at every murder victim was
assumed to be Norman unless proven English. This began a court
custom in murder cases of first proving the victim to be English.

The Royal Court decided this case: "At length both parties were
summoned before the King's court, in which there sat many of the
nobles of the land of whom Geoffrey, bishop of Coutances, was
delegated by the King's authority as judge of the dispute, with
Ranulf the Vicomte, Neel, son of Neel, Robert de Usepont, and many
other capable judges who diligently and fully examined the origin
of the dispute, and delivered judgment that the mill ought to
belong to St. Michael and his monks forever. The most victorious
King William approved and confirmed this decision."

- - - Chapter 5 - - -

- The Times: 1100-1154 -

King Henry I, son of William the Conquerer, furthered peace
between the Normans and native English by his marriage to a niece
of King Edward the Confessor called Matilda. She married him on
condition that he grant a charter of rights undoing some practices
of the past reigns of William I and William II. Peace was also
furthered by the fact that Henry I had been born in England and
English was his native tongue. The private wars of lords were now
replaced by less serious mock battles.

Henry was a shrewd judge of character and of the course of events,
cautious before taking action, but decisive in carrying out his
plans. He was faithful and generous to his friends. He showed a strong
practical element of calculation and foresight. Although illiterate, he
was intelligent and a good administrator. He had an efficient
intelligence gathering network and an uncanny knack of detecting hidden
plans before they became conspiratorial action. He made many able men
of inferior social position nobles, thus creating a class of career
judges and administrators in opposition to the extant hereditary
aristocracy. He loved books and built a palace at Oxford to which he
invited scholars for lively discussion. Euclid's "Elements" ", which
deduced from axioms the properties of lines, circles, and spheres, was
introduced into England.

Queen Matilda served as regent of the kingdom in Henry's absence,
as William's queen had for him. Both queens received special
coronation apart from their husbands; they held considerable
estates which they administered through their own officers, and
were frequently composed of