Great Britain -- History -- Anglo-Saxon period, 449-1066 -- Sources
All this year King Henry was in Normandy, being detained there by
his great wars with Louis King of France, and the Earl of Anjou, and
with his own subjects most of all. Then it befel on the day of St.
Mary’s Annunciation that Waleram Earl of Mellent was going from one of
his castles called Beaumont, to another, Watteville, and Amalri the
steward of the King of France, and Hugh the son of Gervais, and Hugh of
Montfort, and many other good Knights went with him. Then the King’s
Knights from all the neighbouring castles came against them, and fought
with them, and put them to flight, and they took the Earl Waleram, and
Hugh the son of Gervais, and Hugh of Montfort, and five and twenty
other Knights, and brought them to the King; and the King caused Earl
Waleram and Hugh the son of Gervais to be confined in the castle of
Rouen, and he sent Hugh of Montfort to England, and caused him to be
put in evil bonds in that of Gloucester, and as many of the others as
he thought fit he sent north and south to his castles for confinement.
Then the King went on, and won all Earl Waleram’s castles in Normandy,
and all the others which his enemies held against him. All this was
on account of the son of Robert Earl of Normandy named William. The
same William had married the younger daughter of Fulk Earl of Anjou,
and for this cause the King of France, and all the Earls and great men
held with him, and said that the King did wrongfully keep his brother
Robert in confinement, and that he had unjustly driven his son William
out of Normandy. This year there was much unseasonable weather which
injured the corn and all fruits in England, so that, between Christmas
and Candlemas, one acre’s seed of wheat, that is two seedlips, sold
for six shillings, and one of barley, that is three seedlips, for six
shillings, and one acre’s seed of oats, being four seedlips, for four
shillings. It was thus, because corn was scarce, and the penny was so
bad, that the man who had a pound at the market, could hardly, for any
thing, pass twelve of these pennies. The same year, the holy Bishop of
Rochester Ernulf, who had been Abbot of Peterborough, died on the ides
of March. Thereafter died Alexander King of Scotland, on the 9th of the
calends of May, and his brother David, then Earl of Northamptonshire,
succeeded him, and held at the same time both the kingdom of Scotland
and the English earldom. And the Pope of Rome called Calixtus died
on the 19th of the calends of January, and Honorius succeeded to the
Popedom. The same year, after St. Andrew’s day, and before Christmas,
Ralph Basset, and the King’s Thanes held a Witenagemot at Hundhoge
(Huncot), in Leicestershire, and there they hanged more thieves than
had ever before been executed within so short a time, being in all four
and forty men: and they put out the eyes of six.--Many men of truth
said that several there suffered with great injustice, but our Lord
God Almighty who seeth and knoweth all hidden things, seeth that the
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