Norman Dover
1066 The Norman Conquest
On 14th October 1066, at the Battle of
Hastings, King Harold was defeated by his rival for the English
crown, William Duke of Normandy. The battle, during which Harold
was killed, was a resounding victory for the horsed Norman knights
over the English foot soldiers. This battle marked the end of the
Saxon era.
The Burning of Dover
Following his victory at Hastings in
October 1066, William the Conqueror and his forces marched to
Dover, pausing only to burn Romney as he came. Dover, then as now,
was a vital strategic point, guarding the shortest crossing to
France. William of Poitiers described the event :
'Then he marched to Dover, which had been reported
impregnable and held by a large force. The English, stricken with
fear at his approach had confidence neither in their ramparts nor
in the numbers of their troops ... While the inhabitants were
preparing to surrender unconditionally, our men, greedy for booty,
set fire to the castle and the great part of it was soon enveloped
in flames'.
The chronicle goes on to say that
William paid for the repair and
'having taken possession of the castle, the Duke spent eight
days adding new fortifications to it'.
It is possible that a castle existed at Dover before the conquest,
but archaeological evidence suggests that a new castle was
constructed near the Saxon church of St.
Mary in Castro.
Having secured Dover, William took
Canterbury and struck into Surrey and Berkshire before entering
London. He was crowned on Christmas Day 1066 in Westminster
Abbey.
The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086 to
establish the taxable value of the kingdom, goes on to say that
before the conquest Dover's value had been £18 but was now £40.
Clearly in the 20 years between, Dover had been rebuilt.
Norman Churches
- St. Mary the Virgin : St. Mary's Church is of early Norman origin
built on the foundations of a Roman structure.
- St. Martin-le-Grand : the Church of St.
Martin-le-Grand was founded in the 7th century and probably
destroyed by the fire of 1066. It was rebuilt and became known as
St. Martin-le-Grand. It dominated Market Square, being over 150
feet long. It housed the altars of several parish churches,
including those of St. Nicholas and St. John the Baptist.
Subordinate to St. Martins were the churches of St. Peter and St.
James. The church was finally dismantled around 1540 although the
remains of some of the walls survived into the 19th century.
- St. James the Apostle : The parish church of
St. James the Apostle is believed to be on the site of a Saxon
church partly destroyed in 1066. In the 12th century it is thought
that the church comprised an aisleless nave with a short tower. The
ruins of St. James are still visible.