In 1963 I was appointed Ford's Lecturer in English History to the University of Oxford, and my first obligation in connexion with this book is to the Electors to that Lectureship whose invitation not only did me honour, but impelled me to bring to a conclusion certain studies in Anglo-Norman history which had occupied much of my leisure for more than twenty years. The present volume differs in its arrangement, and in its more extended content, from the lectures I delivered on the same theme. But my gratitude for the stimulus thus given me is not thereby in any way diminished.
The importance of the subject here considered has been reflected in the continuous interest it has excited over the centuries, and in the continuous propaganda it has inspired. None the less, it is hoped that a new study of William the Conqueror and his times can be justified, and the particular purpose of this book will be apparent to readers of its introductory chapter. Briefly, my aims have been to eschew the controversies of the past; to bring French and English scholarship here into closer relation; and, throughout, to base my study upon the original testimony, some of which has, I believe, been given a new cogency as a result of recent criticism. For this reason, a somewhat full citation of the authorities has been supplied since this seems emphatically to be a case where readers should be given the opportunity of testing for themselves the adequacy of the evidence as well as the contrasted interpretations which have been placed upon it. It is believed, however, that those who wish to do so will be able to read the text independently of the citations which support it, and more detailed discussion of certain difficult questions has been relegated to appendices.
A glance at the bibliography will indicate how heavily I am indebted to the work of others, but it will not suffice to record the many personal kindnesses I have received in connexion with this work. These are, in fact, too numerous to be individually acknowledged, but I here offer my grateful thanks to all those who have helped me in so many ways.
I must, however, allude specially to all my friends in the University of Bristol. My pupils have taught me more than they perhaps realize, and among them I would particularly mention Dr David Walker and Mr Peter Hull. As for my colleague Mr James Sherborne, he has increased my existing debt to him by his valuable criticism of much that I have written. I am obliged to Mr Freke for help in the preparation of the maps, and I cannot be sufficiently grateful for the inexhaustible patience and interest of my secretary, Miss Kathleen Hek.
In a very special sense, too, I have been indebted to the encouragement given me over the years by my friends, Sir Frank Stenton, Professor V. H. Galbraith, and Mr Douglas Jerrold. Dom David Knowles and Professor Richard Southern have, moreover, been so kind as to read and comment upon much of the book in the later stages of its preparation. I must be careful not to implicate any of these distinguished writers in such errors of statement or interpretation as may remain in my book, but the bare recital of their names will indicate the magnitude of the obligations I have incurred.
Even so, the greatest debts remain to be recorded. It was that fine feudal scholar, Mr Lewis Loyd, who first directed my attention constructively to Anglo-Norman history, and who, with characteristic generosity, allowed me to profit without stint from his instruction, and from his own researches. Again, it was Mrs Germaine Mason, my colleague in the University of Bristol, who, at a later date, with equal generosity, led me to a fresh appreciation of many of the problems of French literature and history. My debt to these two scholars, now, alas, both dead, is not to be expressed in a sentence. I only wish that this book was more worthy of their memory, and of their friendship.
Certainly, no author has ever been more fortunate in the kindness of others, and throughout the whole protracted undertaking my wife has played her own essential part. Without her, it would never have been sustained. She would not wish me to speak in detail of her indispensable share in our common work, or of all that this book owes to her. The dedication is gratefully hers by right.
D.C.D.
Bristol, 1964