BattlefieldsWalcher Ambush at Gateshead 1080
Medieval

Walcher Ambush at Gateshead 1080

1080
Tyne and Wear, England
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Tyne and Wear, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Bishop Walcher of Durham
Forces
Bishop Walcher and small armed escort
VS
Victor
Northumbrian rebels
Forces
Northumbrian rebels in ambush
Outcome
Walcher and his companions killed; Odo of Bayeux sent north with punitive army; Northumberland ravaged again
The Battle

History & Significance

Walcher, Bishop of Durham and Earl of Northumberland, was killed at a meeting near Gateshead church when Northumbrian rebels rose against him in a prearranged ambush. Walcher had summoned local leaders to resolve a blood feud but the Northumbrians used the opportunity to murder him and his companions. The killing of the bishop-earl was the most brazen act of northern defiance since the Great Revolt and prompted William to send Bishop Odo of Bayeux north with a punitive force that ravaged the region again.

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