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The Norman Conquest

1066

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The Norman Conquest was the invasion and occupation of England by Duke William II of Normandy. William claimed he was the rightful heir to the childless King Edward the Confessor. This was because Edward the Confessor’s grandfather was William’s great grandfather.  However, after Edward’s death in January 1066, the throne was seized by Edward’s brother in law, Harold Godwinson.
Other Claimants
William was not the only other claimant to the throne. In September 1066 King Harald Hardrada of Norway invaded northern England because he wanted to be king. Harold marched to meet Harald and on the 25th of September 1066 Harald Hardrada was defeated and killed at Battle of Stamford Bridge.
Victory
Within days of this victory William landed in southern England and Harold had to rush to meet him. However, he left a significant part of his army in the north, which meant he did not have enough soldiers to help him. Harold’s army confronted William’s invaders on the 14th of October at the Battle of Hastings. Harold was defeated and killed in the engagement which meant Duke William became King William the Conqueror.    





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Hereward the Wake

1070

Information

Hereward the Wake (known at the time as Hereward the Exile) raided the monastery and town with an army of Danish mercenaries, ostensibly to stop the wealth of Peterborough from falling into the hands of the new Norman Abbot. The Danes “came with many ships and wanted [to get] into the minster, and the monks withstood so that they could not come in. Then they laid fire to it, and burned down all the monks' buildings and the town, except for one building. Then, by means of fire, they came in at Bolhithe Gate. The monks came to meet them, asked them for peace, but they did not care about anything, went into the minster, climbed up to the holy rood, took the crown off our Lord's head… They took there so much gold and silver and so many treasures in money and in clothing and in books that no man can tell another…” By now the town is becoming known as ‘Burgh’ or ‘Burgh St Peter’ – Peterborough.





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Knights and a Castle

1071

Information

William I imposed the living of sixty knights onto Peterborough Abbey and its monastic estates in 1071. He ordered the construction of a motte and bailey castle on the north side of the monastic precincts. This  was a Norman Castle of timber and earth. The motte remains today in the Deanery Gardens as Tout (Tower) Hill, whilst many of the manors in the area given to the knights now bear their names in the villages – Helpston, Longueville, Waterville and so on.





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Saxons, Vikings, & Normans, Local, Castle, Norman, Peterborough Abbey, Tout Hill, William I, William the Conqueror, Central, History, Places of Worship, Aristocracy, Monarchs, War, Immigration, Military, Norman,

The Great Fire of Peterborough

1116

Information

Most of the town was destroyed in the Great fire of Peterborough, including the castle. It is claimed the church tower burnt for nine days. It possibly started from from an unattended fire in the Abbey's bakery. The Anglo- Saxon Chronicle says “all the minster of Peterborough burned, and all the buildings except the chapter-house and the dormitory; and besides, the most part of the town also all burned. All this happened on a Friday; that was 4 August…”  





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The Building of the Current Cathedral

1118

Information

The current Cathedral building started in 1118 with the rounded apse at the east end, which still survives today. The construction took 120 years – about 5 generations of stonemasons and workmen would have helped with the construction. The men who started the work would have known that they or their sons would not live to see the church’s completion. The Cathedral has a rare example of some of the original winding gear used in the building work still surviving inside the West Front.





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A Monk Drowned in the Fens

1104

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The Annals of the Abbey of Thorney recorded important events for the monks of Thorney Abbey. In 1104 they stated a monk named Master Walter, and five servants, were shipwrecked and drowned in the mere called Saltana. Mere is an old name for a lake. The lake, now drained, was probably south of Whittlesey. The annals do not state how the monk drowned, but monastic clothing is not particularly well-suited to swimming.





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Saxons, Vikings, & Normans, Local, Abbey of Thorney, Master Walter, Thorney, Whittlesey, History, Religious, Death, Religion, Norman,

Mount Thorold (Peterborough Castle) Destroyed

1116

Information

There are varying accounts regarding the building of a castle in Peterborough. Most accounts agree that it was built by Abbot Thorold just after the Norman Conquest, in response to an attack by Hereward and a large group of Vikings (Danes). It was situated north of the abbey, close to the majority of the residents of the town, and was a simple wooden castle on a motte (hill). The castle was either destroyed in a fire in 1116 with most of the town, or was pulled down by Abbot Martin de Bec when he was rebuilding and redesigning the town: it was never rebuilt or replaced. The remains of the motte exist as a small hill in the cathedral grounds and in the street name Touthill Place. It was previously known as Mount Thorold or Turold and is a scheduled monument.





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Saxons, Vikings, & Normans, Local, Castle, Fire, Hereward, Mount Thorold, Mount Turold, Norman, Central, History, Religious, Revolutionaries, War, Military, Norman,

Cnut’s Manor Gifted to Lincoln’s Bi...

1107

Information

In 1107 Henry I gave Cnut's manor at Nassington  to the Bishop of Lincoln to provide a living for the canons of the cathedral. In about 1160 Ranulf de Nassington was the first canon, or prebendary, to be appointed to Nassington.





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Peterborough at the Battle of Hastings

1066

Information

The Battle of Hastings is the battle where William of Normandy defeated King Harold Godwinson to gain the English throne. Peterborough was involved as Abbot Leofric of Peterborough Abbey and a group of his followers accompanied King Harold as he rushed to meet the invading Normans. Leofric died on the way and all the rest of his party were killed at the battle. Following the death of Leofric the monks appointed their own Abbot, Brando (Hereward the Wake’s uncle), without the consent of William. When Brando died three years later, William took his revenge by appointing Turold as Abbot, who was not a monk and was deeply unpopular. It was this appointment that gave Hereward the excuse to attack the Abbey and town.





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Werrington Gets its Own Vicar

1877

Information

Werrington was to have its own vicar upon the death of Rev J Pratt who kept the village waiting as he lived to the grand old age of 95 years. Finally in 1877, Rev C W Holdich became the first vicar. After his death his family donated a stained glass window in his memory. Werrington Church was originally a chapel of ease to Paston. Some Norman ( 11th century) parts of the church survive, notably the Chancel Arch. The rest “was in bad repair” when Rev Holdich came and most of what we see today is a result of a Victorian rebuild. There are only two other stained glass windows in the church, both are small. One depicts Elijah, the other John the Baptist to whom the church is dedicated.





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Brick Town to New Town, Local, Rev C W Holdich, St John's Church Werrington, Stained glass, Werrington, History, Places of Worship, Religious, Religion, Norman, Victorian,