Enraged by the death of bishop-prince Walcher, King William reacted in two ways. He sent his Half-brother Bishop Odo to sort out the Northumbrians once and for all. The bishop’s interpretation was to repeat the harrying of the north, which he did to devastating effect. The king’s second reaction was to realise that the concept of a bishop-prince was unsound and so, he appointed a new earl by the name of Aubrey de Courcy.
sort out the Northumbrians once and for allOdo’s horrendous laying waste had an unexpected positive consequence for Durham. King William also nominated a new bishop, William of St Calais, whose response on seeing the ruination of the once-prosperous lands of Saint Cuthbert, was a desire to restore the area to its former glory. Of course, he saw this primarily in terms of
