For you must consider, that
by the inuasion of the Danes, the churches and monasteries throughout
Northumberland were so wasted and ruinated, that a man could
scarselie find a church standing in all that countrie, as for those
that remained, they were couered with broome or thatch: but as for any
abbey or monasterie, not one was left in all the countrie, neither did
any man (for the space of two hundred yeares) take care for the
repairing or building vp of any thing in decaie, so that the people of
that countrie wist not what a moonke ment, and if they saw any, they
woondered at the strangenesse of the sight.
[Sidenote: An. Reg. 9. 1075.] [Sidenote: Rafe Earle of Cambridge.
_Matth. West._ _Matth. Paris._ _Hen. Hunt._ _Simon Dun._ A rebellion
raised against K. William.] Whilest the king remained thus in
Normandie, Roger earle of Hereford (contrarie to the kings mind and
pleasure) married his sister vnto Rafe earle of Cambridge, or (as
other haue) Northfolke, and withall began a new conspiracie against
him. Amongst other also of the associats, earle Walteof the sonne of
earle Siward was one, who afterward mistrusting the successe of this
deuise, first vttered it to archbishop Lanfranke, and by his aduice
sailed ouer into Normandie, and there disclosed the whole matter to
king William: but in the meane time, the other two earles; namelie,
Hereford and Cambridge had so farre proc?eded in the matter, that they
were vp in armour.
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