Identifier: countiesofenglan01ditc (find matches)
Title: The counties of England, their story and antiquities
Year: 1912 (1910s)
Authors: Ditchfield, P. H. (Peter Hampson), 1854-1930
Subjects: Great Britain -- History England -- Antiquities
Publisher: London : G. Allen
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
ibes went down before Ostorius and Frontinus.Then, after the lapse of three centuries, followed the greatSaxon wave and the Danish half-wave, so that whenthe Confessor mounted the throne of England, this moietyof the island, including Wales, contained a congeries ofraces. He himself was practically French, and imbuedwith a spice of contempt for his subjects. He had beenbred in France, and was son of a French mother. Hencehis one idea was to introduce into England Frenchcivilisation, which already had assumed the form offeudalism. Earl Sweyn, having seduced the Abbess ofLeominster, was banished. Ralph, the Confessorsnephew, became Earl, and with him descended upon theWelsh border a pair of Normanised Englishmen, viz.,Richard, son of Scrob, or Scroope, who built for himselfRichards Castle, and Osbern, styled Pentecost—-apparently on the Incus a Jton principle, inasmuch as thisbold baron was endued with anything but a pentecostalspirit—who erected the castle of Ewyas. Suffice it that
Text Appearing After Image:
Glyndwr Tower. Herefordshire 313 the Saxons of the period rose in anger against this newdevelopment, and when Ralph was recalled and Sweynrestored to his earldom, ventilated their grievances. Ithappened, however, that Sweyn, being a second timebanished, the Norman Ralph returned to encounter aninvasion of the Welsh, which resulted in pillage. Strangeto relate, when the Frenchified Englishmen were harriedoversea by Earl Godwin, Ralph retained office, but thePentecost and the son of Scroope disappeared, the formerto die fighting with Macbeth at Dunsinane, the latteralone returning on the death of Earl Godwin. Disasterfollowed. The Welsh, under Algar, burned HerefordCathedral, and it needed the prowess of the SaxonHarold, son of Earl Godwin, to crush them. After the Norman Conquest, William FitzOsbern wasappointed Earl and Viceroy during the absence ofWilliam in Normandy. Confronted by another Welshrising, this strong man, whose residence on the borderseems to have been Richards Castle,

Note About Images