Norman
age
There has
never been a year quite like the year of the Norman conquest of
Britain. 1066 was that year and England saw in three kings, had
three battles and also a comet. A momentous year and the one that
reshaped the face of England.
During the middle ages, comets were known as "hairy stars". In
1066, William the Conqueror used Halley's comet as his omen for
victory over Harold || of England. The comet was very bright, had a
short tail, and its shape was depicted on the Tapestry of
Bayeaux.
William the Conqueror crossed the channel with a large army and
landed at Hastings. After fierce fighting, the newly crowned king
of England, King Harold ||, was killed. William won the crown and
became the next king on christmas day, 1066. He was not safe
although much of England gave in to his forces and supported him.
Many other towns resisted him and to suppress any Saxon uprisings,
William built over 500 motte and bailey castles outside each town
that resisted him during his first years.
Northampton was such a place and Simon
de St.Liz, who came over with William the Conqueror, built the
castle and defences to thwart any Saxon uprising. Simon became the
first Norman Earl of Northampton and must be credited for shaping
Northampton to become one of the top three towns in England by the
12th century.
For a man who has done so much for Northampton, I have great
admiration. I will be exploring some of his great works and about
Simon himself in further sub-links.