For almost 1,000 years, the final resting place of King Harold has remained a tantalising mystery.

As every schoolchild is told, the last Saxon monarch was reputedly killed with an arrow through the eye at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

But the body of Harold II, as he should formally be known, has never been found.

After his defeat by the Normans, the king's body was hidden to prevent his tomb becoming a shrine to martyrdom.

In fact, he is supposedly the only monarch since Edward the Confessor whose whereabouts remain a puzzle.

Traditionalists believe he is interred at Waltham Abbey in Essex.

But amateur historian John Pollock thinks a forgotten body underneath a parish church in West Sussex holds the secret.

After his research, a parochial church council yesterday applied for human remains buried below the chancel arch at Holy Trinity Church, Bosham, to be unearthed.

Mr Pollock, who lives in the village, said: "I am absolutely convinced that it is Harold in there."

The church already claims to be the final resting place of King Canute's daughter and the village is awash with seafaring tales and medieval myths ranging from a spooky bell heard at sea to hidden tunnels under the streets.

The church bones were inadvertently discovered in 1954 by workmen. They found a stone sarcophagus and a body with its head and part of a leg missing.

DNA profiling was not available at the time and the tomb was covered over.

But, having researched church records, Mr Pollock now believes this is Harold. Other legends, instead of describing the king being slain by an arrow, suggest he was beheaded and dismembered.

He was said to have been buried near the sea and Bosham is also linked with the king, who is depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry visiting Bosham in 1064.

Mr Pollock said: "The 1954 investigations were a mess and totally unscientific. One reason for doing this again is to look at the physical evidence surrounding the tomb and make absolutely sure it is from the 11th Century.

"They didn't have DNA in the Fifties and carbon dating had only just come in. There's a much more scientific approach now."

A special session of the Chichester Diocese consistory court opened at Holy Trinity Church yesterday, with witnesses giving evidence above the very spot where the king could be buried.

With funding from a television production company eager to tell the story, the council has applied for the remains to be dug up and subjected to DNA analysis. If a match with someone claiming to be a direct descendant of the king is found, it could prove the body is Harold's.

Archaeologist Timothy Tatton-Brown told the hearing: "There is strong evidence they are remains of an important person.

"A thorough investigation would be of interest in the context of the history of this church.

"Bosham appears in the Bayeux Tapestry and the site is mentioned in Bede as the earliest-known Christian settlement in Sussex. This could illuminate that history."

Mr Tatton-Brown said it would be essential to clean up the area and repair damage caused during the 1954 excavations.

But under cross-examination from Justin Gau, representing the Archdeacon of Chichester, even Mr Tatton-Brown conceded he felt it "very unlikely" the bones actually belonged to Harold.

Historical architect Richard Meynell said the floor in the Grade I listed church needed repairs anyway and an investigation could be made with little disruption.

He said: "We have here a church of national importance dating probably back to the Saxon period.

"We are in a unique situation where there is a good possibility that an important person is buried beneath where I am standing.

"There is the opportunity for that to be further investigated with experienced professionals."

The vicar of Bosham, Canon Thomas Inman, said: "For some people there is an abhorrence in disturbing a body, no matter how long, after a Christian burial.

"The council believes this is an aspect of our history which would be beneficial to the history of the parish."

The Council for the Care of Churches remains opposed to bodies given a Christian burial being dug up, other than in exceptional circumstances.

Dr Joseph Elders said there could also be far-reaching consequences if the disinterment was allowed.

He said: "The parish has not made a convincing case. This proposal would set a precedent for sensational exhumation on the weakest or no evidence."

He also disapproved of taking DNA evidence as this would lead to the destruction of some of the remains.

Mark Hill, the chancellor of the Diocese of Chichester, will make his decision next month.