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ARCHBISHOP ALDRED.
I03
rebuilt the whole of the western portion of the
church, and adorned it with many rich and sumptuous
accessories. The sanctuary privileges of the
church received extension, and he attached prebends
to its canonries, raising their number from seven to
eight.
But days of trouble and darkness were nigh at
hand. In 1066 the last lineal descendant of Cerdic,
Edward the Confessor, died, and the day of his
funeral in the Abbey of Westminster, the church
which he had himself erected, witnessed also the
coronation of his successor Harold. Archbishop
Aldred placed the crown upon his head, all unconscious
that in that very sanctuary he would, in a few
short months, perform the like office for the stern and
haughty warrior who was destined to put an end to
the Saxon dynasty and to hold with iron grasp the
country over which its kings had ruled.
Harold's seat upon his throne was anything but a
firm one. It was threatened from two opposite
quarters,—William, duke of Normandy, on the one
side, and his own brother, Earl Tosti, on the other.
William would not admit the validity of Harold's
election, and was furiously indignant because the
latter was false to the oath which, it is said, he
had sworn, whereby he pledged himself to promote
William's claim to the throne. Tosti had been
exiled from Northumbria, and now sought, if it might
be, to win for himself a kingdom. He secured the
assistance of Harold Hardrada, the Norwegian king,
and a descent was made upon the coast of Yorkshire.
They were encountered at Water Fulford, near Bishop-