ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY 



to Durham was cut short by the bishop's death, though some preparation 

 for the monks was made/^ 



Waltheof being implicated in rebellion is withdrawn fron Northumbrian 

 history in 1075. Walcher succeeded to his position as earl of Northumbria. 

 But Walcher was an old and mild ecclesiastic unable to curb his dependants, 

 and met his death at what may have been a meeting of the palatine court 

 held at Gateshead.^" This tumultuous episode had an interesting sequel in a 

 four days' siege of Durham Castle by the murderers of the bishop which was 

 quite ineffectual. In revenge for the murder, Odo of Bayeux was dispatched 

 to the north, and for the third time in fourteen years the district round 

 Durham was deluged in blood and fire. 



Carileph the next Norman bishop completed the monastic plan of 

 Walcher, and began the present cathedral at Durham." It is possible that 

 the complaisant Walcher shrank from extruding the Cuthbertine canons. 

 Carileph had no such scruple. He was younger and more energetic, and 

 having obtained from Hildebrand, who was absolutely like-minded on this 

 point, the bulls thought necessary for the purpose, the bishop gave the congre- 

 gation the choice of turning monk or of withdrawing. Monks from Jarrow 

 and Wearmouth were drafted into Durham, and thus the great Benedictine 

 Abbey began its history in 1083. 



The great church was commenced in 1093, after an interlude of exile 

 on the bishop's part which does not concern us here.^^ 



Several charters purporting to be of the end of the eleventh century 

 have been preserved, but they are now proved to be of later fabrication, 

 though they seem to state facts. ^^ To Carileph, then, we may attribute 

 the donation of Rainton, Pittington, Hesleden, Dalton-le-Dale, Merrington, 

 Shincliffe, and Elvet, with the churches in Elvet, Aycliffe, Hesleden, and 

 Dalton. On the same showing several manors outside the county were 

 given about the same time to the prior and convent. Tynemouth Priory 

 which had been a possession was transferred to the monks of St. Albans, 

 about 1093. 



The character and eccentricities of Flambard, who became bishop in 1099, 

 do not much concern us here. He came to a greatly wasted see after three 

 years of vacancy. In the main Flambard, who had taught Rufus the profitable 

 trick of keeping sees vacant, proved to be a restorer.** 



The most interesting event of the early twelfth century was the trans- 

 lation of the body of St. Cuthbert in i 104 from its temporary resting-place 

 after the destruction of Aldhun's church to the shrine now prepared for it 

 behind the high altar. There can be no doubt on scientific grounds 

 that the body of the saint, emaciated by fastings and rigour, had dried up, but 



*' Greenwell, Durham Cathedral, 20 n. 



^ For a discriminating summary of this affair see Arch. Ael. xx, 32. 



" Simeon, op. cit. i, 125 sqq. is our main authority. No better summing up of what Carileph did is to 

 be found than that of Dr. Greenwell in his Dur. Cath. (6th ed.), 21-9. 



" The circumstances of Carileph's exile are important in the larger political history of the time. 

 See Bp. Creighton's summary in Diet. Nat. Biog. who points out that Simeon of Durham takes his 

 side, whilst the southern chroniclers condemned him. Durham Castle was seized by the king during the 

 bishop's exile. 



'^ See Dr. Greenwell's preface to the Feodarium. 



" After his imprisonment and subsequent exile, during which for five years the see was deprived of its 

 bishop save for a visit in U04 and perhaps again. Diet. Nat. Biog. ' Flambard.' 



II 



