1070s in England

Events from the 1070s in England.

Incumbents

Monarch – William I

Events

1070
- Winter of 1069–1070 – Harrying of the North: King William I quells rebellions in the North of England following an invasion by King Sweyn II of Denmark. Widespread famine follows the devastation wrought.^[1]
- Spring – Sweyn II of Denmark joins English rebels led by Hereward the Wake and captures the Isle of Ely in The Fens of East Anglia.^[2]
- 11 April – Archbishop of Canterbury Stigand is deposed at the Council of Winchester and imprisoned.
- 1 June – Hereward plunders Peterborough Abbey.^[2]
- June – Denmark signs a treaty with England; Sweyn and his forces leave the country.^[2]
- 15 August – Pavian-born Benedictine Lanfranc is appointed as the new Archbishop of Canterbury.^[3]
- Invasion of England by Malcolm III of Scotland repelled.^[2]
- Hugh d'Avranches, Earl of Chester, the first Marcher Lord, invades Wales, capturing parts of Gwynedd.^[2]
- Osmund succeeds Herfast as Lord Chancellor; Herfast becomes Bishop of Elmham.
- Rebuilding of Canterbury Cathedral following a fire begins.^[4]
- Rebuilding of York Minster begins.^[2]
- Construction of Dudley Castle in the west midlands by Ansculf de Picquigny begins.
- Construction of Richmond Castle in North Yorkshire by Alan Rufus begins.
- Jews from Rouen, in Normandy, settle in England at the invitation of the King.^[5]
1071
- William defeats Hereward the Wake's rebellion on the Isle of Ely.^[3]
- Edwin, Earl of Mercia, again rebels against William but is betrayed and killed, leading to the redistribution of land within Mercia to William's subjects.
1072
- 27 May – the Accord of Winchester establishes the primacy of the Archbishop of Canterbury over the Archbishop of York in the Church of England.^[2]
- August – William invades Scotland, reaching the River Tay.^[2]
- At Abernethy, King Malcolm III of Scotland submits to William.^[2]
- Remigius de Fécamp moves the seat of his diocese from Dorchester on Thames to Lincoln, becoming first Bishop of Lincoln,^[2] and construction of Lincoln Cathedral begins.^[6]
1073
- Rebuilding of St Augustine's Abbey in Canterbury.^[3]
1074
- Roger de Montgomerie is created Earl of Shrewsbury, and invades Wales, reaching as far as Powys.^[2]
1075
- Revolt of the Earls: three earls rebel against William in the last serious act of resistance to the Norman conquest of England.^[3]
- August (approx. date) – Council of London reforms Church administration in England. It approves union of the dioceses of Ramsbury and Sherborne into a new Diocese of Salisbury with a new cathedral at Old Sarum, Herman becoming first Bishop of Salisbury.^[2]
- First Bishop of Chichester (Stigand of Selsey) consecrated.^[2]
1076
- April – Council of Winchester confirms ecclesiastical authority, insists on celibacy of the clergy and marriage within church.^[2]
- 31 May – execution of Waltheof II, Earl of Northumbria, for his part in the Revolt of the Earls.^[1]
- Approximate date of the Trial of Penenden Heath to settle a land dispute between King William and his half-brother Odo of Bayeux.
1077
- The Bayeux Tapestry completed depicting the Norman conquest of England.
- William's son Robert Curthose stages an insurrection against him in Normandy.^[2]
- Construction of St Albans Cathedral begins under Abbot Paul of Caen.^[7]
- Foundation of the first Cluniac abbey in England, at Lewes.^[2]
- First recorded Trial by combat in England.^[8]
1078
- 3 June (approx. date) – consecration of Osmund as Bishop of Salisbury. He will introduce the Sarum Rite.
- (approx. date) – construction of the White Tower (Tower of London) begins^[2] under the direction of Bishop Gundulf of Rochester.
- Construction of Colchester Castle begins^[2] under the direction of Bishop Gundulf of Rochester.
1079
- January – Robert unhorses William in battle in Normandy.^[3]
- William creates the New Forest as a hunting ground.^[9]
- Rebuilding of Winchester Cathedral begins^[10] under the direction of Bishop Walkelin of Winchester.

Births

1075
- 16 April – Orderic Vitalis, Benedictine chronicler (died c. 1142)
- Approximate date – Gerald de Windsor, noble (died 1135)

Deaths

1072
- 10–11 February – Leofric, first Bishop of Exeter
- c. 21–22 February – Stigand, deposed Archbishop of Canterbury
1075
- 19 December – Edith of Wessex, queen of Edward the Confessor (born c. 1029)
1076
- 31 May – Waltheof II, Earl of Northumbria, last of the Anglo-Saxon earls (born 1050)