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When the Domesday Book was compiled in 1086, all of England& #39;s land belonged to the Crown. Most was held by the French elite who& #39;d come to power 20 years earlier.
One quarter was held by the Church, but this was really another branch of power among the same ruling class.
#thread
One quarter was held by the Church, but this was really another branch of power among the same ruling class.
#thread
Some of the places where our churches are located were held by powerful bishops who wielded influence far beyond their diocese.
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The village of Wickham Bishops in Essex takes its name from the Bishops of London. The Domesday Book shows that the small settlement of & #39;Wicham& #39; (meaning & #39;dwelling place with a farm& #39;) was entirely held by the Bishop of London, as it had been in 1066.
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In 1066, the Bishop of London was Hugh D& #39;Orevalle of Normandy. He was succeeded in 1086 by Maurice, former Archdeacon of Le Mans, who also served as England& #39;s third Lord Chancellor & Lord Keeper.
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St Peter& #39;s, Wickham Bishops, was probably originally built as a private chapel for the use of London& #39;s Bishops when they visited the manor.
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Barmby on the Marsh, Yorkshire, where we recently adopted St Helen& #39;s church, was solely held by the Bishop of Durham in 1086.
‘Barnebi& #39; only had a handful of households, but it was one of about 2,000 settlements in England recorded as having a church, and it also had a priest.
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‘Barnebi& #39; only had a handful of households, but it was one of about 2,000 settlements in England recorded as having a church, and it also had a priest.
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In fact, the Bishop of Durham was a Tenant in Chief or Lord of nearly 200 villages in several counties, including Saltfleetby in Lincolnshire, where we care for the tower of Old St Peter& #39;s.
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Durham& #39;s bishop at this time, William de St-Calais, was a monk and abbot who had been nominated to the bishopric by King William in 1080. He was an extremely influential and powerful man - an advisor to the king, a commissioner of the Domesday Book, and a prince-bishop...
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... with the right to raise an army, levy taxes, and even mint his own coins. One of William de St-Calais& #39;s greatest achievements is the construction of Durham& #39;s magnificent Romanesque cathedral, which he began in 1093.
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https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📸" title="Kamera mit Blitz" aria-label="Emoji: Kamera mit Blitz">: mattbuck, CC 2.0
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: mattbuck, CC 2.0" title="... with the right to raise an army, levy taxes, and even mint his own coins. One of William de St-Calais& #39;s greatest achievements is the construction of Durham& #39;s magnificent Romanesque cathedral, which he began in 1093.9/https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📸" title="Kamera mit Blitz" aria-label="Emoji: Kamera mit Blitz">: mattbuck, CC 2.0" class="img-responsive" style="max-width:100%;"/>
