Battle is a small town and civil parish in the local government district of Rother in East Sussex, England. It lies 55 miles (89 km) south-south-east of London, 32 miles (51 km) east of Brighton and 24 miles (39 km) east of Lewes. Also nearby are Hastings to the south-east and Bexhill-on-Sea to the south. It was the site of the Battle of Hastings, where William, Duke of Normandy, defeated King Harold II to become William I in 1066. It lies in the designated High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The parish population was 6,048 according to the 2001 census, increasing to 6,673 with the 2011 Census. It has two senior schools: Claverham Community College and Battle Abbey.