The Reign of William Rufus and the Accession of Henry the First, Volume 1 (of 2)

THE REIGN OF WILLIAM RUFUS.




London

HENRY FROWDE

[Illustration: Colophon]

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS WAREHOUSE

7 PATERNOSTER ROW




THE

REIGN OF WILLIAM RUFUS

AND THE

ACCESSION OF HENRY THE FIRST.




BY

EDWARD A. FREEMAN, M.A., HON. D.C.L., LL.D.

HONORARY FELLOW OF TRINITY COLLEGE.




_IN TWO VOLUMES._

VOLUME I.




Oxford:

AT THE CLARENDON PRESS.

1882.

[_All rights reserved._]




PREFACE.


I have now been able to carry out the design which I spoke of in the
Prefaces to the fifth volume and to the second edition of the fourth
volume of my History of the Norman Conquest. I have endeavoured to
work out in detail the two sides of the memorable years with which I
deal in these volumes, their deep importance for general and specially
for constitutional history, and their rich store of personal and local
narrative. In the former aspect, I believe I may claim to be the first
to have dealt at length with the history of Bishop William of
Saint-Calais, a history of deep constitutional importance in itself,
and more important still with reference to the career of Anselm. It is
no small matter to be able to show that it was not Anselm, but
Anselm’s enemy, who was the first to appeal from an English court to
the see of Rome. In this matter I have, I trust, brought out into its
full importance a piece of history which has never, as far as I know,
been told at length by any modern writer, though Dr. Stubbs has shown
full appreciation of its constitutional bearings. Of less importance,
but still more novel, is the mission of Abbot Jeronto to England, to
which I have never seen any reference in any modern writer whatever.
With regard to the career of Randolf Flambard, I have now worked out
more fully many points which have been already spoken of both by
myself and by Dr. Stubbs; but I cannot claim to have brought forward
anything of great moment that is absolutely new.

In the part which consists of military and other narrative, I have, as
usual, given all the attention that I could to the topography. I have
visited every place that I could, and I have generally in so doing had
the help of friends, often with more observant eyes than my own. I
must specially thank Mr. James Parker for his help in Normandy and
Maine, the Rev. J. T. Fowler of Durham for his help in Normandy,
Maine, and Northumberland, Mr. G. T. Clark in Shropshire, Mr. F. H.
Dickinson at Ilchester, the Rev. William Hunt at Bristol, and the Rev.
W. R. W. Stephens in Sussex and Kent. I have also to thank His Grace
the Duke of Norfolk for free access to Arundel castle, and M. Henri
Chardon of Le Mans for much valuable help in that city. And, above
all, I must again thank Mr. James Parker for much more than help in
preparing the maps and plans which illustrate the book. Without him
they could not have been done at all.

In North Wales and in some parts of Normandy and France I was left to
my own inquiries. In South Wales I made no particular researches for
this volume; but I hope that an old-standing knowledge of a large part
of that country may not have been useless. Where I feel a real
deficiency is in Hampshire. I could not have made any minute inquiries
there without delaying the publication of the book for many months.
But I have in former years been at Portchester, and I have seen
something of the New Forest. And I feel pretty certain that no amount
of local research can throw any real light on the death of William
Rufus, unless indeed in the way of showing how local legends grew up.
But something might perhaps be done more minutely to illustrate the
landing and march of Duke Robert in 1101.

On this last point the place of the conference between Henry and
Robert is satisfactorily fixed in the new text of Wace published by
Dr. Andresen. I did not come across his volumes till most of the
references to Wace had been copied and printed from the edition of
Pluquet. But in the course of revision I was able in some cases to
refer to Andresen also. His text is clearly a better one than that of
Pluquet. But I cannot say that I have learned much from his notes,
perhaps from the singularly repulsive way in which they are printed.
Another German writer, Dr. Liebermann, has done good service to my
period by publishing several unpublished chronicles to which I have
often referred. Those of Saint Edmundsbury are of very considerable
local importance. But there are other things that want printing. I
hear from Mr. E. C. Waters that there lurks in manuscript a cartulary
of Colchester Abbey, which contains distinct proof that Henry the
First spoke English familiarly. I have never doubted the fact, which
has always seemed to me as clear as anything that rested on mere
inference can be. But it is something to know that there is direct
witness to the fact, though it would be more satisfactory if one could
refer to that witness for oneself.