Alan Fergant (the Red), and, consequently, a grandson of the Conqueror. He enjoyed the vast possessions of his father in England, consisting of the barony of Richmond in Yorkshire, with many estates in Lincolnshire and other counties, which, after his death, in the early part of Stephen's reign, fell to his second son, Alan II., surnamed the Black1. In his youth he had borne the character of a valiant, but rugged and cruel warrior; at a later period he chiefly distinguished himself by the ambitious endeavour to raise Brittany again to a kingdom. Not far behind him for illustrious birth, and still less for haughty arrogance, stood Hervé, viscount of Leon, who, at the request of Henry, would never condescend to visit England, though with Stephen, whose daughter he had espoused, he resided for some years, and very little to that prince's advantage. To a distinguished Breton race belonged also Alan of Dinan, son of Oliver, who, during the reign of Henry, had received large possessions in England, and served Stephen on both sides of the Channel3, as did likewise Geoffrey Botarel, count of Lamballe and Penthièvre, the elder brother of the before-mentioned Alan 1.

I Domesday, passim. In Rotul. magn. pipe the latter is constantly called "Stephanus, comes de Britannia." Chron. Britan. a. 1146. “Obiit Alanus comes, in Anglia atque in Britannia strenuissimus." [See Ellis, Introd. i. p. 366.-T.]

2 "Herveius de Leions (Liuns), tantæ nobilitatis, tanti supercilii, ut nunquam regi Henrico petenti animum indulserit in Angliam venire." W. Malm. p. 721. "Leon, pagus Lehonensis." Of him and his race, see Daru, Histoire de la Bretagne, i. p. 109. That he was a son-in-law of Stephen, appears from the Gesta Stephani, p. 68, "Herveio Britoni genero regis." Ib. p. 74. "Comes Herveius, gener regis."

3 In Rotul. magn. pipæ, pp. 16, 39, etc. it is written "Dinam." In the Chron. Britan. his father's death is noticed under the year 1150; his own under 1157.

4"Boterellus quidam, comes Britanniæ." Gesta Steph. p. 81. Comp. Joh. Hagust. a. 1146. He is probably the Gaufridus Bucherel of the Rot. magn. pipa, where a Willelmus Boterel and Bucherel, also a "Thomas, filius Odonis Bucherel" occur. We know of an elder Breton, Galfrid Botherel, son of Odo of Penthièvre, who died in 1992.

It is not to be supposed that the number of foreigners in England consisted solely of Bretons and Flemings; although the presence of others is rather to be conjectured than proved. Here we will merely mention Faramus, a nephew of the queen, the daughter of Eustace III., count of Boulogne, as it was he, with William of Ypres, who for some time swayed the royal court'.

The death of Henry had caused great excitement in Wales, to subdue which he had resolved to pass over to England. The united bands of the natives invaded the well-cultivated district of Gower, lying on the southern coast, and on the banks of the Tawy, which they ravaged, and surrounded and put to the sword a body of five hundred and sixteen Normans (1st Jan. 1136). The mercenaries sent against them by the king were unable to gain any lasting advantage over them, and were compelled to make an inglorious retreat. The renowned and dreaded adversary of the Welsh, Richard fitz Gilbert of Clare, whose influence in South Wales was almost as great as that of his wife's brother, Ranulf earl of Chester, in the northern parts of the realm, a man highly esteemed and beloved by his people, having by alliances and hostages secured himself against his neighbours, now hastened back from England. Irritated apparently by the king's refusal to comply with some of his wishes, he appears to have harboured the design of rebelling against him, and of uniting himself with the Welsh; when, having sent back the companion of his journey, Brian, son of the count Alan Fergant and baron of Wallingford, more usually styled fitz Count3, with his numerous band of armed followers, and riding through a dense forest, to the sound of song and bagpipe, the music soon

"Pharamus, nepos reginæ Mathilda, et iste Bononiensis." Joh. Hagust. a. 1142. "Faramus, filius Willelmi de Boloniæ. . . . ut haberet terram suam (in Sudreia), quam noverca sua tenet." Rot. magn. p. p. 50. Cf. further on, under 1153.

2 The Gesta Steph. p. 10, and Flor. Cont. p. 97, agree in this number. 3 Sax. Chron. a. 1127.

roused the attention of the Welsh, of whom Jorwerth of Caerleon made a deadly onslaught on the Normans, and massacred him and his attendants1 (15th April). This catastrophe kindled new hopes in the minds of the Welsh. Three thousand marched to Cardigan (October), sparing no foreigner, not even the women and children, to the fortress of which, where resided the wife of the slain Richard, they laid siege. After a long resistance, the place was relieved by Milo of Gloucester 2. Baldwin, the brother of Richard fitz Gilbert, although aided by the royal treasures, did not advance beyond Brecknock, and there wasted both time and the gold intrusted to him. Nor was Robert fitz Harold more fortunate, although he proved himself not lacking in energy, and Stephen himself felt convinced that against the tenacious love of country cherished by that excited people, the oppressor had no better weapon than patience, in the expectation that internal dissensions and famine would eventually effect their ruin (1137). The Flemings had in particular suffered under their arms, and one of the bravest barons, Payne fitz John, fell in the pursuit of some Welsh, stricken by a hostile spear 3.

Immediately after the homage at Oxford, Stephen summoned the high clergy and most distinguished of the laity to meet at London, for the purpose of hearing the complaints of the former against the abuses that had crept into the Church during the reign of his predecessor. They complained of simony; of the voluntary gifts demanded of them, which threatened gradually to become a compulsive impost; of the viola

1 Gesta Steph. p. 10. Flor. Cont. p. 97. Giraldi Itiner. Cambriæ, lib. i.

c. 4.

2 "Qui castellum ejusdem urbis (Glocestria) sub comite habebat tempore regis Henrici, dato ei homagio et fidelitatis sacramento; nam eadem civitas caput est comitatus." W. Malm. p. 725.

3 Flor. Cont. p. 98. Gesta Steph. p. 16. Cf. p. 305. Joh. and Ric. Hagust. (coll. 258, 313), [who mention two barons as slain, viz. Payne fitz John and Richard fitz Roger.-T.]

tion of the ecclesiastical immunities; in short, of everything, on account of which the clergy of those days were ever quarrelling with princes, who had to protect the interest of their governments; also of the facility with which marriages were dissolved, on which occasion it was not difficult bitterly to censure the life of the departed monarch, highly as only a few months previously he had been extolled. Stephen promised most readily to maintain the rights of the Church unimpaired, and to remedy the abuses that had crept in; but the vicissi- . tudes of his reign permitted him neither to fulfil this promise, nor earnestly and vigorously to manifest an opposite disposition, in a strife implicating the substance and extent of his rights.

But it was necessary for Stephen to preserve the friendship of the clergy, as it early appeared but too evident, that, by his easiness of disposition and prodigality, he had lost the esteem of his Norman barons, without having succeeded in satisfying their insatiable desires.

In this year, shortly after Easter, the king was attacked with lethargy, when Roger Bigot, availing himself of a report of his death, seized on the castle of Norwich, which he refused to surrender, except to the king himself, and very reluctantly to him. It seems, however, to have been conferred on him at a later period, as we find him styled earl of Norwich and East Anglia1.

At this time there lived a knight of noble lineage and extensive possessions, named Robert of Bathenton, whose life had been chiefly passed in gluttony and drunkenness; but who, after the death of Henry, forsaking his former habits,

1 H. Hunt. lib. viii. aa. 1136, 1141. R. Hoved. a. 1136. Charter of 1153 ap. Rymer.: "Norwic.... tertium denarium, unde Hugo Bygotus

comes est."

2 The Badentone (Baentone) of Domesday, foll. 100b, 101, in Devonshire. "Robertus de Baentone," in that county, occurs in the Rotul. magn. pipæ, pp. 153, 154.

had gathered round him a band of lawless followers, and was become the terror of the neighbouring country. When at length, having done homage to Stephen, it was expected that he would desist from his depredations, he became only more cruel and hostile. Being cited before the king's court, to answer for his misdeeds, he appeared sad, as one conscious of his perjury and perfidy. When accused by those whose property he had plundered, he was found guilty, and sentenced to deliver up his castle, and place all his possessions at the king's disposal. In the king's resolution to send an armed force, accompanied by Robert himself, to take possession of the castle, the wily knight, with a cheerful, smiling countenance, expressed his concurrence, while in his mind he was devising how he might deceive the soldiers, and retain possession of his castle. On reaching a country dwelling belonging to him, he gave orders for a sumptuous refection, with wine in abundance, to be served to his escort; and when all after their good cheer were buried in sleep, Robert quietly mounted his horse and made his escape. Having strongly fortified his castle, he wandered from place to place, at times lurking in concealment, at others joining the king's enemies, and at last died a miserable death among strangers. On being apprized that the retainers of Robert were continuing the game of plunder and destruction, the king proceeded without delay to Bathenton, to which he laid close siege. One night during the siege, a wretched man, in an attempt at flight, by letting himself down from the wall, was captured by the watch, and conducted to the king, who commanded him to be hanged in sight of the whole garrison, declaring that all should undergo a similar punishment, unless the castle were forthwith surrendered. It was surrendered accordingly. Having thus got possession of the place, Stephen banished its defenders from the realm, who, it is said, found an asylum with the king of Scotland'.

1 Gesta Stephani, p. 18.