William Walcher
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Walcher (died 14 May 1080) was the
bishop of Durham The Bishop of Durham is the Anglican bishop responsible for the Diocese of Durham in the Province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler has been the Bishop of Durham ...
from 1071,Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 241 a
Lotharingian Lotharingia ( la, regnum Lotharii regnum Lothariense Lotharingia; french: Lotharingie; german: Reich des Lothar Lotharingien Mittelreich; nl, Lotharingen) was a short-lived medieval successor kingdom of the Carolingian Empire. As a more durable ...
and the first Prince-bishop (appointed by the King, not the Pope). He was the first non-Englishman to hold that see and an appointee of
William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...
following the Harrying of the North.Williams ''English and the Norman Conquest'' p. 66 He was murdered in 1080, which led William to send an army into Northumbria to harry the region again.


Career

Walcher was a priest in
Lotharingia Lotharingia ( la, regnum Lotharii regnum Lothariense Lotharingia; french: Lotharingie; german: Reich des Lothar Lotharingien Mittelreich; nl, Lotharingen) was a short-lived medieval successor kingdom of the Carolingian Empire. As a more durable ...
from Liège and a secular clerk. He was invited by
William I William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...
to fill the post of Bishop of Durham, and he was consecrated
bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...
in 1071 and probably enthroned on 3 April 1071.Greenway
Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 2: Monastic Cathedrals (Northern and Southern Provinces): Durham: Bishops
'
During the first part of his term as bishop, he was on friendly terms with
Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria ( enm, Wallef, on, Valþjóf) (died 31 May 1076) was the last of the Anglo-Saxon earls and the only English aristocrat to be executed during the reign of William I. Early life Waltheof was the second son of Siw ...
, so much so that Waltheof sat with the clergy when Walcher held synods.Barlow ''English Church'' p. 152 After Waltheof rebelled and lost his earldom, Walcher was allowed to buy the earldom of Northumbria.Douglas ''William the Conqueror'' p. 240 Walcher planned to introduce monks into his cathedral chapter, and was remembered as encouraging monasticism in his diocese.Barlow ''English Church'' p. 62 Particularly, he was known as the patron of Aldwine, who attempted to re-establish monasticism at
Whitby Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a maritime, mineral and tourist heritage. Its East Clif ...
. Eventually, the group settled at Durham under Walcher's successor
William de St-Calais William de St-Calais (died 2 January 1096) was a medieval Norman monk, abbot of the abbey of Saint-Vincent in Le Mans in Maine, who was nominated by King William I of England as Bishop of Durham in 1080. During his term as bishop, St-Calais r ...
.Douglas ''William the Conqueror'' p. 328 The medieval chronicler
Symeon of Durham __NOTOC__ Symeon (or Simeon) of Durham (died after 1129) was an English chronicler and a monk of Durham Priory. Biography Symeon entered the Benedictine monastery at Jarrow as a youth. It moved to Durham in 1074, and he was professed in 1085 or ...
stated that Walcher had begun construction of monastic buildings at Durham as part of his plan to introduce monks into Durham.Snape "Documentary Evidence" ''Medieval Art and Architecture at Durham Cathedral'' p. 22 One of Walcher's councillors was
Ligulf Ligulf (sometimes Liulf or Ligulf of Lumley; died 1080) was an Anglo-Danish nobleman with landholdings in the north of England. Ligulf was married to Ealdgyth, the daughter of Ealdred the earl of Northumbria.Aird "Ligulf" ''Oxford Dictionary of Na ...
of Lumley, who was connected by birth to the old Northumbrian line and was married to the daughter of
Ealdred, Earl of Bernicia Ealdred was an Earl in north-east England from the death of his uncle, Eadwulf Cudel, soon after 1018 until his murder in 1038. He is variously described by historians as Earl of Northumbria,Stenton, p. 390, n. 1 Earl of Bernicia (northern Northumb ...
.Sadler ''Battle for Northumbria'' p. 51 Ligulf's presence in the bishop's council provided a link with the local aristocracy. There was a Scottish invasion in 1079, which Walcher was unable or unwilling to deal with effectively.Barlow ''Feudal Kingdom of England'' p. 94 The Scots, under
Malcolm III Malcolm III ( mga, Máel Coluim mac Donnchada, label=Medieval Gaelic; gd, Maol Chaluim mac Dhonnchaidh; died 13 November 1093) was King of Scotland from 1058 to 1093. He was later nicknamed "Canmore" ("ceann mòr", Gaelic, literally "big hea ...
, were able to plunder Northumberland for about three weeks unopposed before returning to Scotland with slaves and booty.Kapelle ''Norman Conquest of the North'' p. 139 Ligulf was very critical of Walcher's conduct. A feud ensued between Ligulf and two of Walcher's henchmen, his chaplain Leobwin and his kinsman Gilbert. Gilbert attacked Ligulf's hall in the middle of the night and Ligulf and most of his household were killed. The Northumbrians were enraged at the murder of one of their leaders and there was a real threat of rebellion. In order to calm the situation Walcher agreed to travel from Durham and meet Ligulf's kinsmen at Gateshead. He travelled with at least one hundred retainers for safety. At Gateshead, he met
Eadulf Rus Eadulf Rus ( fl. 1080) was an 11th-century Northumbrian noble, and the first recorded 'of Swinton'. He was either the son or grandson of Gospatric (son of Uhtred the Bold), possibly the man who soon after Christmas 1064 was allegedly killed on be ...
the leader of the kinsmen and was presented with a petition of wrongs committed. Walcher rejected these and the enraged Northumbrians attacked the Norman party. Walcher and his men sought refuge in a nearby church but the Northumbrians set fire to it. Leobwin died in the blaze and when Walcher, Gilbert and the rest of his party were forced out by the flames they were killed on 14 May 1080 at Gateshead.Stafford ''Unification and Conquest'' p. 123 A UNESCO report on
Durham Castle Durham Castle is a Norman castle in the city of Durham, England, which has been occupied since 1837 by University College, Durham after its previous role as the residence of the Bishops of Durham. Designated since 1986 as a cultural World Heri ...
provided this additional information about the bishop:
Walcher "purchased the earldom f Northumbriaand thus became the first of the Prince-Bishops of Durham, a title that was to remain until the 19th century, and was to give Durham a unique status in England. It was under Walcher that many of the Castle's first buildings were constructed. As was typical of Norman castles, it consisted of a motte (mound) and an inner and outer bailey (fenced or walled area). Whether the motte and inner bailey were built first is unknown".


Character

Walcher was a saintly manDouglas ''William the Conqueror'' p. 327 but an incompetent leader. According to
Symeon of Durham __NOTOC__ Symeon (or Simeon) of Durham (died after 1129) was an English chronicler and a monk of Durham Priory. Biography Symeon entered the Benedictine monastery at Jarrow as a youth. It moved to Durham in 1074, and he was professed in 1085 or ...
, Walcher's household knights were allowed to plunder and occasionally kill natives without punishment.Kapelle ''Norman Conquest of the North'' p. 138 Walcher was considered a well-educated bishop, and had a reputation as a pious man. Symeon of Durham portrayed him as an honest, upright man who diligently performed his episcopal duties.Kapelle ''Norman Conquest of the North'' p. 137 Walcher's successor as Earl of Northumbria was
Aubrey de Coucy Aubrey de Coucy (a.k.a. Alberic) was the earl of Northumbria from 1080 until about 1086. Aubrey de Coucy was a Norman from Coucy-le-Château-Auffrique, Aisne which was the inheritance of his wife, Ada, daughter of Letétard de Marle (himself a son ...
.Powell and Wallis ''House of Lords'' p. 32
William de St-Calais William de St-Calais (died 2 January 1096) was a medieval Norman monk, abbot of the abbey of Saint-Vincent in Le Mans in Maine, who was nominated by King William I of England as Bishop of Durham in 1080. During his term as bishop, St-Calais r ...
was the next bishop, though not earl.Powell and Wallis ''House of Lords'' p. 36


Aftermath of his death

Following the killing of Walcher, the rebels attacked
Durham Castle Durham Castle is a Norman castle in the city of Durham, England, which has been occupied since 1837 by University College, Durham after its previous role as the residence of the Bishops of Durham. Designated since 1986 as a cultural World Heri ...
and besieged it for four days, before returning to their homes. The result of their rising and the killing of William's appointed bishop, led William to send his half brother Odo of Bayeux with an army to harry the Northumbrian countryside. Many of the native nobility were driven into exile and the power of the Anglo-Saxon nobility in Northumbria was broken.Kapelle ''Norman Conquest of the North'' p. 141


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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Walcher, William 1080 deaths 11th-century English nobility Bishops of Durham 11th-century English Roman Catholic bishops Year of birth unknown Earls of Northumbria (Peerage of England) People from Lorraine