Norman Power Politics
Norman Power Politics
Normans were Norsemen, essentially Vikings that had colonised Normandy in Northern France. They became yet another invader to our shores.
By the end of the 1st millennium, the Saxons of Southern England had repelled the Norse (Viking) invasions and were strong, well established and wealthy. From 1042 England was ruled by Edward the Confessor.
Though a son of King Aethelred of Wessex, Edward was brought up in Normandy by his mother Emma, as a scholar and very pious. Edward thus heavily influenced by Clunic clergy, so balanced his court between Saxon barons and Norman churchmen.
Earl Godwin was left to run England with his sons. Godwin lived in the Manor House at Bosham and owned much of Sussex and Kent, grazing cattle on what now is Goodwin Sands in the English Channel.
Trickery, Tumult and 1066
Though powerful, Earl Godwin frequently displeased Edward and was finally banished, setting sail from Thorney in great haste. Returning in 1051 with a great fleet to march on London, Edward purchased peace by re-balancing privileges between Norman and Saxon favourites. This included the return of Bosham through a clever pun. By begging and receiving the Kings kiss of blessing (a ‘basium’), Earl Godwin reclaimed ‘Bosham’ which the King could not retract. Harold succeeded his father to govern Wessex, Sussex, Essex and Kent, finally getting his sister married to a celibate Edward who had yet to produce his own heir.
With Edward heir-less, William of Normandy harboured designs on England’s throne and through a disastrous voyage in 1064, Harold Godwin was tricked into swearing an oath of allegiance to William. On Edward's death without an heir, Harold stepped into the vacuum in early 1066. The Norse king Harald Hardrada also felt he had a claim to the English throne so invaded Northumbria to take England.
Harold marched north to Stamford Bridge near York to defeat Hardrada in a tightly fought, decisively bloody battle. Only three days later, William landed at Hastings as ‘Conqueror’ to claim a throne. In a furious march south, Harold faced William on a ridge above Hastings but was defeated. William bought a vicious feudal system that was to stain English history for nigh-on 800 years.
Meanwhile on Thorney Island......
Through these stormy times, Thorney Island had been granted to Osbern, Edward the Confessors Norman chaplain, when Earl Godwin was banished, only to be returned when Earl Godwin punned it back. One expects that Osbern was quick off the mark to reclaim it when the Godwins were defeated.
As a self-contained religious community Thorney was insulated to some extent and like Bosham, would have witnessed these comings and goings as fleets gathered and departed. Sea levels would have been approx 1m lower than today, the equivalent of 1½ hours before high tide.
Osbern, succeeding as Bishop of Exeter, regained his hold on Thorney Island. Despite the proximity of Chichester Cathedral, (established when East Selsey succumbed to the waves in 1075AD), tension continued for hundreds of years over Exeter’s land holding so close to Chichester’s bishopric. This may account for the paucity of detail in Chichester's archive of the early Norman period.
