The Online Library of Liberty

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• Advertisement.
• Biographical Notice of M. Augustin Thierry.
• Introduction.
• History of the Conquest of England By the Normans.
• Book I.: From the Establishment of the Britons to the Ninth Century. Bc 55—ad 787
• Book II.: From the First Landing of the Danes In England to the End of Their Domination. 787—1048.
• Book III.: From the Insurrection of the English People Against the Norman Favourites of King Edward, to the Battle of Hastings. 1048—1066.
• Book IV.: From the Battle of Hastings to the Taking of Chester, the Last City Conquered By the Normans. 1066—1070.
• Book V.: From the Formation of the Camp of Refuge In the Isle of Ely, to the Execution of the Last Saxon Chief. 1070—1076.
• Book VI.: From the Quarrel Between King William and His Eldest Son Robert, to the Last Visit of William to the Continent. 1077—1087.
• Book VII.: From the Death of William the Conqueror, to the Last General Conspiracy of the English Against the Normans. 1087—1137.
• Appendix.
• No. I. (page 10.): Arymes Prydyn Vawr.
• No. II. (page 18.): Decree of the Emperors Theodosius and Valentinian, Relative to the Subjection of the Bishops of Gaul to the Pope of Rome. ( Ad 445.)
• No. III. (page 22.): Conference of the Catholic and Arian Bishops For the Conversion of the King of the Burgundians.
• No. IV. (page 44.): Speech of a Northumbrain Chief.
• No. V. (page 75.): National Song of the Anglo-saxons, On the Victory of Brunanburgh.
• No. VI. (page 164.): ‘song Composed In Brittany On the Departure of a Young’ Breton Follower of the Normans, and On His Shipwreck. 1
• No. VII. (page 175.): Poetical Narrative of the Battle of Hastings.
• No. VIII. (page 179.): Letter From M. Augustin Thierry to M. De La Fontenelle De Vaudore, Corresponding Member of the Institute.
• No. IX. (page 182.): The Valiant Courage and Policy of the Kentishmen Which Overcame William the Conqueror, Who Sought to Take From Them Their Ancient Laws and Customs, Which They Retain to This Day. 1
• No. X. (p. 185.): Details of the Surrender of London, Extracted From a Contemporary Poem, Attributed to Guy, Bishop of Amiens. 1
• No. XI. (page 190.): Names of the Provinces and Principal Towns of England As Given In the Saxon Chronicles.
• No. XII. (page 197.): Ancient List of the Conquerors of England.
• Note From the Abbe De La Rue’s Work, Recherches Sur La Tapisserie De Bayeux. Caen, 1824.
• No. XIII. (page 205.): Enumeration of the Lands of Brihtrik, Possessed By Queen Matilda. 1
• No. XIV. (page 206.): Narrative of the Imprisonment of the Saxon Brihtrik. 1
• No. XV. (page 227.): Extract From Domesday-book Relative to the State of the Towns Immediately After the Conquest. 1
• No. XVI. (page 263.): Narrative of the Exploits and Death of Hereward. 1

No. IX. (page 182.)

The valiant Courage and Policy of the Kentishmen which overcame William the Conqueror, who sought to take from them their Ancient Laws and Customs, which they retain to this day.1

• • When as the duke of Normandy
  • With glistering spear and shield,
  • Had entered into fair England,
  • And foil’d his foes in field:
• • On Christmas-day in solemn sort
  • Then was he crowned here,
  • By Albert archbishop of York,
  • With many a noble peer.
• • Which being done, he changed quite
  • The customs of this land,
  • And punisht such as daily sought
  • His statutes to withstand:
• • And many cities he subdu’d,
  • Fair London with the rest;
  • But Kent did still withstand his force,
  • And did his laws detest.
• • To Dover then he took his way,
  • The castle down to fling,
  • Which Arviragus builded there,
  • The noble British king.
• • Which when the brave archbishop bold
  • Of Canterbury knew,
  • The abbot of saint Augustine’s eke,
  • With all their gallant crew:
• • They set themselves in armour bright,
  • These mischiefs to prevent;
  • With all the yeomen brave and bold
  • That were in fruitful Kent.
• • At Canterbury did they meet,
  • Upon a certain day,
  • With sword and spear, with bill and bow,
  • And stopt the conqueror’s way.
• • “Let us not yield, like bond-men poor,
  • To Frenchmen in their pride,
  • But keep our ancient liberty,
  • What chance so e’er betide:
• • “And rather die in bloody field,
  • With manly courage prest,
  • Than to endure the servile voke,
  • Which we so much detest.”
• • Thus did the Kentish commons cry
  • Unto their leaders still.
  • And so march’d forth in warlike sort,
  • And stand at Swanscomb-hill:
• • There in the woods they hid themselves
  • Under the shadow green,
  • Thereby to get them vantage good,
  • Of all their foes unseen.
• • And for the conqueror’s coming there
  • They privily laid wait,
  • And thereby suddenly appal’d
  • His lofty high conceit;
• • For when they spied his approach,
  • In place as they did stand,
  • Then marched they to him with speed,
  • Each one a bough in hand.
• • So that unto the conqueron’s sight,
  • Amazed as be stood;
  • They seem’d to be a walking grove,
  • Or else a moving wood.
• • The shape of men he could not see,
  • The boughs did hide them so:
  • And now his heart with fear did quake,
  • To see a forest go.
• • Before, behind, and on each side,
  • As he did cast his eye,
  • He spi’d the wood with sober pace
  • Approach to him full nigh:
• • But when the Kentishmen had thus
  • Enclos’d the conqueror round;
  • Most suddenly they drew their swords,
  • And threw their boughs to ground;
• • Their banners they display in sight,
  • Their trumpets sound a charge,
  • Their ratling drums strike up alarms,
  • Their troops stretch out at large.
• • The conqueror, with all his train,
  • Were hereat sore aghast,
  • And most in peril, when they thought
  • All peril had been past.
• • Unto the Kentishmen he sent,
  • The cause to understand;
  • For what intent, and for what cause
  • They took this war in hand;
• • To whom they made this short reply:
  • “For liberty we fight,
  • And to enjoy king Edward’s laws,
  • The which we hold our right.”
• • Then said the dreadful conqueror:
  • “You shall have what you will,
  • Your ancient customs and your laws,
  • So that you will be still;
• • “And each thing else that you will crave
  • With reason at my hand;
  • So you will but acknowledge me
  • Chief king of fair England.”
• • The Kentishmen agreed thereon,
  • And laid their arms aside;
  • And by this means king Edward’s laws
  • In Kent doth still abide:
• • And in no place in England else
  • These customs do remain:
  • Which they by manly policy
  • Did of duke William gain.

[1 ] Evans’s Old Ballads, historical and narrative, vol. i. p. 34.