Taillefer

Taillefer was the surname of a Norman bard, whose exact name and place of birth are unknown. He travelled to England in 1066. After reciting a chanson and rousing the Norman troops, he is believed to have requested, and been granted permission, by Duke William to strike the first blow at the Battle of Hastings, later dying in the battle (Wace's Roman de Rou). Taillefer is depicted on the Bayeux tapestry.

The surname of the common English surname Taylor is supposed by some to have come from a corruption of Taillefer.

Winston Churchill, in his History of the English-Speaking Peoples writes that Ivo Taillefer rode out alone before the English army at Hastings and tossed his lance and sword into the air, caught them, and charged deeply into the English lines where he was slain.

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.