A literal translation of the Saxon chronicle

by Unknown

All this year King Henry remained in Normandy, and was greatly harrassed by the war with the King of France, and by the treachery of his own men, who were continually revolting from him, till at length the two Kings with their forces met in Normandy. The King of France was there put to flight and all his best men taken, and many of King Henry’s vassals who had kept their castles against him, now submitted, and were reconciled to him, and some of the castles he took by force. This year, William the son of King Henry and of Queen Mahald went to Normandy to his father, and the daughter of the Earl of Anjou was there given and wedded to him. On Michaelmas eve there was a great earthquake in some parts of this land; and it was felt most in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. The same year Pope Gelasius died on this side of the mountains, and he was buried at Cluny; and the Archbishop of Vienne was chosen Pope, his name was Calixtus. He afterwards came to Rheims, in France, on the feast of St. Luke the Evangelist, and held a council there. And Turstein Archbishop of York journeyed thither, and because he received consecration from the Pope, against right, and to the prejudice of the see of Canterbury, and against the King’s will, Henry wholly forbade his return to England; and being thus deprived of his Archbishoprick, he proceeded with the Pope towards Rome. This year also Baldwin Earl of Flanders died of the wound which he had received in Normandy, and was succeeded by Charles the son of his aunt and of St. Cnut, King of Denmark.

1120.

This year peace was made between the Kings of England and of France, and after this all King Henry’s own men in Normandy made their peace with him; also the Earls of Flanders and of Ponthieu. Then the King ordered and disposed of his castles and land in Normandy after his own will; and so, before Advent, he returned to England. And the King’s two sons William and Richard were drowned in the passage, together with Richard Earl of Chester, and Ottuel his brother; and very many of the King’s Court; stewards, and chamberlains, and butlers, and other men in office, and an innumerable multitude of all ranks, were also lost. The manner of their death was a twofold grief to their friends, first because they lost their lives so suddenly, and next that few of their bodies were ever found. And this year that remarkable light twice came upon our Lord’s sepulchre at Jerusalem, once at Easter, and again on the Assumption of St. Mary, according to the report of men of credit, who came from thence. And Turstein Archbishop of York was reconciled to the King through the Pope, and he came to this land, and was put in possession of his Archbishoprick, though much against the will of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

1121.

This year, at Christmas, King Henry was at Bramtun (Brampton ?), and before Candlemas Athelis was given him to wife at Windsor, and afterwards consecrated Queen; she was the daughter of the Duke of Louvain. And the moon was eclipsed on the night of the nones of April, being the 14th day of the moon. And the King was at Berkeley at Easter, and the Pentecost following he held a great Court at Westminster, and in the summer he entered Wales with an army, and the Welch came to meet him, and made a treaty with him on his own terms. This year the Earl of Anjou returned from Jerusalem to his own land, and after this he sent hither to fetch away his daughter who had been married to the King’s son William. And on the night of Christmas eve there was a very high wind throughout this land, as might be seen plainly in its effects.

1122.

This year King Henry was at Norwich at Christmas, and at Easter he was at Northampton. And the town of Gloucester was burned the Lent before, for while the monks were singing mass, the deacon having begun the gospel “Præteriens Jesus,” the fire fell on the top of the steeple, and it burned the whole monastery, and all the treasures in it, excepting a few books and three vestments: this happened on the 8th of the ides of March. And there was a very high wind on the Tuesday after Palm Sunday, the 11th of the Calends of April: and after this many strange tokens were noticed throughout England, and many ghosts were seen and heard. And on the night of the 8th of the calends of August, there was a great earthquake throughout Somersetshire and Gloucestershire. Again on the 6th of the ides of September, St. Mary’s day, there was a very high wind, which continued from nine in the morning till dark night. The same year Ralph Archbishop of Canterbury died on the 13th of the calends of November. After this many shipmen were at sea, and on the water, and said that they saw a fire in the north-east, large and broad, near the earth, and that it grew in height unto the welkin, and the welkin divided into four parts and fought against it, as it would have quenched it; nevertheless the fire flamed up to heaven. They observed this fire at day-break, and it lasted until it was light every where: this was on the 7th of the ides of December.

1123.

This year King Henry was at Dunstaple at Christmas, and the messengers from the Earl of Anjou came to him there, and he proceeded thence to Woodstock, and his Bishops and all his Court with him. Now it fell out on a Wednesday, being the 4th of the ides of January, that the King rode in his deer-park, and Roger Bishop of Salisbury was on one side of him, and Robert Bloet Bishop of Lincoln on the other; and they rode there talking. Then the Bishop of Lincoln sank down, and said to the King, “Lord King! I am dying,”—and the King alighted from his horse, and took him between his arms, and bade them bear him to his inn, and he soon lay there dead; and they took his body with much pomp to Lincoln, and Robert Bishop of Chester, who was called Pecceth, buried him before St. Mary’s altar. Soon after this the King sent his writs over all England, and desired his Bishops, his Abbots, and his Thanes, that they should all come to the meeting of his Witan at Gloucester, on Candlemas day, and they obeyed; and when they were there assembled the King bade them choose to themselves whomsoever they would as Archbishop of Canterbury, and that he would confirm their choice. Then the Bishops spake among themselves, and said that they would never more have a man of any monastic order as Archbishop over them. And they all with one accord went to the King, and entreated that they might choose one of the clergy for their Archbishop, and to this the King consented.—All this had been set on foot by the Bishop of Salisbury, and by the Bishop of Lincoln before he died, for they never loved the monks’ rules, but were ever against the monks and their rules also. And the Prior and monks of Canterbury and all others of the monastic order who were there, resisted this proceeding two full days, but in vain, for the Bishop of Salisbury was very powerful, and swayed all England, and he was against them with all his might. Then they chose a clerk named William of Corboyl, he was a canon of a monastery called Cice (St. Osith); and they brought him before the King, who gave him the Archbishoprick, and he was received by all the Bishops; but the Monks and Earls, and almost all the Thanes who were there, would not acknowledge him. At this same time the messengers of the Earl departed from the King dissatisfied, nothing regarding his gifts. At this time also a Legate arrived from Rome; his name was Henry, and he was Abbot of the monastery of St. Jean d’Angely. He came for the Romescot; and he told the King that a clerk had no right to be set over monks, and that therefore they had formerly chosen the Archbishop in the chapter, as was befitting; but, for love of the Bishop of Salisbury, the King would not undo his act. Soon afterwards, the Archbishop went to Canterbury, and was received, though unwillingly, and he was forthwith consecrated there by the Bishop of London, and Ernulf Bishop of Rochester, and William Giffard Bishop of Winchester, and Bernard Bishop of Wales (St. David’s), and Roger Bishop of Salisbury. Then early in Lent the Archbishop journeyed to Rome for his pall, and Bernard Bishop of Wales, and Sefred Abbot of Glastonbury, and Anselm Abbot of St. Edmund’s, and John Archdeacon of Canterbury, and Gifard who was the King’s chaplain, went with him. Thurstan Archbishop of York went to Rome at the same time by order of the Pope, and he arrived three days before the Archbishop of Canterbury, and was received with much honour. Then came the Archbishop of Canterbury, and it was a full week before he could obtain an audience of the Pope, because the Pope had been given to understand that he had received the Archbishoprick in opposition to the monks of the monastery, and against right; but that which overcometh all the world, namely gold and silver, overcame Rome also, and the Pope relented and gave him his pall, and the Archbishop swore obedience in all things that he should impose, on the heads of St. Peter and St. Paul, and the Pope then sent him home with his blessing. Whilst the Archbishop was abroad, the King gave the Bishoprick of Bath to the Queen’s Chancellor, named Godfrey; he was of Louvain: this was done at Woodstock on the day of St. Mary’s Annunciation. Soon afterwards the King went to Winchester, where he remained during the festival of Easter; and while there he gave the Bishoprick of Lincoln to a clerk named Alexander, who was a nephew of the Bishop of Salisbury, and he did this all for love of that Bishop. Then the King proceeded to Portsmouth, and staid there over Pentecost week; and as soon as he had a fair wind he sailed for Normandy, having committed all England to the care and administration of Roger Bishop of Salisbury. The King was in Normandy all this year, and a great war broke out between him and his Thanes, for Earl Waleram of Mellent, and Hamalri, and Hugh of Montfort, and William of Roumare, and many others revolted from him and held their castles against him; and the King on his part opposed them with vigour, and the same year he won from Waleram his castle of Pont-au-de-mer, and from Hugh that of Montfort, and after this his affairs continued to prosper more and more. The same year, before the Bishop of Lincoln came to his see, nearly the whole town of Lincoln was burnt, with a great number of persons, both men and women, and so much harm was done that no man could tell another how great the damage was. This happened on the 14th of the calends of June.

1124.