Harrow-on-the-Hill at Domesday
Archbishop Lanfranc and medieval Hergae
The modern town of Harrow in north-west London (England) still reflects its medieval past and the influence of Archbishop Lanfranc.
Harrow, a bustling town in north-west London, has been known at various times as Hergae, Heargh, Herga, Harewe, ([Hergae: shrine or temple).
Early proof of Harrow's existence can be found in a charter dated AD 767.
In 1086 the Harrow Manor was assessed in the Domesday Book at one hundred hides – approximately 12,000 arable acres. Its population was recorded as: one priest, three knights, seven vassals (the knights' tenants), 102 villeins, two cottagers and two serfs. As a rule only the heads of households were listed so the recorded population of 117 might easily have been three or four times that number.
How the County was divided
The County of Middlesex was subdivided into six areas known as “Hundreds”. These were Edmonton, Elthorne, Gore, Isleworth, Spelthorne and Ossulstone. Gore included the parishes of Harrow, Hendon, Kingsbury, Edgware, Little Stanmore and Great Stanmore. A Hundred was an area with enough land capable of supporting one hundred families. Each Hundred had its own court where criminals were tried and disputes settled. The Hundred was sub-divided into "vills" and "tuns", the roots of our words "village" and "towns".
The next step up from the Hundred was the Shire with its criminal and civil courts. The manor was usually divided into two separate parts. The demesne, the land surrounding the manor house, was retained by the Lord to support his household. The remaining area, known as the villeinage, was allotted to the villeins in return for their services. Modern Harrow-on-the-Hill still reflects its medieval origins.
Archbishop Lanfranc and Harrow Manor in 1087
In 1087 Harrow Manor, was in the hands of Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury, a renowned biblical scholar and close friend of William the Conqueror.
St Mary’s Church
Unfortunately, nothing remains of the manor house that would have been the residence of Lanfranc and subsequent Archbishops, although Harrow-on-the-Hill does have some interesting buildings and architecture. One of Lanfranc's legacies, still to be enjoyed today, is the beautiful St. Mary's Church, one of London’s oldest surviving medieval structures. A stained glass window portrays Lanfranc holding a model of the church. The scroll surrounding his head states that he was archbishop from 1070 to 1089.
Domesday's record of a priest at Hergae shows the existence of a shrine or temple. When Lanfranc decided to establish a new church in 1087 it was probably this shrine that was replaced. Strangely there was a delay of seven years between the founding of the new church and its consecration on 4th January 1094
A Riddle - Seven years to build St Mary’s?
Why was there such a long delay between the commencement of the new church and its consecration? Did it actually take seven years to complete the building? Was it because of the difficulties involved in delivering the building materials to the church's hill-top site or, alternatively, was there a more devious reason?
One suggested answer to this question is that in 1094 William I had been succeeded by his son William, sometimes known as William The Red or William Rufus. The young King William (only 27 at his coronation) engaged the assistance of friends such as Ranulf Flambard, an unscrupulous rogue. Flambard devised a very simple method of appropriating funds to the Crown. Archbishop Lanfranc died in 1089 and four years after his death no new appointment had been made. Whenever a vital church job became vacant Flambard failed to fill the vacancy. The income that should have been paid to the new appointment was diverted from the Church to the Crown.
Superstitious Times
These were superstitious times. When Rufus' health failed he believed this was evidence of divine retribution. Therefore, he appointed Anselm, Prior of the monastic house of Bec in Normandy. In 1094 Anselm consecrated St. Mary's one month after his own consecration as Primate.
Since then Saint Mary’s has undergone a long programme of restoration and renovation but still stands proudly overlooking London from its vantage point high upon Harrow-on-the-Hill.
