ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY 



the founding of new universities in some of our large cities. The cathedral 

 itself was sufficiently advanced to be consecrated for divine service on 

 24 September, iioi. 



Vast, however, as was the work which the bishop took in hand and 

 carried through at Norwich, it was but a part of his immense achievements. 

 On the other side of the Wensum, overlooking the cathedral and priory, he 

 built another church apparently for the small army of labourers who were at 

 work upon the monastic buildings ; at Yarmouth he founded the church of 

 St. Nicholas, and at King's Lynn the church and priory of St. Margaret. 

 He took, moreover, an active part in establishing the Cluniac priory 

 of monks at Thetford which was founded and endowed by Roger Bigot 

 in 1 103, and he built the episcopal palace on the north side of the 

 cathedral. During the twenty-eight years of his episcopate Bishop Herbert 

 found time to write frequent letters, some sixty of which have been preserved. 

 He was a frequent and effective preacher. His theological treatises have 

 perished, though some of his sermons remain to testify to his Latinity and to 

 his intimate knowledge of the Scriptures. He was high in favour with 

 Henry I and with his consort the accomplished Queen Maud, who was 

 herself among his correspondents. The queen died on i May, 11 18, and 

 the bishop on 22 July in the following year. 



He was succeeded by Everard de Montgomery, about whose parentage 

 there is some uncertainty.^ Possessed of large resources he was liberal in 

 his distribution of them. He too was a married man.' He was consecrated 

 bishop of Norwich on i 2 June, i i 2 1 . It must have been a scandal and 

 offence to Bishop Herbert's monks at the priory that a married archdeacon 

 should be set over them, and it is clear that between them and the new bishop 

 there was no cordiality, even though he is reported to have carried on the 

 building of the cathedral which Herbert had left unfinished. 



Bishop Everard had been bishop of Norwich nearly twenty-three years 

 when, in the spring of 1 144, an event, which in the sequel was followed by 

 momentous consequences, occurred in the city. The body of a boy twelve or 

 thirteen years of age was found, it is said, in Thorpe Wood in the environs of 

 Norwich, bearing signs of cruel ill-usage. The discovery caused great excite- 

 ment, the body was buried where it was found ; but about 28 March (Easter 

 Tuesday) a certain priest, Godwin Sturt by name, exhumed it, in company 

 with his son Alexander and a nephew Robert, and all three identified the 

 body. They declared it to be the body of William son of Wenstan, another 

 priest, and his wife Liviva, whose sister was the wife of Godwin Sturt. The 

 whole family with immense excitement declared positively that the little 

 William had been murdered by the Jews with horrible barbarity, and the 

 priest Godwin determined to make the most of the occasion. 



The Easter Synod assembled in the cathedral on 10 April, Bishop Everard 

 presiding, and after the preaching of the usual sermon Godwin rose and 

 delivered a set speech in which he declared himself able to prove that the 

 Norwich Jews had deliberately murdered his nephew during the Passover 

 Festival, and he claimed that the Jewish community in the city should appear 

 next day before the synod and be punished for their horrible crime. The 

 bishop answered with some dignity that the Jews should be summoned and 



' Notes and Queries, 4th Ser. x. 27. * Blomefield, W;//. o/Norf. iii, 474. m. 7. 



221 



