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79-460: Padworth is a dispersed settlement and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire , with the nearest town being Tadley . Padworth is in the unitary authority of West Berkshire , and its main settlement is at Aldermaston Wharf or Lower Padworth, where there is Aldermaston railway station . It has its southern boundary with Mortimer West End , Hampshire . The south of the parish

158-620: A saint who did not suffer martyrdom as opposed to his uncle, King Edward the Martyr . Some portray Edward the Confessor's reign as leading to the disintegration of royal power in England and the advance in power of the House of Godwin , because of the infighting that began after his death with no heirs to the throne. Biographers Frank Barlow and Peter Rex, on the other hand, portray Edward as

237-557: A few Normans, who became unpopular. Chief among them was Robert, abbot of the Norman abbey of Jumièges, who had known Edward from the 1030s and came to England with him in 1041, becoming bishop of London in 1043. According to the Vita Edwardi , he became "always the most powerful confidential adviser to the king". In ecclesiastical appointments, Edward and his advisers showed a bias against candidates with local connections, and when

316-571: A man named 'Gozelin'. In this instance, its Saxon era owner was recorded as 'Ælfstan', with its nominal dues going to Edward the Confessor . The period of titled bearers owning either manor was when the main manor was held by the Tichborne baronets and the Forster baronets (1629–1681). The manor house is a Grade II* listed building. It was built afresh in 1769 by the designs of John Hobcraft, and has plasterwork by Joseph Rose . Its entrance

395-446: A man – of outstanding height, and distinguished by his milky white hair and beard, full face and rosy cheeks, thin white hands, and long translucent fingers; in all the rest of his body he was an unblemished royal person. Pleasant, but always dignified, he walked with eyes downcast, most graciously affable to one and all. If some cause aroused his temper, he seemed as terrible as a lion, but he never revealed his anger by railing." This, as

474-490: A martyr. In the 1230s, King Henry III became attached to the cult of Saint Edward, and he commissioned a new life, by Matthew Paris . Henry also constructed a grand new tomb for Edward in a rebuilt Westminster Abbey in 1269. Henry III also named his eldest son after Edward. Until about 1350, Edmund the Martyr , Gregory the Great , and Edward the Confessor were regarded as English national saints, but Edward III preferred

553-468: A result of disease or modern farming practice. Arthur Young 's description of the view from Langdon Hills , "dark lanes intersected with numberless hedges and woods," is a typical description of the landscape in an area of dispersed settlements. Anthony Galt has written an extensive study of the dispersed settlement pattern around Locorotondo in the Province of Bari in southern Italy. In this case,

632-516: A series of strokes which led to his death. He was too weak to attend the consecration of his new church at Westminster , which had been substantially completed in 1065, on 28 December. Edward probably entrusted the kingdom to Harold and Edith shortly before he died at Westminster on 5 January 1066. On 6 January he was buried in Westminster Abbey , and Harold was crowned on the same day. Starting as early as William of Malmesbury in

711-427: A son as hostage, who were sent to Normandy. The Godwins' position disintegrated as their men were not willing to fight the king. When Stigand, who was acting as an intermediary, conveyed the king's jest that Godwin could have his peace if he could restore Alfred and his companions alive and well, Godwin and his sons fled, going to Flanders and Ireland. Edward repudiated Edith and sent her to a nunnery, perhaps because she

790-501: A successful king, one who was energetic, resourceful and sometimes ruthless; they argue that the Norman conquest shortly after his death tarnished his image. However, Richard Mortimer argues that the return of the Godwins from exile in 1052 "meant the effective end of his exercise of power", citing Edward's reduced activity as implying "a withdrawal from affairs". About a century after his death, in 1161, Pope Alexander III canonised

869-510: A successful skirmish near Southampton , and then retreated back to Normandy. He thus showed his prudence, but he had some reputation as a soldier in Normandy and Scandinavia. In 1037, Harold was accepted as king, and the following year he expelled Emma, who retreated to Bruges . She then summoned Edward and demanded his help for Harthacnut, but he refused as he had no resources to launch an invasion, and disclaimed any interest for himself in

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948-518: A typical member of the rustic nobility". He appeared to have a slim prospect of acceding to the English throne during this period, and his ambitious mother was more interested in supporting Harthacnut, her son by Cnut. Cnut died in 1035, and Harthacnut succeeded him as king of Denmark . It is unclear whether he intended to keep England as well, but he was defending his position in Denmark and thus

1027-541: Is Middle Barton in Steeple Barton , Oxfordshire . In some parts of England, the pattern of dispersed settlement has remained unchanged for many hundreds of years. Many of the locations found in Domesday may be dispersed farmsteads. It is sometimes possible to identify documentary references to farmsteads in the 18th and 19th centuries with these Domesday entries. In areas of Kent and Essex close to London,

1106-451: Is a double-height space, and has a staircase with a wrought iron balustrade to three sides. It has a vaulted 3-bay arched arcade on each floor to one side with Doric columns on the ground floor and columns with Adamesque capitals on the floor above. Place names that were here in the 17th century are: Ball's Pidle, Yew Pidle, Pondes Close, Little and Great Burfeildes, Culmers Wood and Bartholomew's, Brickworth Coppice. The inclosure of

1185-604: Is first recorded as a 'witness' to two charters in 1005. He had one full brother, Alfred , and a sister, Godgifu . In charters he was always listed behind his older half-brothers, showing that he ranked beneath them. During his childhood, England was the target of Viking raids and invasions under Sweyn Forkbeard and his son, Cnut . Following Sweyn's seizure of the throne in 1013, Emma fled to Normandy , followed by Edward and Alfred, and then by Æthelred. Sweyn died in February 1014, and leading Englishmen invited Æthelred back on

1264-861: Is noted by the 1920s to be very well watered, and the north-eastern part draws on the natural advantage of a fairly flat landscape and water close to the surface from the River Kennet . The soil retains a strength from its inorganic layers being gravel and the subsoil impermeable clay. The local economy in the 1920s centred on the chief crops: wheat, barley, oats and root vegetables. These remain regular crops in Padworth alongside hay meadows for livestock, horses and donkeys. Gravel extraction , education, agriculture, transport and tourism all provide jobs in Padworth itself. Aldermaston railway station at Aldermaston Wharf serves two of these sectors. Commuting to towns, industrial, logistic and trading business centres

1343-555: Is posited to be a ' sub-Roman ' bank and ditch dug to defend Calleva Atrebatum ( Silchester ) when the Anglo-Saxons began to settle in the area. The place is recorded in such documents as the Assize Rolls and national Feet of Fines (on property sale) as Peadanwurthe (10th century); Peteorde (11th century); Pedewurth (12th century); Padewrd, Padworze (13th century); Padesworth, Pappeworth (14th century). A full descent of

1422-464: Is regarded by most historians as an unlikely saint, and his canonisation as political, although some argue that his cult started so early that it must have had something credible to build on. Edward displayed a worldly attitude in his church appointments. When he appointed Robert of Jumièges as Archbishop of Canterbury in 1051, he chose the leading craftsman Spearhafoc to replace Robert as Bishop of London . Robert refused to consecrate him, saying that

1501-476: Is the most common source of employment as at the 2011 census , with for instance Reading and Newbury about 20–30 minutes away whether by rail or by access to the M4 motorway . Tadley, the nearest town, also provides a major source of retail, leisure and general high street service employment. Grim's Ditch which runs from the mid-south of the area 0.5 miles (0.80 km) (into the southern forest of Ufton Nervet )

1580-704: Is wooded towards its edges and the north of the parish is agricultural with a hotel beside the Kennet and Avon Canal . In the centre of the parish is a school, Padworth College , which is Georgian and a later incarnation of its manor house . Padworth is built around the Norman church and the manor house, which from 1748 was the home of the Darby-Griffith family but in the 20th century was converted into Padworth College , an independent co-educational day and boarding school for students aged 13–19. The two halves of

1659-547: The Isle of Wight . There, Edward was received as king in return for his oath that he would continue the laws of Cnut. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , Edward was sworn in as king alongside Harthacnut, but a diploma issued by Harthacnut in 1042 describes him as the king's brother. Following Harthacnut's death on 8 June 1042, Godwin, the most powerful of the English earls, supported Edward, who succeeded to

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1738-887: The Prior 's pension. Upon the Dissolution of the Monasteries , the advowson was exercised by the Crown until the 19th century. A parish rentcharge , totalling £250 in 1848, was received by the rector , the parishioners having commutated the tithes. The parish glebe stood at 28 acres (0.11 km). By 1923 the rector's patron was the Lord Chancellor . The parish is united as part of the benefice of Stratfield Mortimer , Mortimer West End and Padworth which has four churches and two church schools . Land use statistics are not available for this civil parish. These figures under

1817-745: The Ruhr urban area (the dispersed settlements lending themselves to the development of urban sprawl after industrialisation), the Austro-Bavarian parts of the Alps ( Upper Bavaria , Austria, South Tyrol ) as well as Alamannic parts of the Alps ( Bernese Oberland , Central Switzerland ). Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ( c. 1003 – 5 January 1066) was an Anglo-Saxon English king and saint . Usually considered

1896-583: The common land at Padworth was by its local act of Parliament , the Beenham and Padworth Inclosures Act 1811 ( 51 Geo. 3 . c. cxlii), under the established limited compensatory procedures of the time. The Church of England parish church of St John the Baptist , is aisleless and built about 1130 with two three-light Tudor styled ornately carved windows, and with its vestry and porch having been added in 1890. A smaller Tudor window, with two lights on

1975-487: The parish can be separated thus: A ' fishery in the Kenette' was among the possessions of the manor in 1586, and a fishery is mentioned as early as 1378. There is a Scheduled Monument fish-pond north of the former manor house. In 1870 its property was valued at £1,839 (equivalent to £222,258 in 2023 in general expenditure) while its population was much smaller than today, 298, living in 59 houses. The whole parish

2054-497: The 11th century have the saintly reputation which he later enjoyed, largely through the efforts of the Westminster monks themselves". After 1066, there was a subdued cult of Edward as a saint, possibly discouraged by the early Norman abbots of Westminster, which gradually increased in the early 12th century. Osbert of Clare , the prior of Westminster Abbey, then started to campaign for Edward's canonisation, aiming to increase

2133-480: The Battle of Hastings, Harold sent William an envoy who admitted that Edward had promised the throne to William but argued that this was overridden by his deathbed promise to Harold. In reply, William did not dispute the deathbed promise but argued that Edward's prior promise to him took precedence. In Stephen Baxter 's view, Edward's "handling of the succession issue was dangerously indecisive, and contributed to one of

2212-525: The Conqueror's grandfather, Duke Richard II , was the brother of Edward the Confessor's mother, Emma of Normandy , so the two men were first cousins once removed, and there was a blood tie between them. William may have visited Edward during Godwin's exile, and he is thought to have promised William the succession at this time, but historians disagree on how seriously he meant the promise, and whether he later changed his mind. Edmund Ironside's son, Edward

2291-524: The Exile , had the best claim to be considered Edward's heir. He had been taken as a young child to Hungary , and in 1054 Bishop Ealdred of Worcester visited the Holy Roman Emperor , Henry III to secure his return, probably with a view to becoming Edward's heir. The exile returned to England in 1057 with his family but died almost immediately. His son Edgar , who was then about six years old,

2370-525: The Gainj, Ankave, and Baining tribes. It is also frequently met with in nomadic pastoral societies. In Ghana, Kumbyili in the northern region is also an example of a dispersed settlement In England, dispersed settlements are often found in the areas of ancient enclosure outside the central region—for example, Essex , Kent and the West Country . An example of a dispersed settlement given by W G Hoskins

2449-519: The Godwin brothers controlled all of England subordinately apart from Mercia . It is not known whether Edward approved of this transformation or whether he had to accept it, but from this time he seems to have begun to withdraw from active politics, devoting himself to hunting, which he pursued each day after attending church. In the 1050s, Edward pursued an aggressive and generally successful policy in dealing with Scotland and Wales . Malcolm Canmore

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2528-463: The aim of adding it to his territory. In 1053, Edward ordered the assassination of the south Welsh prince Rhys ap Rhydderch in reprisal for a raid on England, and Rhys's head was delivered to him. In 1055, Gruffydd ap Llywelyn established himself as the ruler of Wales, and allied himself with Ælfgar of Mercia, who had been outlawed for treason. They defeated Earl Ralph at Hereford, and Harold had to collect forces from nearly all of England to drive

2607-482: The anniversary of his death, 5 January, the date he is inscribed in the Martyrologium Romanum . The Church of England 's calendar of saints designates 13 October as a Lesser Festival . Each October the abbey holds a week of festivities and prayer in his honour. Edward is also regarded as a patron saint of difficult marriages. The Vita Ædwardi Regis states "[H]e was a very proper figure of

2686-405: The brothers to join them in marching south. They met Harold at Northampton, and Tostig accused Harold before the king of conspiring with the rebels. Tostig seems to have been a favourite with the king and queen, who demanded that the revolt be suppressed, but neither Harold nor anyone else would fight to support Tostig. Edward was forced to submit to his banishment, and the humiliation may have caused

2765-544: The census heading 'Physical Environment' can be obtained for the broader ward of ' Stratfield Mortimer ' from the data pages of the last census from the 2005 Office for National Statistics survey. [REDACTED] Media related to Padworth at Wikimedia Commons Dispersed settlement The French term bocage is sometimes used to describe the type of landscape found where dispersed settlements are common. In addition to Western Europe, dispersed patterns of settlement are found in parts of Papua New Guinea , as among

2844-575: The church. Edward the Confessor was the only king of England to be canonized by the pope, but he was part of a tradition of (uncanonised) Anglo-Saxon royal saints, such as Eadburh of Winchester , a daughter of Edward the Elder , Edith of Wilton , a daughter of Edgar the Peaceful , and the boy-king Edward the Martyr . With his proneness to fits of rage and his love of hunting, Edward the Confessor

2923-493: The clergy and monks of Canterbury elected a relative of Godwin as Archbishop of Canterbury in 1051, Edward rejected him and appointed Robert of Jumièges, who claimed that Godwin was in illegal possession of some archiepiscopal estates. In September 1051, Edward was visited by his brother-in-law, Godgifu's second husband, Eustace II of Boulogne . His men caused an affray in Dover , and Edward ordered Godwin as earl of Kent to punish

3002-452: The condition that he promised to rule 'more justly' than before. Æthelred agreed, sending Edward back with his ambassadors. Æthelred died in April 1016, and he was succeeded by Edward's older half-brother Edmund Ironside , who carried on the fight against Sweyn's son, Cnut. According to Scandinavian tradition, Edward fought alongside Edmund; as Edward was at most thirteen years old at the time,

3081-508: The control of earldoms. In 1055, Siward died, but his son was considered too young to command Northumbria , and Harold's brother, Tostig , was appointed. In 1057, Leofric and Ralph died, and Leofric's son Ælfgar succeeded as Earl of Mercia, while Harold's brother Gyrth succeeded Ælfgar as Earl of East Anglia. The fourth surviving Godwin brother, Leofwine , was given an earldom in the south-east carved out of Harold's territory, and Harold received Ralph's territory in compensation. Thus by 1057,

3160-433: The development of residential housing during the 20th century has often disguised the dispersed nature of the original settlement. The farmsteads which make up the dispersed settlement are often surrounded by small irregularly shaped fields. Traditionally, trees are encouraged to grow at the edges of these fields and in thin strips alongside roads. However, during the 20th century, much of this woodland disappeared, either as

3239-409: The early 1030s. He probably received support from his sister Godgifu, who married Drogo of Mantes , count of Vexin in about 1024. In the early 1030s, Edward witnessed four charters in Normandy, signing two of them as king of England. According to William of Jumièges , the Norman chronicler, Robert I, Duke of Normandy attempted an invasion of England to place Edward on the throne in about 1034 but it

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3318-425: The early 12th century, historians have puzzled over Edward's intentions for the succession. One school of thought supports the Norman case that Edward always intended William the Conqueror to be his heir, accepting the medieval claim that Edward had already decided to be celibate before he married, but most historians believe that he hoped to have an heir by Edith at least until his quarrel with Godwin in 1051. William

3397-469: The end of Edward's reign. After the mid-1050s, Edward seems to have withdrawn from affairs as he became increasingly dependent on the Godwins, and he may have become reconciled to the idea that one of them would succeed him. The Normans claimed that Edward sent Harold to Normandy in about 1064 to confirm the promise of the succession to William. The strongest evidence comes from a Norman apologist, William of Poitiers . According to his account, shortly before

3476-627: The fleet at Sandwich . Beorn's elder brother, Sweyn II of Denmark "submitted himself to Edward as a son", hoping for his help in his battle with Magnus for control of Denmark, but in 1047 Edward rejected Godwin's demand that he send aid to Sweyn, and it was only Magnus's death in October that saved England from attack and allowed Sweyn to take the Danish throne. Modern historians reject the traditional view that Edward mainly employed Norman favourites, but he did have foreigners in his household, including

3555-508: The following year, he retreated and was killed by Welsh enemies. Edward and Harold were then able to impose vassalage on some Welsh princes. In October 1065, Harold's brother, Tostig, Earl of Northumbria, was hunting with the king when his thegns in Northumbria rebelled against his rule , which they claimed was oppressive, and killed some 200 of his followers. They nominated Morcar , the brother of Edwin of Mercia, as earl and invited

3634-463: The greatest catastrophes to which the English have ever succumbed." Edward's Norman sympathies are most clearly seen in the major building project of his reign, Westminster Abbey , the first Norman Romanesque church in England. This was commenced between 1042 and 1052 as a royal burial church, consecrated on 28 December 1065, completed after his death in about 1090, and demolished in 1245 to make way for Henry III's new building, which still stands. It

3713-488: The historian Richard Mortimer notes, 'contains obvious elements of the ideal king, expressed in flattering terms – tall and distinguished, affable, dignified and just.' Edward was allegedly not above accepting bribes. According to the Ramsey Liber Benefactorum , the monastery's abbot decided that it would be dangerous to publicly contest a claim brought by "a certain powerful man", but he claimed he

3792-424: The invaders back into Wales. Peace was concluded with the reinstatement of Ælfgar, who was able to succeed as Earl of Mercia on his father's death in 1057. Gruffydd swore an oath to be a faithful under-king of Edward. Ælfgar likely died in 1062, and his young son Edwin was allowed to succeed as Earl of Mercia, but Harold then launched a surprise attack on Gruffydd. He escaped, but when Harold and Tostig attacked again

3871-485: The irregularity of Stigand's position. Edward usually preferred clerks to monks for the most important and richest bishoprics, and he probably accepted gifts from candidates for bishoprics and abbacies. However, his appointments were generally respectable. When Odda of Deerhurst died without heirs in 1056, Edward seized lands which Odda had granted to Pershore Abbey and gave them to his Westminster foundation; historian Ann Williams observes that "the Confessor did not in

3950-680: The king. Edward was one of England's national saints until King Edward III adopted Saint George (George of Lydda) as the national patron saint in about 1350. Saint Edward's feast day is 13 October and is celebrated by both the Church of England and the Catholic Church . Edward was the seventh son of Æthelred the Unready , and the first by his second wife, Emma of Normandy . Edward was born between 1003 and 1005 in Islip, Oxfordshire , and

4029-498: The last king of the House of Wessex , he ruled from 1042 until his death in 1066. Edward was the son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy . He succeeded Cnut the Great 's son – and his own half-brother – Harthacnut . He restored the rule of the House of Wessex after the period of Danish rule since Cnut conquered England in 1016. When Edward died in 1066, he was succeeded by his wife's brother Harold Godwinson , who

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4108-562: The last legitimate Anglo-Saxon king. The shrine of Saint Edward the Confessor in Westminster Abbey remains where it was after the final translation of his body to a chapel east of the sanctuary on 13 October 1269 by Henry III. The day of his translation, 13 October (his first translation had also been on that date in 1163), is an optional memorial in the Catholic dioceses of England only. Saint Edward may also be commemorated on

4187-597: The manor, including its earliest known grant of 956 and during the Black Death , is provided by the fully referenced text of the Victoria County History for this parish , compiled here in 1923. A secondary manor of Padworth, Hussey's, existed under John de la Husse in the 13th century, after whom it was named. In the Domesday Book , 2½ hides were farmed; which was held by William de Ow and

4266-518: The more war-like figure of Saint George, and in 1348 he established the Order of the Garter with Saint George as its patron. At Windsor Castle , its chapel of Saint Edward the Confessor was re-dedicated to Saint George, who was acclaimed in 1351 as patron of the English race. Edward was a less popular saint for many, but he was important to the Norman dynasty, which claimed to be the successor of Edward as

4345-401: The opportunity to renew Edward's claim. This time, it had the full support of the king and the English hierarchy, and a grateful pope issued the bull of canonisation on 7 February 1161, the result of a conjunction of the interests of Westminster Abbey, King Henry II and Pope Alexander III. He was called 'Confessor' as the name for someone who was believed to have lived a saintly life but was not

4424-526: The pope had forbidden it, but Spearhafoc occupied the bishopric for several months with Edward's support. After the Godwins fled the country, Edward expelled Spearhafoc, who fled with a large store of gold and gems which he had been given to make Edward a crown. Stigand was the first archbishop of Canterbury not to be a monk in almost a hundred years, and he was said to have been excommunicated by several popes because he held Canterbury and Winchester in plurality. Several bishops sought consecration abroad because of

4503-485: The settlement pattern developed because of movement from the town to the countryside in the 19th century. Emphyteutic leases were used by landowners seeking to increase their income from land that was only marginally attractive for agriculture by encouraging the creation of vineyards . Known as Streusiedlungen (singular Streusiedlung ), dispersed settlements are a characteristic of various parts of German-speaking Europe , including in areas of Westphalia , historically

4582-421: The south-east square tower façade, above the font, which does not have the entrance. The roof of the nave was largely replaced in the 19th century. Rare features include the Norman chancel arch and north and south doorways, the semi-domed apse and the 18th-century monuments. It is Grade I listed building. The church's advowson was from Pamber Priory in 1291 when various tithes and donations provided

4661-444: The southern earldoms. He had no personal power base, and it seems he did not attempt to build one. In 1050–51 he even paid off the fourteen foreign ships which constituted his standing navy and abolished the tax raised to pay for it. However, in ecclesiastical and foreign affairs he was able to follow his own policy. King Magnus I of Norway aspired to the English throne, and in 1045 and 1046, fearing an invasion, Edward took command of

4740-461: The story is disputed. Edmund died in November 1016, and Cnut became undisputed king. Edward then again went into exile with his brother and sister; in 1017 his mother married Cnut. In the same year, Cnut had Edward's last surviving elder half-brother, Eadwig , executed. Edward spent a quarter of a century in exile, probably mainly in Normandy, although there is no evidence of his location until

4819-443: The support of King Stephen , but he lacked the full support of the English hierarchy and Stephen had quarrelled with the church, so Pope Innocent II postponed a decision, declaring that Osbert lacked sufficient testimonials of Edward's holiness. In 1159, there was a disputed election to the papacy , and Henry II 's support helped to secure the recognition of Pope Alexander III. In 1160, a new abbot of Westminster, Laurence, seized

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4898-552: The throne. Harthacnut, his position in Denmark now secure, planned an invasion, but Harold died in 1040, and Harthacnut was able to cross unopposed, with his mother, to take the English throne. In 1041, Harthacnut invited Edward back to England, probably as his heir because he knew he had not long to live. The 12th-century Quadripartitus states that he was recalled by the intervention of Bishop Ælfwine of Winchester and Earl Godwin. Edward met "the thegns of all England" at Hursteshever, likely near modern-day Hurst Spit opposite

4977-720: The throne. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle describes the popularity he enjoyed at his accession – "before he [Harthacnut] was buried, all the people chose Edward as king in London." Edward was crowned at the cathedral of Winchester , the royal seat of the West Saxons , on Easter Sunday, 3 April 1043. Edward complained that his mother had "done less for him than he wanted before he became king, and also afterwards". In November 1043, he rode to Winchester with his three leading earls, Leofric of Mercia , Godwin, and Siward of Northumbria , to deprive her of her property, possibly because she

5056-433: The town's burgesses, but he took their side and refused. Edward seized the chance to bring his over-mighty earl to heel. Archbishop Robert accused Godwin of plotting to kill the king, just as he had killed his brother Alfred in 1036, while Leofric and Siward supported the king and called up their vassals. Sweyn and Harold called up their own vassals, but neither side wanted a fight, and Godwin and Sweyn appear to have each given

5135-543: The wealth and power of the Abbey. By 1138, he had converted the Vita Ædwardi Regis , the life of Edward commissioned by his widow, into a conventional saint's life. He seized on an ambiguous passage which might have meant that their marriage was chaste, perhaps to give the idea that Edith's childlessness was not her fault, to claim that Edward had been celibate. In 1139, Osbert went to Rome to petition for Edward's canonisation with

5214-425: Was a continuing source of dispute with the pope. Until the mid-1050s Edward was able to structure his earldoms to prevent the Godwins from becoming dominant. Godwin died in 1053, and although Harold succeeded to his earldom of Wessex, none of his other brothers were earls at this date. His house was then weaker than it had been since Edward's succession, but a succession of deaths from 1055 to 1057 completely changed

5293-520: Was an exile at Edward's court after his father, Duncan I , was killed in battle in 1040, against men led by Macbeth who seized the Scottish throne. In 1054, Edward sent Siward to invade Scotland. He defeated Macbeth, and Malcolm, who had accompanied the expedition, gained control of southern Scotland. By 1058, Malcolm had killed Macbeth in battle and had taken the Scottish throne. In 1059, he visited Edward, but in 1061, he started raiding Northumbria with

5372-524: Was appointed to an earldom in the south-west midlands, and on 23 January 1045 Edward married Godwin's daughter Edith . Soon afterwards, her brother Harold and her Danish cousin Beorn Estrithson were also given earldoms in southern England. Godwin and his family now ruled subordinately all of Southern England . However, in 1047 Sweyn was banished for abducting the abbess of Leominster . In 1049, he returned to try to regain his earldom, but this

5451-489: Was blown off course to Jersey . He also received support for his claim to the throne from several continental abbots, particularly Robert , abbot of the Norman abbey of Jumièges , who later became Edward's Archbishop of Canterbury. Edward was said to have developed an intense personal piety during this period, but modern historians regard this as a product of the later medieval campaign for his canonisation. In Frank Barlow's view "in his lifestyle would seem to have been that of

5530-418: Was brought up at the English court. He was given the designation Ætheling , meaning throne-worthy, which may mean that Edward considered making him his heir, and he was briefly declared king after Harold's death in 1066. However, Edgar was absent from witness lists of Edward's diplomas, and there is no evidence in the Domesday Book that he was a substantial landowner, which suggests that he was marginalised at

5609-413: Was captured by Godwin, Earl of Wessex , who turned him over to Harold Harefoot. He had Alfred blinded by forcing red-hot pokers into his eyes to make him unsuitable for kingship, and Alfred died soon after as a result of his wounds. The murder is thought to be the source of much of Edward's hatred for Godwin and one of the primary reasons for Godwin's banishment in autumn 1051. Edward is said to have fought

5688-409: Was childless, and Archbishop Robert urged her divorce. Sweyn went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem (dying on his way back), but Godwin and his other sons returned, with an army following a year later, and received considerable support, while Leofric and Siward failed to support the king. Both sides were concerned that a civil war would leave the country open to foreign invasion. The king was furious, but he

5767-592: Was defeated and killed in the same year at the Battle of Hastings by the Normans under William the Conqueror . Edward's young great-nephew Edgar Ætheling of the House of Wessex was proclaimed king after the Battle of Hastings, but was never crowned and was peacefully deposed after about eight weeks. Historians disagree about Edward's fairly long 24-year reign. His nickname reflects the traditional image of him as unworldly and pious. Confessor reflects his reputation as

5846-498: Was descended from a family which had served Æthelred. Siward was probably Danish, and although Godwin was English, he was one of Cnut's new men, married to Cnut's former sister-in-law. However, in his early years, Edward restored the traditional strong monarchy, showing himself, in Frank Barlow's view, "a vigorous and ambitious man, a true son of the impetuous Æthelred and the formidable Emma." In 1043, Godwin's eldest son Sweyn

5925-454: Was forced to give way and restore Godwin and Harold to their earldoms, while Robert of Jumièges and other Frenchmen fled, fearing Godwin's vengeance. Edith was restored as queen, and Stigand , who had again acted as an intermediary between the two sides in the crisis, was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury in Robert's place. Stigand retained his existing bishopric of Winchester, and his pluralism

6004-495: Was holding on to treasure which belonged to the king. Her adviser, Stigand , was deprived of his bishopric of Elmham in East Anglia . However, both were soon restored to favour. Emma died in 1052. Edward's position when he came to the throne was weak. Effective rule required keeping on terms with the three leading earls, but loyalty to the ancient house of Wessex had been eroded by the period of Danish rule, and only Leofric

6083-453: Was said to have been opposed by Harold and Beorn, probably because they had been given Sweyn's land in his absence. Sweyn murdered his cousin Beorn and went again into exile. Edward's nephew Ralph was given Beorn's earldom, but the following year Sweyn's father was able to secure his reinstatement. The wealth of Edward's lands exceeded that of the greatest earls, but they were scattered among

6162-494: Was unable to come to England to assert his claim to the throne. It was therefore decided that his elder half-brother Harold Harefoot should act as regent, while Emma held Wessex on Harthacnut's behalf. In 1036, Edward and his brother Alfred separately came to England. Emma later claimed that they came in response to a letter forged by Harold inviting them to visit her, but historians believe that she probably did invite them in an effort to counter Harold's growing popularity. Alfred

6241-435: Was very similar to Jumièges Abbey , which was built at the same time. Robert of Jumièges must have been closely involved in both buildings, although it is not clear which is the original and which is the copy. Edward does not appear to have been interested in books and associated arts, but his abbey played a vital role in the development of English Romanesque architecture, showing that he was an innovative and generous patron of

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