A. D. 1066. W NORMAN S. WILLIAM the Conqueror. 7 Illiam the Conqueror was the bafe Son of Robert Duke of Normandy. His Mother Arlotte (a Skinner's Daughter) when the was great with him, dreamed that her Bowels were extended and dilated all over Normandy and Britain. And as foon as he was born, being laid on the Chamber Floor, with both his Hands he took up Rushes, and held them fat therein; which Things were taken for Prefages of his future Greatness. He began his Reign Oftober 14th, A. D. 1066, and was crowned December 25, in the fame Year, by Aldred Archbishop of York, the English Bishops and Barons fwearing Allegiance to him; and himself taking a folemn Oath to defend the Rights of the Church, to establish good Laws, and to fee Juftice uprightly adminiftred. After which, he applied himself to fecure his new obtained Kingdom; and the better to affure the South of the Land, he took his Way towards Dever, that fo he might command the Seas from Enemies Arrivage, and over-awe the Kentish, a most frong and populous Province. But Stigand, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Eglefine, Abbot of St. Augustines, bearing of his coming, affembled the Commons of Kent to oppofe him, who about Swancomb kept themselves fecret in the Woods, waiting the coming of the Conqueror. All jointly agreeing (be caufe no Way lay open fave only a From) to carry in their Hands great Branches of Trees, wherewith they might keep themselves both from . Discovery; and, if need were, im- 1066. mons of Kent are come forth to vereign, requiring your Peace, their of Land frank, A. B. of Cant. 1066. of lacking the Weight of a Groat in the Payment of 700 Marks by the Monks of Ely, for the reftoring to their Abby their ancient Poffeffions, they were conftrained to pay 100o Marks more. The Clergy he charged with Maintenance for his Wars, bereaved the Religious Houfes of their Treasures, Chalices, and rich Shrines; abrogated, for the most Part, the ancient Laws of the Land, ordaining new in their Stead, not fo equal or eafy to be kept; alfo caufing them to be writ in the Norman Tongue. He ordained the four Law Terms, whereas before the Caufes of the Kingdom were determined in every Shire, or by the late Law of King Edward, in their Gemote or Conventicle, held Monthly in every Hundred. He commanded every English Houfholder to put out both Fire and Candle at Eight a Clock at Night. At which Hour, in all Cities, Towns, and Villages, he caufed a Bell to be rung by the Normans, then called Covre feu, that is, Cover fire, to prevent nightly Meetings. He laid great Subfidies upon the Land. And that the fame might account to his greater Benefit, he cauled an exact Survey to be taken of the whole Kingdom, and of every particular Part and Commodity thereof, causing all the People of England to be numbered, their Names taken, and what every one might difpend by the Year; their Subfiance, Money and Bondfmen recorded: How many Yokes of Oxen and Plow-Lands were in the Realm, and what Services they owed him. Which done, he exact ed Six Shillings to be paid him for every Hide of Land. The Book thus made of every feveral Survey, by the English was called Dooms-Day. Book. He permitted no Englishman to lear any Office of Truth and Credit. He dupeopled 36 Parith The Towns, laying the Churches and Towns flat with the Earth, making thereof a Forest for Pleafure, now called New-Foreft. To ftrengthen himself against Revolts and Rebellions, he fortified fuch Piaces as he thought moft convenient for his Purpofe, and built the Tower of London, the Castles of York, Lincoln, Nottingham, and Haftings. He was the firft that brought the Jews to inhabit England. His Son Robert rebelled against him in Normandy, and in Fight difmounted him; but then knowing his Voice, defired his Pardon, and remounted him. Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, and Earl of Kent, his Brother by the Mother, for fecretly fiding with the King of France, he committed to Prison, not as Bishop, but as he was Earl, and feized his Eftate. Some of whofe Gold, ground into Powder, was found hidden in the Bottom of Rivers. Conqueror going to War against the King of France, in Normandy fell fick; when keeping his Bed beyond his wont, and the French King hearing that the Difeafe was in his Belly, fcoffingly faid of him, Our Couin William is laid now in Child-Bed, O what a Number of Candles muft I offer at his going to Church! Surely, I think an Hundred Thousand will not juffice. Which King William hearing of, faid, Well, I truft cur Ceafin of France fhall be at noch Coft, but after this my Child Birth, at my going to Church (fwearing by the Kefurrection and Brightness of God) I will find him a Thousand Candles, and light them my self. And accordingly not long after, he entered France with a great Army, fpoiling all where he came, and fetting the City Mentz on Fire: But he came fo near the Flames, that with the Heat of his Harness he got a Sicknefs, which (increafed with a Leap of his Horfe, that built the inward Rim of his Belly) coft him his Life. He died at Roan in Normandy, A. D. 1087. And forfaken of all his Courtiers, his Body was left unburied, till that one Harluinus, a poor Country Knight, at his own Charge, conveyed it to Caen: Where when it fhould have been buried, a certain Man, in God's Name, for bad the Interment in that Place; which, faid he, was his and his Ancestors Right, taken from them violently by the faid Duke. Whereupon they were forced to compound with him e'er they interred the Corpfe. His Wife Maud was the Daughter of Baldwin, the fifth Earl of Flanders. His Iffue, Robert, furnamed Curtoife, or Short-Boots; William, furnamed Mifer, who died 1128, Richard, who after his Father had attained the Crown of England, came to a violent and fudden Death, as he was Hunting in New Foreft, a Stag goring out his Entrails. William Rufus; Henry, born at Selby in Yorkshire, 1070. Cicely, a veiled Nun; Conftance, married to Allain, Earl of Britain; Alice, married to Stephen, Earl of Bles, by whom he had Stephen, Earl of Mortain and Boleine, King of England; Gundred, married to William of Warrein, a Nobleman of Normandy, who was the first Earl of Surr Ela, who in her Childhood was contracted in Marriage to Duke Harold, afterwards King of Ergland; Margaret, who in her Childhood was given in Marriage to the Renowned Alphonfo, King of Gallicia in Spain. His bafe Son, named William Peverel, was Earl of Nottingham. By his laft Will and Teftament he commanded all his Treafure to be diftributed to Churches, Goa's Minifters, and the Poor, limiting to each their feveral Portion. To the Church and Monks of St. Stephen's at Caen in Normandy he gave divers Manors in England, and great Store of Land; yea, and his Crown and Regal Ornaments, which his Son Henry redeemed. To his Son Robert he had before given the Dukedom of Normandy. England he left undifpofed, only wished his Son William might fucceed him in it. And to Henry he gave Five Thoufand Pounds, prefaging that all his Dominions fhould become Henry's in the End. He did oft-times exhort his Children to the Study of Learning, with this Saying, That an unlearned Prince is but a Crowned Afs. He built a Religious Houfe, called Battel Abby, in the fame Place where King Harold was flain, dedicating it to the Holy Trinity and St. Martin, that there the Monks might pray for the Souls of Harold and the reit that were flain in that Place, endowing it with many great Privileges; and particularly these two, that if any Mur herer or other Felon, for fear of Death fled thither, he should be freed from all Punishment: And that it fhould be lawful for the Abbot of that Place to deliver any Thief or Robber from the Gallows," if he fhould chance to pafs where any fuch Execution was in Hand. At Selby in Yorkshire he founded the Abby of St. Germans; at Excefter the Priory of St. Nicholas, and at Caen in Normandy, the Monastery of St. Stephens; and to the Church and College of St. Martins le Grand in London, he gave both large Privileges and much Land. In his Time it was decreed at Rome, that the See of York fhould be filed Primus Anglie, and the See of Canterbury, Primus totius Angliæ. The fetting Scals to Bonds and Writings was now firft ufed in England, there being before only Witneffes to them. Stigand, Archbishop of Canterbury, was E 3 de 1066. 1087. depofed by the Conqueror, and died in Prifon. The Abbot of St. Albans told this King, that the Reafon why he gained England in one Battle, which the Danes could not do in many, was, because the Maintenance of Martial Men, with a Part of the Land's Revenues, was converted to maintain Religious Men, and to Religious Ufes. In the Time of this King's Reign befel a moft fearful Earthquake, ftrange burning Fevers very mortal, Murrains, caufing a great Dearth among WILLIAM A. D.TT7Illiam, fur named Ru fus, notwithstanding that Robert Courtoife, his eldest Brother was living, yet by the Mediation and Affiftance of Landfrank, Archbishop of Canterbu ry, and Wolftane, he gained the Voices of the Council, and was crowned A. D. 1087. But Odo, Bishop of Payeux (to take the Revenge for his Sufferings under the Conqueror) inftigated Duke Robert to repair into England, and recover his Right which he promised fhould foon be effected. Now Robert, that Money, the Sinews of War, might not be wanting for the carrying on of this Defign, mortgaged the Province of Conftantine to his Brother Henry; and with him many of the English fided. William on the other Hand, by fairly promifing to abolish the over-hard Laws made by his Father, and to take off the Taxes and Impofts, drew the People generally to itand in his Defence; by whofe Aids he regained divers ftrong Holds that the Nobles had feized for Duke Robert. He alfo besieged Rochefter, wherein Odo was; from which Siege he fent forth his Proclamation Cattle, extraordinary Rains, Waterfloods incredible, which fo foftened the Hills to the Foundations, that fome of them fell, and overwhelmed the Villages near them. Most of the principal Cities were endamaged by Fire. So great a Fire happened in London, that it confumed Houfes and Churches all the Way from the Weft Gate to the East Gate: And, 'tis faid, that Tame and Domeftick Fowls became Wild, flying to the Woods. RUFUS. throughout the Land, commanding all Men to repair thereto; and that whofoever would not,. fhould be reputed a Niding: A Word fo difgraceful and hateful to the English (fignifying a Coward or base hearted Fellow) that made Multitudes hafte with all Speed to that Service. Whereupon the Cattle was yielded, and Odo banished, and his Goods confifcated. But whilft these things were acting, Robert, Duke of Normandy, landed at Southampton, and very shortly returned again into his own Territories, upon his Brother William's Promife to pay him Three Thoufand Marks Yearly, and to refign the Kingdom to him or his Heirs, at his Death. About this time Landfrank, Archbishop of Canterbury, died, and the King kept that See vacant above Four Years. So did he by many other Ecclefiattical Promotions, and fet to Sale the Rights of the Church, preferring thofe therein that would give the most; and yet his Exchequer became never the Richer. He was wont to say, That Chrift's Bread is fweet, dainty, and most delicate for Kings: Howbeit, to his Praile, let this be remembred |