In Chapter 1, we briefly mentioned the Battle of Hastings and in Appendix A of Chapter 4, the year 1066 is described from a contemporary point of view. Here we focus on the linguistic impact of French on English. Borrowing from French into Old and Middle English occurs in two phases: 1066–1250 and 1250–1500. In the first phase, fewer than 1,000 words are borrowed (Jespersen 1938: 87; Baugh & Cable 2002: 168). Words such as baron, servant, messenger, and story are borrowed at this time.