his age, Chris says. But Harold’s men won a resounding victory. Hardrada and his ally Tostig – Harold’s brother – were killed.

Harold and his army then rushed back down south where, in October, the Saxon king was killed at the Battle of Hastings. Duke William became William the Conqueror, and the Norman era began.

One of the things that is so fascinating about the Battle of Stamford Bridge, Chris admits, are all the ‘what ifs’.

If Hardrada had never invaded, King Harold could have stayed in the south, waiting for Duke William to sail. “William would never even have got a foothold here; he’d have been pushed back into the sea.” England today would have been a very different place.

As it might have been had Hardrada won the battle of Stamford Bridge. York may have found itself the capital of a Viking kingdom again – and might today have been a very different.

Little trace of the great battle now remains. It isn’t even clear exactly where the battle was fought, Chris admits. It was somewhere between Stamford Bridge, High Catton and Low Catton – and may well have been a ‘running battle’ that moved off in the direction of the Cattons.

Chris’s 42-page guide gives a readable account of the events leading up to the battle, and what happened after. It also includes a battlefield guided walk – complete with map and directions that take you to various interesting sites in and around the town. Chris has put his graphic design skills to good use – illustrating the guide with some full-colour depictions of Vikings and Saxons in full battle gear. No excuses now for not being able to find out about Stamford Bridge’s famous battle.

• The Battle of Stamford Bridge by Chris Rock is available, priced £5.99, from several local shops and outlets, including Jorvik, the Yorkshire Museum and the Barbican bookshop in York, and Stamford Bridge Post Office.