The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word BEFELL
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
B
E
F
E
L
L
More clues leading to the result BEFELL
- Happened to emulate someone cruel, once?
- Happened to be cut down
- Happened to live on high ground
- Happened to be going over hill
- Happened to ring about education after school
- Just happened to be wicked
- . Happened to remain on floor
- Happened by chance to ring, interrupted by heavy metal
- Happened to be overlooking Lake District location?
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Happened to" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case happened to = befell.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does BEFELL mean?
BEFELL verb- To fall upon; fall all over; overtake
- To happen.
- To happen to.
- To fall.