ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY the founding of new universities in some of our large cities. The cathedral itself was sufficiently advanced to be consecrated for divine service on 24 September, iioi. Vast, however, as was the work which the bishop took in hand and carried through at Norwich, it was but a part of his immense achievements. On the other side of the Wensum, overlooking the cathedral and priory, he built another church apparently for the small army of labourers who were at work upon the monastic buildings ; at Yarmouth he founded the church of St. Nicholas, and at King's Lynn the church and priory of St. Margaret. He took, moreover, an active part in establishing the Cluniac priory of monks at Thetford which was founded and endowed by Roger Bigot in 1 103, and he built the episcopal palace on the north side of the cathedral. During the twenty-eight years of his episcopate Bishop Herbert found time to write frequent letters, some sixty of which have been preserved. He was a frequent and effective preacher. His theological treatises have perished, though some of his sermons remain to testify to his Latinity and to his intimate knowledge of the Scriptures. He was high in favour with Henry I and with his consort the accomplished Queen Maud, who was herself among his correspondents. The queen died on i May, 11 18, and the bishop on 22 July in the following year. He was succeeded by Everard de Montgomery, about whose parentage there is some uncertainty.^ Possessed of large resources he was liberal in his distribution of them. He too was a married man.' He was consecrated bishop of Norwich on i 2 June, i i 2 1 . It must have been a scandal and offence to Bishop Herbert's monks at the priory that a married archdeacon should be set over them, and it is clear that between them and the new bishop there was no cordiality, even though he is reported to have carried on the building of the cathedral which Herbert had left unfinished. Bishop Everard had been bishop of Norwich nearly twenty-three years when, in the spring of 1 144, an event, which in the sequel was followed by momentous consequences, occurred in the city. The body of a boy twelve or thirteen years of age was found, it is said, in Thorpe Wood in the environs of Norwich, bearing signs of cruel ill-usage. The discovery caused great excite- ment, the body was buried where it was found ; but about 28 March (Easter Tuesday) a certain priest, Godwin Sturt by name, exhumed it, in company with his son Alexander and a nephew Robert, and all three identified the body. They declared it to be the body of William son of Wenstan, another priest, and his wife Liviva, whose sister was the wife of Godwin Sturt. The whole family with immense excitement declared positively that the little William had been murdered by the Jews with horrible barbarity, and the priest Godwin determined to make the most of the occasion. The Easter Synod assembled in the cathedral on 10 April, Bishop Everard presiding, and after the preaching of the usual sermon Godwin rose and delivered a set speech in which he declared himself able to prove that the Norwich Jews had deliberately murdered his nephew during the Passover Festival, and he claimed that the Jewish community in the city should appear next day before the synod and be punished for their horrible crime. The bishop answered with some dignity that the Jews should be summoned and ' Notes and Queries, 4th Ser. x. 27. * Blomefield, W;//. o/Norf. iii, 474. m. 7. 221
