William Walcher

Walcher (died 14 May 1080) was the bishop of Durham from 1071,Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 241 a Lotharingian 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 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 from Liège and a secular clerk. He was invited by William I to fill the post of Bishop of Durham, and he was consecrated bishop 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, 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. Eventually, the group settled at Durham under Walcher's successor William de St-Calais.Douglas ''William the Conqueror'' p. 328 The medieval chronicler Symeon of Durham 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 of Lumley, who was connected by birth to the old Northumbrian line and was married to the daughter of Ealdred, Earl of Bernicia.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, 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 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 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, 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.Powell and Wallis ''House of Lords'' p. 32 William de St-Calais 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 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