With press announcements and advertisements running throughout Great Britain, America, Australia, Germany and other parts of Europe, a worldwide search for people who can trace their family tree to the Battle of Hastings in 1066 is underway. According to English Heritage, the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England, there has long been debate regarding the validity of King Harold's claim to the throne, when the death of Edward the Confessor in 1066, leaving no children, led to conflict over the rightful heir to the English throne and ultimately to the Battle of Hastings.

Were your ancestors Anglo Saxon or Danish nobles before 1066? Perhaps you can trace your heritage back to Harold, Edward the Confessor or Edgar the Aetheling. If you have documentary evidence that your family could, theoretically, make a claim on the English crown, English Heritage would be interested in hearing from you. You'll need to submit a summary of your claim and be able to support it with good research and photocopies of supporting documents. A panel of expert genealogists and historians will assess the information. While there can be no 'winner' as such -- given the probably thousands of legitimate descendants -- the strongest claims will be featured as part of their campaign to raise awareness of this key event in English history. The deadline is February 9, 2007. Learn more at English Heritage or VisitBritain.