Today I want to take a look at why Bishop Herbert de Losinga decided to build his new cathedral in Norwich rather than keep it at the older bishop’s seat in Thetford. It was a decision that would change the city forever.
Firstly, I want to tell you about who Bishop Herbert de Losinga was. He was the first Norman Bishop of Norwich and the man who was responsible for founding Norwich Cathedral.
He was born in Normandy in the 11th century and became a trusted churchman after the Norman Conquest. In 1091, King William II (William Rufus) appointed him Bishop of Thetford, which was then the seat of the diocese.
In the years after the Norman Conquest, Norwich was becoming one of the most important towns in England. It was larger, wealthier and easier to defend than Thetford. It had a busy marketplace, growing population and strong Norman influence. Herbert recognised that moving the bishop’s seat to Norwich would place the Church at the centre of one of the countries most important cities.
There was also a practical reason for the move. The Normans wanted their bishops to be based in major towns where they could oversee larger populations and work more closely with royal authority. Norwich offered greater opportunities for both religious leadership and administration than Thetford.
Herbert selected land that was close to the River Wensum, where there was enough space not only for a magnificent cathedral but also for a monastery, cloisters and the buildings needed to support a community of Benedictine monks. It was an ambitious plan that would change Norwich for centuries.
Norwich Cathedral became the heart of the new diocese and helped establish the city as one of medieval England’s most significant religious centres.
If you had been Bishop Herbert, would you have moved the cathedral to the growing city of Norwich, or kept it in the older town of Thetford?
On Saturday we will look at how construction of Norwich Cathedral started.
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